Star felt his heartbeat hammering in his ears. He remained on the rooftop, looking uncharacteristically disorganized. Whatever happened now, Sarah and Zuru would keep believing he had sold them out.
A part of him was already whispering that judgement had been passed, but listening to that voice would make him a fool. And he was many things, but a fool wasn’t one of them.
Coming from nobility, perhaps the highest there was, Star knew when something was about to be uttered, and judging by the magistrate’s suddenly racing heartbeat, something certainly was.
’I know a silent blackmail when I see one.’ His eyes travelled back to the Red Queen, and he surreptitiously studied her. ’Whoever she was, she was powerful and smart. I give her that.’
Suddenly, Star’s eyes lit up. He scanned his surroundings, then gasped.
’I knew it. Something was definitely off.’ He crouched low, alert. ’There are no carts or horses, and their houses are far from here. They wouldn’t have come on foot... so how did they suddenly appear here?’
Down below, however, McCoy was already walking towards the crowd with the innocent expression of a man who had absolutely no business being innocent.
"What is this madness?" the magistrate barked.
Star rolled his eyes.
’Shut up, old perv,’ he glanced at the man again. ’I know these two have you in the palm of their hands. Who knows? They might even be the magistrate. You’re just the perverted vessel.’
McCoy, however, seemed completely unbothered. In fact, he only let loose his mischievous smile.
"Do forgive me, my lord," he said, dipping into a deep, mocking bow. "I believe you know what being excited feels like."
As if the heavens themselves had been waiting for that particular line, a horse-drawn cart pulled over. Three men climbed down and hauled several long, heavy stakes from the cart. Each was sharpened at one end. They carried them opposite the magistrate’s building, just behind the crowd, and began driving them into the ground as though they owned the place.
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd like ink spreading through water.
"Mr. McCoy, I warn you. Stop this at once!" the magistrate roared. The tantrum on his face looked ready to burst. "I shan’t warn you again. You are stepping on the line."
Star’s eyes shifted to McCoy and there it was, an angry vein that had popped out on the man’s neck. Yet somehow, that sly smile remained.
"Come now, Magistrate," McCoy said coldly, resting both hands on his cane. "I’m sure you want me to remain on that line, don’t you?" His voice softened into something menacing. "You and I both know what happens if you push me beyond it."
The magistrate swallowed hard. Star could see the beads of sweat trailing down his neck.
’This just went from bad to worse.’
Something tense settled between McCoy and the magistrate, so thick one could almost take a bite out of it.
"Ugh," the Red Queen sighed, leaning back into her huge settee. "I hate to be the one to break up this romantic moment... but I’m too lazy for it." She lazily flicked her fan towards the Night Raiders. "Tie them to the stakes. Let’s get this over with."
Three muscular men immediately walked towards Sarah and Zuru. As they approached, the villagers quickly shifted aside, suddenly discovering that standing anywhere near the two prisoners was an excellent way to get beaten up.
The men snatched Sarah and Zuru from the villagers and dragged them away.
"We’ll have them!"
They pulled the two towards the woods where the stakes had been planted.
The magistrate’s face burned red with shame. He leaned heavily against the balcony, anger and helplessness wrestling across his expression.
"McCoy! Miss Bellory! I—"
"Have passed judgment?" McCoy finished mockingly. "My lord, you aren’t the one who has to sleep with one eye open every night or watch your business crumble because your goods and gold are constantly under threat from these two rats. I say we give them what they deserve!"
The magistrate was about to reply when the crowd suddenly jeered.
"Yeeeeah!"
"Give them what they deserve!"
More than half the crowd erupted, filling the night with shouts of support for McCoy.
"Seems everyone is on my side."
Sarah and Zuru glanced at each other. Whatever courage they had been holding onto a moment ago seemed to evaporate at once.
Star’s heart skipped a massive beat. ’You weak old—’ He stopped, his glare at the magistrate softening. The old man’s face said enough. The horror in his eyes practically screamed that this wasn’t what he had intended.
’Screw it.’ Star sighed inwardly. ’He’s just an old man. Don’t they all suddenly grow soft when kids are involved? Besides, he was sending them off to die anyway.’
McCoy, however, had noticed the magistrate’s expression. "Don’t look so worried, my lord."
"Yeah," the Red Queen chirped. "We aren’t going to kill them."
"Huh?!" The entire crowd gasped in unison, almost as though someone had rehearsed it with them beforehand.
"Haaaaaa..." The Red Queen released a long, arrogant sigh and leaned farther back into her seat. From the carts, four men each carried out a huge wooden box and placed them in front of the villagers, while another was set down directly in front of McCoy. Silence followed as the Red Queen looked around, only to find everyone staring at her. She blinked, seemingly realizing what had happened.
"Oh! Sorry..." She smiled. "We’ll kill them slowly."
The crowd erupted again.
McCoy laughed satisfactorily as he turned towards the stakes, but immediately he eyes landed on Sarah, Zuru and then the empty third stake... the happiness drained from his face. His cane suddenly swung forward, its tip stopping directly against Zuru’s face.
"Where is he?" He asked coldly, his eyes maliciously fixed on Zuru.
The noise from the villagers died almost instantly, confused gasps rippling through the crowd. Even the Red Queen seemed slightly startled by the sudden change.
"I said, where is he?" McCoy asked again, each syllable dripping with anger.
Zuru stared directly into his eyes, then he leaned forward as far as the rope binding him allowed.
"I don’t know," he whispered angrily. "And I don’t care." He leaned his head back.
McCoy smiled, then he chuckled. The chuckle became a wheeze, and the wheeze became laughter. Soon, everyone was staring at him as though the man had finally lost whatever remained of his sanity.
He lowered his cane to the floor and laughed even harder. "Can you believe it?" he said between bursts of laughter. "He doesn’t know where he is." He turned towards the villagers and shrugged. "He doesn’t know where he is."
Everyone stared back at him confused.
Then, without warning, he spun around, and his cane struck Zuru squarely in the abdomen.
Zuru’s yell tore through the night.
"Zuru!" Sarah cried out, her voice laced with panic.
McCoy didn’t even spare her a glance. The laughter had vanished, and that poisonous anger was back on his face. He stepped towards Zuru and grabbed him by the cheek, forcing his face upward.
"I’ll only ask this one final time." His fingers tightened. "Where is he?"