Sleep came quickly once Wynessa folded the tent doors closed. By the time they both woke up it was already dawn and the disquieted sounds of a group pulled them from their slumber. Miklian clung to his head before draining a pitcher of water and eagerly devouring what remained from the night before. The plate was left deliberately next to his bed on a table so no small creatures would get to it, though shortly after he woke, all that remained was bones.
"You are by far the strangest giant I have ever seen." Wynessa noted as she picked up the platter of bones and moved to step out into the morning light, wincing slightly at the sudden uproar of sound that came from near the entrance to the encampment until suddenly she was surrounded by the townsfolk who had made up a mob the day before. "Is something wrong?"
"It's all your fault and that crafty witch!"
"The Alderman's dead!"
"Take her head!"
"You and that witch killed the Alderman!"
"Burn her! She's a witch too!"
Cries for her death came from every direction until she was picked up by some of the larger of the group and carried overhead towards the exit.
"STOP!" The booming voice echoed across the suddenly very quiet valley. The stunned silent townspeople turned to see who shouted at them only to see the raging red eyes of the visiting Captain Miklian standing just outside his tent. With a quick flick of his wrist, ogres and goblins surrounded the mob and one of the ogres reached over to gently pull Wynessa out of their grasp. It took a moment, but she recognised the helpful creature as the one who she had given bread to the day before. She nodded her thanks before quickly moving to stand beside her giant as he began to speak again.
"Who among you thinks we harbour witches? Speak!" His command was clear and harsh. These people not only brought him out of the kind shade of the tent and the comfort of his bed but dared to accuse his human of being a witch with the intention to kill her."None of you will repeat what you said now that you face me, cowards?"
"She is a witch!" The heavily pregnant woman from the day before, Rowan, stepped forward, the crowd parting for her. "It's because of her and that witch elf that my mother is dead!"
"How did the Alderman die? Where is her body? Bring it before me, now!" As Miklian shouted his demand, three of the larger men of the group turned and ran off, a mixture of fear and piss staining their clothes. Turning to Rowan, the giant glowered down at her, stepping forward. "Do you recall that I invited the Alderman to dine with me and Captain Trian last night?"
"Yes, she was feeling ill which is why she did not go." Her response was practiced and quick, making him raise an eyebrow at her condescending.
"Really? Then the guards who said there was shouting heard in your home, they lied? And what about telling Captain Trian or myself that she was not feeling well? Could we not be spared the courtesy?" His words were colder that winter winds and twice as cutting as they watched Rowan's face alternate between pale from fear and red in anger.
"We did send a messenger but he was stopped at the gates. Ask anyone." She defended once again, crossing her arms flippantly.
The men who had run off to retrieve the Alderman's body returned carrying a large plank between them with the corpse on top. Quickly, they brought the body before the giant and set it on a bench before backing away as swiftly as they had come. Miklian jutted his chin towards the body, instructing Wynessa silently to inspect it while he stood looming over the mob.
Deftly, her hands checked all across the corpse for any obvious wounds or signs of a fight until she noticed the edge of her mouth was grey like stone. Attempting to open her mouth proved difficult at first, but a click and pop sounded before the jaw unhinged completely and allowed her to see the damage within.
Her tongue was swollen but slate grey and hard as rock and half of her teeth starting from the back had also been turned to stone.
"Master, I know what killed the Alderman." Wynessa stood quickly and stepped back. "This body needs to be burned and the remains put in an urn and buried in wood ash. She was poisoned with Gorgon's Blood."
The crowd gasped collectively and stumbled hearing their alderman was murdered. The only person who seemed the least shocked was Rowan. As an alchemist's daughter, Wynessa knew Gorgon's Blood was a known ingredient to certain remedies and salves, but on its own it was dangerous. It would turn any flesh it came in contact with to stone.
"Poisoned to death. And with such a gastly and painful way to die. Knowing what this does to a person, who would be so heartless and cruel as to kill the Alderman in such a way?" Miklian did not take his eyes off the heavily pregnant human before him who began to pale seeing how she was found out so fast.
"Wait, didn't Rowan say the Alderman was sick?" One of the townsfolk turned to the accused and spoke deliberately, "You said she had been sick and needed a remedy from the next town over!"
"That's right! You had my son go fetch the ingredients from Levrisburg! What if he gets ill from these ingredients!" A hysterical woman began panicking as Rowan began to step back away from the crowd.
"Miss Rowan, may I ask who the father of your child is?" Wynessa asked calmly, having sensed what Miklian already knew.
"He-he was a soldier! Just passed through and we had a dalliance! You've all heard the story!" She addressed the mob of humans and elves who had viciously turned against her before Wynessa pushed her back towards them by the shoulders causing her to fall and land headily on her stomach. A hush fell over the group as they all watched her stand back up, holding her belly to her.
"You brutish woman! You could have killed my baby!" Rowan turned to point accusingly at the one who had pushed her before Miklian spoke up for her.
"That might be concerning if you had a baby to begin with." All colour drained from the woman's face as she stared horrified up at the giant before her.
"I-I-I... But... No, I-I have a child! I'm pregnant!" She clutched the protrusion of her dress tighter to her, desperate to not let the truth gain traction. Turning to face her friends and neighbors, she held on to her lie. "You've all seen me over the months! You know I'm pregnant!"
"Then show us your belly!" One of the women in the group called out, her sentiment echoed by some of the others.
"Let-let's not be too hasty! You want me to lift my dress here in front of all of you? In front of the Captain?" She staggered backwards only to be caught again by Wynessa's hands on her shoulders.
"Yes. Let us see this child-bearing belly of yours and you can go back to pretending you didn't kill your mother." The words in Rowan's ear were whispered but cruel as she was held in place while another woman stepped forward to lift her dress against the arguments otherwise.
No matter how Rowan struggled she could not escape her fate as the woman pulled a large turtle-shell covered in fabric from underneath the folds of Rowan's dress. Inside the shell was a pouch holding bottles, a small book with arcane symbols on it, and candles.
"She's the witch! She killed the Alderman and accused that elf when she's the real witch!" One of the men in the crowd exclaimed, shouting the findings back to the rest so every knew that Rowan was a fake. No pregnancy, no baby, murder, and she was practicing magic behind everyone's back. A woman near the back of the group fainted once she heard the results.
The townsfolk raged and hoisted her up, intent to put the daughter of their late Alderman to the pyre. Just as they left the camp, Trian groggily exited his tent, glanced around and shrugged before returning to his bed loudly.