Hilda halted the moment she saw the priest. It was clear she hadn't expected him to be there.
This should have been a moment of joy for the people — and for some, it was. But Hilda felt a sudden sense of danger. There was something more to this.
"Stop!" she shouted, her voice straining to reach the ears of those running toward the gate. But the priest blinded them. If Hilda was the light at the end of their tunnel, then the priest was like the sun breaking through the darkest night.
She reached out, trying to grab hold of someone, but they slipped away, running faster.
"For freedom!" they screamed with all their might. "Your Holiness, please help us escape this place! We are trapped!"
