Rowan couldn't see from where he was. Their carriage was still stuck behind the crowd of people, so he couldn't get a full view of what was going on beyond the crowd. But he could hear it.The hum of rumors swept through the street, and hushed murmurs passed among the citizens who did not dare to speak out. Cracking through this whisper came a loud scream. which was followed by the sound of a whip.
It was a loud, belly-tearing cry cut through the din.Rowan's head jerked in the direction of the sound, and he acted without thinking.as if his feet took him forward before his mind had a chance to catch up with his actions.He pushed through the crowd; he pushed men out of his way; he was careful enough not to touch any woman. People had little time to move aside before he was already pushing through, his heart beating steadily, his senses heightened.
And then he saw it.
A woman was on the ground, curled up with pain; her body tensed, and her breathing looked as if it were strained. Her once modest and well-maintained dress was now ripped open at the back, and raw, it was visible to all onlookers; and so was her bleeding flesh, showing where the leather lash had landed harshly on her with the end being stained red. Rowan's was used to looking at people suffering injuries when he was serving in the army.
As the face of the woman could not be seen, she was facing the ground.Soon the soldier turned her around and dragged her by a leather leash tied to her left leg. But there was more to it, which made him catch his breath Rowan gulped down to sight horrifying for him, just like it was for other people who gasped when the soldier turned the woman and that was when her red, swollen belly was visible to the crowd. Women who were standing with children quickly closed their child's eyes. No one stepped forward or even dared to think of helping that woman who was being dragged; she looked like she lost her consciousness; her head bounced and hit back on the stones. Rowan could not stand this scene, but him going ahead would be a threat for his master.
The soldier lifted the lash again and...
crack!
The whip came down once more.
The woman let out another cry, her body jerking forward.Her fingers dug weakly into the dirt, trying to brace herself, but she had no strength left.
Rowan clenched his fists. He was rooted there for a moment, his body taut as he looked at the sight in front of him.
The soldier, wearing the brown uniform of the lower enforcers, didn't even blink before retracting his arm, prepared to strike again.
There was a lot of chatter and whispering on the road, and it was spreading like wildfire, but nobody dared to speak up. There were several more people chained and being dragged along by the troops, but the woman on the ground received the worst of it.
And nobody had any idea why.
Rowan's hands curled at his sides, his instincts crying out for him to act.
But he couldn't. Not without his master's permission.
His jaw locked and he twisted on his heel and dashed back towards the carriage.
Lucien sat in the cart, his eyes far away and his mind was in the pool of thoughts. The ride had been quiet up to this point, but now Lucien was leaning over a little toward the tiny window, attempting to see what was going on outside but as the crowd was dense, he could not see beyond hair and heads; all he could glimpse were moving figures, bobbing heads in and out of sight, and the curtain covering the carts door flung. The carriage door opened.
Rowan got in the cart quickly; his face was masked with anger and tension was visible in his movements.
Lucien's gaze snapped towards his confidant; he scanned him through his keen eye from head to toe. Lucien titled his head, and with concern on his face, he asked Rowan, "Why do you look so pale?"
He didn't hesitate.
"What is happening?"
Rowan breathed hard while catching the air; he lost his breath while running to reach the cart. "There is a woman, Master. On the road. She's being whipped."
Lucien's knuckles gripped the wooden bench hard. A whipping was nothing new. Soldiers learned to watch and ignore. Third-degree punishments were de rigueur for criminals, and Rowan had witnessed far worse in the past as he was once commander.
Then why was he behaving this way?
Lucien's eyes tightened.
Rowan paused before going on, his tone softer this time. "Master, she's pregnant."
Lucien frozeas Rowan spoke; Rowan didn't need to elaborate. This was enough to understand that laws are not being followed or maybe they are already altered. But even if so, why would anyone do it in front of people? Maybe they will unless its a message.
Lucien drew one deliberate breath before exhaling out his nose. He shifted his focus to Rowan, watching him; he knew Rowan too intimately.He knew that if Rowan had returned this fast, it wasn't to give a report.
It was because he had been forced to keep himself in check and, with his nature Rowan wanted to intervene.
But he couldn't.
Lucien let out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as he attempted to stem the rage churning in his chest. This was stupid to interfere in such matters when one is asked to be seen in people yet he is lurking here and there.
But what happened just now was wrong, and it needs to be corrected.
Before Rowan could go any farther to ask his master to let him intervene, Lucien shifted.
His boots thudded against the wooden floor of the carriage, his long fingers smoothing the folds of his robe as he grasped for the door.
Rowan's eyes grew wide.
"Master... wait."
But it was too late.
Lucien descended, stepping down from the carriage steps and into the street.Rowan cursed softly, running a hand through his hair.This was risky; his duty was to protect Lucien, to keep him hidden. All he wanted was his master's permission to intervene and not that he asked Lucien to intervene by himself. This was way too much for him.
"Lucien..." Rowan called out. But his master has already stepped out of the carriage.