“Please let him go.” Marlot sobbed “Jack hasn’t done anything wrong and simply existing can’t possibly be a crime. Do what you want with me, but please let Jack go.”
“Marlot NO!” the golem shoved off his captors with this impressive strength and ran to her, his arms warping tightly around her, his forehead against hers. “I won’t let them hurt you.”
“Jack, please get away from here.” She didn’t have much conviction behind it, she felt safe in his arms, even when her own were still tied. It felt like an eternity that they were allowed to stand there like that, their tears mixing on their faces. Marlot’s head eventually dropped to her beloved golem’s shoulder and he held her tighter, trying to comfort her in some small way.
“Get back you disgusting creature. How many people had to die for you to be born?” Jack was pried away from her and thrown down into the dirt.
“No one died; even most of the animals used to make him were going to die anyway for one reason or another. The only life I took was the snails.” She cried out when one of the men kicked Jack where he lay as the golem whimpered in fear.
“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!” A man, important by the sound of it, yelled from across the square.
“We are punishing a witch Samuel, even you can’t argue with that.”
“What witch? And what is the crime?”
“This one sir,” Marlot was thrown at the general store owner’s feet, her hands were still tied and so, without the means to break her fall, Marlot landed on her face and felt her nose break. She felt dizzy for a moment as the world turned red and then an intense pain.
“Marlot!” Jack yelled for her from a few feet away and she heard his cries muffled by the ground as well.
“You do not have the authority to treat people like this Eric.”
“She isn’t a person, she is a witch.” He sounded so matter of fact and through her pain Marlot felt no more than an inch tall and she cried harder more because of how much people hated her than for how much pain she was in.
“Being a witch isn’t enough of a reason to be thus treated. I require more of a reason before I pass judgment.”
“This creature, the green haired one you old fool. He isn’t human either. She made him, with bits of animals and what I image the souls of children she has stolen from us.”
“I told you.” Marlot said, turning so that her face was in a puddle of her blood but at least she could breath, “I never killed anyone. Or took any children for that matter.”
“Then what happened to my brother witch.”
“There haven’t been children near the cottage in years and I promise you, if a little boy had shown up I would have brought him straight back here.” It hurt so much to talk, and her broken nose made it difficult even for her to understand what she saying.
“Liar!”
“Marlot never lies.” She saw everyone turn to look at Jack again, even though she could no longer see him herself.
“From what I can tell the only crime this witch is guilty of is going a bit too far with her experiments and creating a sentient life. A crime, I believe, her own kind will be more than willing to punish her for next time they see her. And your brother, Eric, disappeared years ago. In the mean time, I shall assign someone from this village to keep an eye on this witch and her creation until such time as she is faced with a jury of her peers. I believe young Lilly spends a great deal of her time in the forest anyway, I believe she would be the perfect candidate for such a position.”
The men around Marlot and Jack growled their disapproval but none of them actually said anything against the old man, and slowly the crowd broke up. The witch heard her golem jump to his feet and land on top of her. “Jack get off, it hurts.”
“I’m so sorry Marlot,” he was crying again, this time into her hair.
“Where is my hat?”
“Right here miss witch,” Samuel lowered her pointed witches’ hat into her field of vision. “Let’s get you somewhere to clean up shall we. My daughter owns the inn. Jack my boy, if you want your mistress to be healthy again I beg that you get off of her and let her stand.”
Jack continued to cry and saying over and over again, “I’m sorry Marlot.”
“For what dear?”
“For making you come to town, I understand now why you didn’t want to, I don’t ever want to again.”
Marlot saw the old man help Jack to his feet. “I would be very sorry never to see you again Jack. I would offer you my handkerchief but I believe Miss Marlot will require it more.” He then bent down and untied Marlot’s wrists and helped her to her feet. She was woozy from the pain and swayed on the spot. “Can you carry her lad?” She saw Jack nod and then felt his arms around her waist and under her knees as he lifted her off the ground, her arms found their way around his neck and her head his shoulder.
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