and the Crows Followed
Image: Luis Royo
and the Crows Followed
354 words
Lucie stopped, vibrating slightly until her breath slowed. She heard the moans, fewer now. She saw the crows descending, anxious for the feast. She knelt on the ground facing the west where the sun was setting in a blaze of reds and oranges. She laid her sword down and slowly removed her helmet. There was no danger now. The few who had escaped the village were mere children. If they managed to find the next town, it would be hours before anyone would come view this carnage. She would be long gone by then; she always was.
She licked the blood from her fingers and leaned forward, her forehead touching the cool grass. I had no choice. It had become her mantra, her reason for living.
Lucie remembered the day clearly. She recalled the rough texture of the noose as it tightened around Ruan's neck,the glaze that came over his eyes when his spirit had passed...