Crimson

Kevin, mystified by the situation in front of him, asked, "Why are they killing her?"

Carlos said, "I don't know. We have to wait."

Kevin watched with the crowd as the elderly woman was dragged out of the cart by two soldiers and walked to a raised platform, where she was tied to a stake. Next to the raised platform was a large totem pole with the image of a bald eagle carved on top. Kevin recognized the image as the symbol of the Second American Republic. Carved below the eagle was an image of an orange, symbolizing the Commonwealth of Florida, and below that was an image of a palm tree, representing the City of Myami.

Once the old woman was deemed secure, a torch was lit and held by a tall soldier in a greyish tan uniform. A man with short brown hair and glasses stepped forward. He wore a neatly decorated, buttoned red waistcoat, white trousers, and shiny black boots. He held a paper in his hands and began reading in Yankish.

"The woman presented today stands accused of soothsaying and non-compliance with the Judge Suppression Act of 2775. After a lengthy deliberation, she has been found guilty."

The crowd murmured amongst themselves. Kevin overheard many conversations going on at once, not understanding a thing.

The man continued, "I, Chief Magistrate Lazarus Deadbrown, in the name of Matthew Lyman, President of the Second American Republic, The Elect, Commander-in-Chief, The Will of the People, Supreme Ruler of North America, The Grandest Mayor, Master of 1000 tribes, Destiny Made Manifest, and Pirate Slayer, hereby sentence this Oracle to death by scorching in observance of the customs and traditions of our more perfect union"

The Oracle looked stoic and unafraid as the Chief Magistrate turned to her and asked, "Would you like to exercise your right to last words or confession?"

The Oracle spat on the Chief Magistrate's shoes and closed her eyes, saying in fluent Yankish, "I care not for your foolish endeavors, go ahead and burn me. Destiny can not be overturned, destiny cannot be overturned; the hour of convergence is upon us." Then, to everyone's confusion, she began speaking in a tongue unknown to the soldiers and crowd alike.

"Hallowed elder, you, the light of the past, shall soon shine above the whole world, bringing hope and despair in equal measure. Your journey will shake the foundation of everything. Praise!" Kevin shuddered at her prophecy. What stood out to Kevin wasn't the content of the revelation itself, but the language she spoke in. Kevin understood her completely because she was speaking in English.

Why is she speaking in English? No one here speaks it except me.

She raised her head to the sky. Switching back to Yankish, she said, "All things end eventually; even now, the fallen ones' disciples work to take peace from the earth. All will deny this until the slaying of one hundred thousand Yankees makes this self-evident. Beware, mercy will befall none; the wheel of sacrifice shall turn until heaven proclaims its cessation." She turned to the Chief Magistrate. "And you who sentence me to burn will not escape fire when crimson engulfs this city. Destiny cannot be overturned. The Crimson shall touch each and every one of you. It will claim everything you know and everything you love. Beware…beware…. beware…beware.…"

Kevin felt the atmosphere shift. Where once the mood was one of wonder and curiosity, now most of the crowd looked confused and upset. Even the soldiers appeared uncomfortable. From Kevin's limited understanding of Yankish, he gathered that the Oracle just threatened everyone present with what he could not say. Chief Magistrate Deadbrown said, "Enough of this nonsense." He grabbed a hammer and struck it against her mouth, breaking her jaw and multiple teeth instantly. Blood flowed out of her mouth as she recoiled at the brutal strike.

Kevin winced in pain at the sight.

Deadbrown shouted, "Burn her!"

A soldier walked up the platform, carrying a pail in each hand. Within each bucket was heated black tar, which was promptly poured on the defenseless oracle. The goopy black liquid weighted heavily on the oracle burning skin as it painted her clothes and hair black. Once both pails were empty, the soldier carrying a torch got to work, setting the stake ablaze. Once the bottom of the stake caught fire, he threw the torch onto the oracle's feet.

Kevin watched with the onlookers as the fire slowly spread across her body. Gradually moving up the stake and engulfing her shawl and dress. At first, she stayed silent, but after a minute, a wicked smile came across her face.

"Crimson…. crimson…. crimson...crimson….."

She whispered endlessly, in a sort of prayer as the flames charred her skin, consuming her. Kevin watched in horror, unable to look away as she slowly became black ash. The soldiers did their best to increase the blaze's intensity by lighting and throwing torches, wood, cooking oil, and other flammable materials. Smoke caused by the fire obscured the oracle from clear view, and they did their best to wave it away from the Oracle to ensure she wouldn't die of suffocation.

Her whispers echoed through the crowd and filled the air with a sense of dread and unease. Everyone remained silent, allowing the Oracle's whispers to permeate. Soon the whispers fell silent; the only noise remaining were the crackling flames. Upon the chief magistrate's signal, the soldiers got to work, putting the fire out before it could collapse the stake. After seemingly endless buckets of water, the fire was put out. Once the smoke cleared, the stake became visible. Although diminished, it still stood, and still tied to the stake was a naked, unrecognizable human figure, charred black.

Upon seeing this, Kevin felt sick to his stomach and wanted to leave, but his attempts were foiled by the unmoving, dense crowd, which had been both horrified and entertained by the spectacle. Carlos next to him whispered, "Justicia Yanquia." Kevin didn't need to be Myamian to understand the meaning.

Yankee Justice.

Once the people gathered stared at the charred corpse long enough, Chief Magistrate Deadbrown, satisfied by his handiwork, clapped his hands and declared, "Let this educate those who dare defy the Judge Suppression Act. Fire is the ultimate judge for the arrogant and wicked,"

The crowd was then ordered to disperse.