“No.”
He hesitates but nods and steps back. He will witness and report back to the councilors that the tithe was paid. And once it’s over, Mercedes will be free. They will not be able to punish her for this.
It’s that thought that gives me the courage to step between the ancient wooden beams worn by centuries of use. It’s her face I see as I wrap the chains around my hands where I would have been secured and hold tight. And it’s her eyes I envision looking up at me in that way she has when she’s lying in my arms as I nod, and it begins.