Every instinct in my body told me something was wrong. A father should have been begging for his son's life. A father should have been pleading for mercy. Instead, Jack wanted the rope tightened.
The Queen finally rose from her chair. Her expression had lost every trace of composure.
She lifted one hand toward the scaffold. "Bring him down."
The royal guards rushed forward immediately. One climbed onto the platform and cut the rope while two others caught Cadence before he collapsed completely. He dropped onto the wooden floor coughing violently, dragging desperate breaths into his lungs as the noose was pulled from around his neck.
I slowly turned toward the crowd.
Then I raised my arm and pointed directly at Jack Merygold.
"It was you."
Jack frowned.
"What?"
I stepped down from the platform and walked toward Jack.
His face had gone pale, but anger quickly replaced the shock.
"How dare you?" he shouted. "How dare you interrupt a royal execution, you insolent little shit!"
