Chapter 72. The Mob

DOVE

I was standing in front of the crowd, some booing me, others cheering and shouting my name in a chaotic mix that only grew louder. The rocks couldn’t hurt me anymore; the wall of shields surrounded me, and the guards were on high alert.

“You are the queen. You must be strong,” Carmen said, seeing me staring at the mob with fixed eyes so immense and overwhelming that violence seemed to be brewing, and they would come for me.

Amid the shouts, I could distinguish various demands and complaints.

“Kill all the members! We want to live in peace!” some said, referring to the fanatics who belonged to the sect.

“The queen is a traitor!”

“Justice for Zack!”

The followers of my husband’s brother, who were quite numerous, could be heard saying. It was truly terrifying, a fever that didn’t easily disappear, embedded in the blind hearts of those fanatics who worshipped Zack like a prophet, someone wonderful.

I had been trying to understand—why