[Ovelia's POV]
Every villager stood motionless as Chief Gareth stepped forward, their faces illuminated by flickering torchlight as they stared at Khaleed. The grilled corn vendor I recognized from earlier—the one with the kind eyes who'd given me extra pan de coco, his fingers trembling.
Khaleed knelt in the dirt, his shoulders hunched forward like a man awaiting execution. The magic chains around his wrists clinked softly as his fingers dug into his thighs. Moonlight caught the damp tracks running down his cheeks.
He knows, I thought. He knows exactly what he's done, and he's waiting for the axe to fall.
