The executioner's torch descended.
The flame touched the dry grass, and in an instant, the fire erupted upward like a living thing, hungry and terrible, consuming everything in its path.
The flames licked at Anaya's feet, and her scream tore through the square, a sound so raw and agonized that it silenced even the cheering crowd.
"IT HURTS! IT HURTS!" she shrieked, her small body jerking against the ropes that bound her wrists, that held her ankles, that trapped her in place as the fire climbed higher. Her legs kicked uselessly, her feet trying to escape the flames that were already consuming her skin.
"BIG SISTER! BIG SISTER, IT HURTS! PLEASE! SOMEONE! ANYONE!"
The fire spread with terrible speed, climbing up her legs, consuming her skin, her hair, her clothes. The flesh blistered and blackened, the heat so intense that the air around her shimmered.
