As much as we'd like to run, we have no means to.
Our legs were frozen in glass. Not ice but glass, something far more dangerous.
Nikki tried to fend him off with her hammer but it was struck away from her hands, leaving both unusable by sword wounds.
" Shit...! " I heard her mutter under her breath.
Instinctively, I reached to Sulpher but he was nowhere. I began to panic until I saw him crawling silently up to the King's head.
" Su- " Nikki blocked my mouth, she knows Sulpher had a plan.
He reached his neck and bit his ear, the King screeched. The ice binding our legs broke into shards, small enough to be harmless. He threw Sulpher off his neck and fled back to the forest, he was unharmed because of the thick snow.
Nikki laughed and brought Sulpher up to her level, snuggling and praising him for his brilliance. I'm impressed, mostly by how sharp his teeth are. He looked cocky while at it.
As dawn begins to break, we reached a city about 15m from the central kingdom. This is where Roxis lives, the city of Fragisse.
Nikki had rented us a three night stay at an inn, but the owners were open about everything and didn't mind occasionally housing alchemists in. I never knew white mages were allowed to run businesses, it was interesting to know.
" I heard there's gonna be an execution taking place. " I said, reading through the books Nikki brought while waiting for the regen spells to heal both our wounds.
" No thanks, I've had enough of death and despair already. "
She's still remembering Jess' funeral two years ago. She died of her illness and left all of us devastated, but Nikki suffered the most. They were close, like any pair of sisters would be.
She had Sulpher by her side, petting him to help her rid of the depression.
The sounds of horns rung from the city's center park, making us look out the window.
" Dear citizens of Fragisse, I am happy to announce that with these fires our city will finally by free from alchemists! "
A cheer from the crowds was heard.
My insides lurched. Why would anyone treat the death of a person like a celebration? Nikki was practically fuming with rage.
" That's it, " she said while adjusting her hammer strap to her hooded cloak. " We're getting out there. "
I had no choice, without her I'd be dead sooner than I'd starve again. The owners offered to keep Sulpher safe in. I put on my cloak, borrowed a dagger from the owners and followed Nikki to the central park.
The crowd there surrounded the area like ants to a block of sugar; it was packed.
We had to squeeze through hordes of men, women, children and beastmen to even get a view of the governor and the alchemist being executed.
" Who is that? " Nikki asked.
To be honest, that is a question I don't want to have an answer. Any alchemist's death, any person's death, to me is something I don't want to mention.
The guards pushed the alchemist next to the governor and stabbed his knee, making him kneel.
" Aaagh! " cried the alchemist. His voice sounded familiar.
The governor pulled the white sack covering the alchemist's face and I was struck.
Horror filled me and Nikki as we saw whose face it was, all battered, bruised and bloodied.
Roxis was being executed.