The sound of a horn cut through the clear morning air. Stormwind was barely awake, but a crowd began to trickle out of their homes towards the center of the city. Warriors, mages, and paladin acolytes gathered in silence around the dais in front of the Palace. Armed guards kept the more curious onlookers away from the platform. Parents hushed their children and looked around at the other grim, resolute faces.

They knew what was about to happen, but ignoring the summons was almost a death sentence.

The Palace doors opened slowly. Queen Regent Serena, flanked by her Queensguard and the Ministers of the House of Light, descended the stone steps. A wave of murmurs swept over the crowd and was hushed as quickly as it had come. She approached the dais where two hooded and bound figures knelt in front of the crowd. Dried blood stained their clothes. Neither of them struggled.

"Citizens of Stormwind!" Serena shouted. Her voice echoed across the full courtyard. "I have come before you in one of the darkest times that we have ever faced. You have seen the devastation wrought throughout the city for weeks now. Your homes and your livelihoods have suffered for their clumsy attempts at treason. This handful of dissenting warriors, who would rather endanger all of you than work to ensure the glory of Stormwind, cannot be allowed to intimidate us."

She beckoned to a tall man in a black cloak, standing among the guards to her right. His face was hidden, but everyone could see the glittering blade in his hands. As he stepped up to the platform, the crowd's whispering grew louder but the man didn't pause. He reached for the prisoners' hoods, undid the knots, and quickly pulled them off to reveal their faces.

"No!"

A single scream rang out. Every head turned. The guards converged on the lone female warrior sprinting towards the platform. Red and purple light blazed up as her spells threw them aside. She reached for the pair and tried to drag them down to safety.

All four Queensguard lunged at her. A ground slam brought the warrior to her knees and the crowd scrambled to get away. Before she could cast another spell, steel flashed in the sunlight, tinted crimson by a sudden spray of blood. She collapsed in front of the hostages. The four grabbed her and the others by the back of their armor, dragged them back up onto the dais, and dumped her unceremoniously next to the other two. Gasps of horror and low curses broke out among the crowd.

"It seems that we have a volunteer to join these traitors in their journey to the afterlife." Serena gestured at the three before her. "You can all see their faces. You know who they are. Perhaps they were your friends or family. Now they are revealed as your only true enemy."

"Murderer!" someone shouted out. Serena didn't even flinch.

"A report was brought to my Minister of Justice detailing a plan to burn down a section of the acolyte's quarters near the House of Light," the Regent continued. "Following an anonymous tip, we traced the origins of the plot to a network of warriors plotting to overthrow me. We have reason to believe that these warriors are responsible for the chaos that has plagued this city for over a month now."

The wounded girl groaned slightly and coughed. She seemed unable to sit up. Blood ran down her chin and dripped into the cracks between the cobblestones.

"We tracked this warrior, Saphyris, to his home." Serena nudged the bound man with her foot, pushing him onto his side. "After capturing him and searching the residence, we found quantities of oil and various other accelerants, as well as evidence that there was a second participant. Under torture, he betrayed the name of his accomplice."

The second warrior's eyes darted around the crowd. There were a few scattered sympathetic noises, but no one moved.

"DragonEngineer. He possessed a crude map of the acolyte's housing as well as certain points marked where accelerant would be planted." Serena pushed him over as well. "A foolish plan, laid by clumsy hands. As the Daughter of the House of Light, and the Queen Regent of Stormwind, there is nothing that can remain hidden from me for long. To the remaining conspirators, I offer only one message. This is the fate of those who threaten their rightful leaders."

The cloaked man strode up and raised his sword. Screams echoed around the courtyard. Somewhere, a baby began to cry. Parents shielded their children's eyes from the sight.

"Saphyris and DragonEngineer, you have been found guilty of treason against the Crown. Under the laws of Stormwind, your lives are forfeit. To the girl who attempted to interfere with the execution, you will join them in death." The executioner's voice was muffled under his hood, but it was menacing nonetheless.

"May the Light have mercy on your souls," the Regent whispered.

The blade came down with a terrible thud. All three heads rolled off of the dais and fell to the ground below. Blood drenched the front rows of onlookers, who staggered back with shrieks of horror, shoving blindly at the other spectators to escape. A few people standing at the edges of the crowd turned and fled.

"May this be a lesson, and a warning, to all of you," Serena said. "Starting in three days, the House of Light is authorized to search all suspicious persons and their homes without warning. No one will be spared. The safety of Stormwind must take precedence over the rights of its people. I advise you all to remain calm and avoid obstructing the investigations. You have nothing to fear… if you have nothing to hide."

NO COMMUNITY DECISION