Hammerhand couldn't help a deep scowl from touching his face as he thought about the Prophet's words.
"What is your mind on the matter?" his companion pressed.
"I feel like we need to trust them. And should, in this case, show that we are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, which would go a long way toward making them trust us. They are rightfully wary of outsiders, and it is thus important for us to take that first step."
"And yet, should they prove untrustworthy—"
"When one looks for suspicion and double-dealing in others, one most often finds it. I've learned that the world is much more livable when I look for the good and honest in others instead. Of course, I would be disappointed and that can't be helped, but I'll be rewarded for that expectation as well."
The Prophet smirked. "I fear it is a dangerous path that you walk—like along the top of a sand dune. One misstep, possibly not even by you, would end in a very long fall."
Hammerhand nodded. "I know, but it's a path I've chosen to take. Honestly, if it is the wrong path to follow, I'm not sure there are any other paths out there for me. If I find there is no trust to be found in my fellow man, this isn't a world I want to live in. Truly, I would rather die than live in it, even if my end comes by my own hand."
"I understand and applaud your courage. I do pray that your faith is rewarded in this instance."
"Yeah…me too."
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Jessica13 had expected the trials to get underway immediately once the gallows were in place, but it appeared that Mayor Jones preferred to take his time. Perhaps he wanted the population of Auburn to calm after the day that had preceded it.
She found a place to hunker for the night and despite feeling exhausted, sleep didn't come. All she could think about was Robert7 being called, someone putting the noose around his neck, and making him hang from it.
Maybe meeting and talking to the people she was supposed to be killing was a bad idea. It had been somewhat easier when she had simply fired at those who were hidden by mechs and they returned the shots and tried to kill her in return.
But as morning dawned, there was little she could do aside from push herself out of the improvised cot that had been set up for her. It wasn’t specifically for her, of course. There were a few dozen of them set up in the tent. She was the first one up of the group and made her way to where Mini had been parked.
Even so, a hubbub issued from the center of town despite the early hour. Apparently, the trial had already started and she had to be there to study the proceedings herself.
"Damn."
"Did you get any sleep at all?" Mini asked as she climbed inside the mech.
"I tossed and turned mostly. Does that count?"
"It does not."
"Well, it doesn't look like I’ll get any more, so why don't we hurry to the gallows where they want to start those trials Mayor Jones talked about?
The people grew louder as they moved closer and the crowd grew by the second. Even though their numbers increased, they showed no signs of the apparent rampage they had been on the day before. It was like they had accepted the fact that there was now a system in place to punish the people who had wronged them, although Jessica13 wasn't sure how long that would last.
What if the tribunal delivered a sentence they didn't approve of? Maybe if Jones had told the truth and they intended to give them fair trials, those few who would walk free might find themselves in less forgiving company among the other townsfolk.
After what she had seen the day before, nothing would surprise her, at this point, and she could only hope her negativity was misplaced.
Jessica13 climbed out of the mech, and while she could hear Mini take control of the Minato and follow close behind her, it was easier to slip through the crowd that had begun to form on her own. She was still smaller than most of the people gathered there, which gave her some advantage as she wriggled closer to where she could see the tribunal already seated and waiting for their first prisoner.
Cautiously, she looked around and her gaze settled on the huddle of townsfolk she recognized as having been incarcerated with the enemy pilots. The five of them weren’t bound but they stood under the watchful eye of one of the militia and all seemed numb and dispirited. From what she could tell, they had been forced to watch the proceedings from as close as possible—a position that also placed them in full view of the crowd.
The previous signs around their necks had been replaced with new ones that said, I Betrayed My Neighbors For Money. The length of the wording made them larger than the others and also heavier, and they fumbled with them constantly as if to ease the drag around their necks.
It surprised her that they had been separated from the others, but before she could consider this further, a group of prisoners was led to the scaffold and she identified Robert7 climbing the steps. He was at the front of the line of five, while the others were put under guard and held behind the gallows, where they would await their sentencing.
She could only assume that seeing their comrades hung would be an added terror element to the trial and one that had not been accidental.
Mayor Jones was seated in the middle of the table, and to his left was Wilbur, the leader of the militia. If she had to guess, he was the one whose idea it had been to put the prisoners below the gallows.
A woman was also seated at the table and
