In The Beginning, Gail Daley [red white royal blue .TXT] 📗

the afternoon of the next day because she had more important things to concern her. Once the convoy moved into the protection of the canyon, the wounded had to be settled, camp set up and all the loose animals located and sorted. A meal prepared.

The bodies of the dead Wilders had been collected and searched. The next afternoon, a makeshift dias was set up on a wagon seat so everyone could see Katherine as she passed judgement. As First Daughter, Juliette sat on the footrest below Katherine’s seat. Zack leaned up against the wagon wheel with his arms folded. Several guards stood off to one side, fully armed. Their presence and Zacks were mute testimony to Katherine’s authority. From youth to middle age the defeated Wilders were a sorry sight. Their wounds had been tended, and they had been fed but that was the only amenity that had been provided them.

"Your name and station," Katherine demanded of each prisoner.

Only two of them were willing to provide that information. Her eyebrows rose. "Very well, if you prefer to be buried in an unmarked grave so your families will never know what happened to you, I can arrange for that to happen," she told them. "If you provide me your name and station, I will see that your family is notified of your sentence."

"Does that mean you intend to kill us?" one of the youngest asked.

Katherine shrugged. "You threatened my child," she reminded them. "You are charged with attempted kidnapping, murder, endangering children and raiding. The penalty for that ranges from death to work in a labor camp for 10 years. However, I am not without mercy. If you can show that you were forced to take part, I will consider mitigating circumstances."

She waited a few minutes and then turned to her people. "Is there anyone here who can speak for them?"

A hostile silence from her clan answered her. "Very well," she said, turning back to the prisoners. "You stand accused of acts of murder and piracy. The sentence is death. Make your peace with God. Tomorrow at dawn you will be executed."

She nodded to the guards. "Turn them to face the Clan." After they had done so, Katherine addressed her people. "You have heard the sentence and seen the prisoners. Is there anyone here who claims Blood Right?"

Beside her, she felt Zack stiffen. An uneasy silence covered the waiting Clan, then a girl about fifteen stepped forward. "I claim Blood Right!" she cried, pointing to one of the women. "She killed my aunt two years ago."

"Give us your name and state the circumstances," Katherine spoke the formal words.

The girl drew a deep breath. "My name is Zora niMcClellan and my aunt was Bethany niMillier. She was killed in a raid on Seven Trees Station two years ago."

"How old are you?"

"I am old enough to claim Blood Right. I am fifteen."

Katherine nodded. "Very well, you have the right. Be ready at dawn tomorrow." She turned back to the crowd. "Anyone else?"

Three more of the clan stepped forward, each claiming a family member slain.

Katherine gestured to the leading guard. "Take them back to the sealed dome until tomorrow morning. See they have food and water."

As the prisoners were led away, Katherine looked down at Juliette’s white face. "Sentencing someone to die is never an easy decision, Daughter. Do you understand why this was necessary?"

"I think so," Juliette said soberly. "They would have killed us, and they tried to kill Violet." Juliette hesitated. "What did those people mean when they claimed Blood Right?"

"Claiming Blood Right means they have the right to administer whatever punishment has been handed down by the Lady. Here it means they will do the execution themselves."

Juliette looked back at her. "What happens to the ones no one claimed the right for?"

"I will have to carry out the sentence because I cannot ask anyone else to do something I am unwilling to do myself. I passed the sentence, it is my duty to see it carried out. Those outlaws killed and wounded several of our people and would have killed or injured Violet. As leader here, it is my duty to protect my people from harm and to see that those who harm them are punished. In Lady Corrine’s absence, it became my duty to protect and enforce our laws. Someday, as First Daughter if you are acting in my place, you may have to do the same."

She looked into Juliette’s big eyes and smiled reassuringly. "Don’t worry. This is not a burden I will place on you before you are ready. Why don’t you check on how Roderick and Rupert are doing preparing dinner?"

Juliette hopped down and ran toward the encampment. When Zack lifted Katherine down off the wagon, she leaned into him for comfort. "I hate this part of my duties."

He said nothing, just held her and stroked her hair.

After a few minutes, Katherine stood back. "I’m a little worried about Rupert and Violet’s reaction to the execution tomorrow. Do you think you could take them and Jelli up to the rim in the morning? They seem to have the most empathy, and the further away from it they are, the better I think."

"Shall I take all of them?"

Katherine took a deep breath. "Well, Juliette is First Daughter so she will have to stay, but maybe it would be best if you took the others too."

"That is a heavy burden to put on a child, Katherine," he said.

"I know," she said, "but I wasn’t much older when I had to witness a sentencing and execution myself, and I survived it."

They stayed at Blue Talon Canyon for a week, gradually moving selected herds of animals across the valley and into the underground shelter next to the Lodge. The remainder would remain inside Blue Canyon's sheltering walls. They were almost finished when the first Swarms of small stinging insects made landfall just as the last of the herds and flocks were being moved into the underground animal shelter.

The swarms arrived in