Chapter 19. Who to Blame (6)
Four new men dressed in guard uniforms emerged from the gate where the two guards had entered earlier. The bald man surveyed the four guards following behind him, one of whom pulled a cart.
A cart?
An odd sense of unease crept over me. I slowly raised the crossbow, aiming at the bald man's face.
The previous guards had worn relaxed expressions, their faces reflecting desire for each day to pass quietly. These new men wore the same uniforms, but their expressions were different. They had eyes like those of hyenas gnawing at a corpse's flesh.
The bald man, who seemed to be their leader, looked even worse. He seemed like the type who would kill an animal just to suck out its marrow.
I looked at the cart. The man pulling it had a similar appearance to the others, as he also wore a guard's uniform. However, his face was bruised all over, and he was limping as well.
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.
A wounded man pulling a cart alone.
He couldn't have gotten those bruises from just falling over. It showed signs of a concentrated beating. The bald man walked ahead with long strides, and the man pulling the cart was right behind him. The other three guards followed closely.
They walked quietly along the avenue, carefully looking around. Each of the guards seemed fairly strong. I stealthily followed them at a distance, hiding in the bushes.
More than a mace or a crossbow.