Caitlin surveyed the faces of the crowd, and couldn’t believe how indifferent they seemed, as if this were an ordinary, everyday occurrence, as if it were a popular form of entertainment. She felt anger well up inside her at the barbarism of this society, and she nudged Caleb. He was also riveted to the scene, and she took his hand and hurried through the gate with him, forcing herself not to look. She feared that if she dwelled on it too much, she would be unable to stop herself from attacking the guards.
“This place is barbaric,” she said, as they gained distance from the grizzly sight and the sounds of the whip grew fainter.
“Terrible,” he agreed.
As they continued onward, she tried to put the image out of her head. She forced herself to focus her attention elsewhere. She looked up a
