[Ovelia's POV]
Every villager stood motionless, their faces illuminated by flickering torchlight as they stared at Khaleed. The grilled corn vendor I recognized from earlier—the one with the kind eyes who'd given me extra pan de coco—kept wiping his hands on his apron, his fingers trembling. His lips moved silently as if praying.
Khaleed knelt in the dirt, his shoulders hunched forward like a man awaiting execution. The magic chains around his wrists clinked softly as his fingers dug into his thighs. Moonlight caught the damp tracks running down his cheeks.
I stepped forward, my boots crunching on gravel. "Pan de coco is one of your village's delicacies," I said, keeping my voice warm but firm. "The first time I tasted it, I thought—this is something special. If travelers knew about this..." I gestured to the quiet stalls lining the square. "They'd come from leagues away."
