Excerpt: The Black Prince

“It’s an execution”, said Vlad without emotion. Ida nodded. They got down from the horses and walked towards the crowd that was lost in itself.
As they reached closer, Vlad found a few older men recounting other executions they had seen and articulately explaining the last moments of the damned. The group around them, mostly of younger men, took in the details with a keen eye, rubbing their hands in impatience. The few women around them too were listening in, though making a pretense of not paying much attention. One of them held a baby in her arms. Vlad found the whole affair disgusting.
Presently a horn sounded somewhere afar and Vlad saw the crowd shifting, making way for something to come through their midst. Taking advantage of the sudden jostling that had begun, Vlad plunged into the crowd dragging Ida along with him. As he wedged his way through the impatient throng, occasionally stepping on a toe or two and eliciting a volley of expletives, he was amused by the assortment of crowd that had assembled to witness the gruesome scene. There were gaily-dressed maidens; mothers with children, often more than one; brash workers, yesterday’s liquor still exercising its toll upon them; school teachers; bakers; tailors; bartenders; carpenters and even the Physician, thought Vlad, spotting a small man standing in front wearing a spotless black waistcoat over his neatly ironed shirt. He wore a monocle with a golden frame and from time to time, he procured a handkerchief, also unblemished, from his trouser pocket and wiped it clean.

- Chapter 6 : The Execution