BookRix

I rounded the corner and stopped.

All of the prisoners from the war were kneeling on the ground in front of the king, who was pacing back and forth in front of them. Each of them had their eyes focused on the ground. Even the boy’s.

“How ironic,” King Baqoure was saying, “You, who praise yourselves on fighting better than any other army, are captured by the very men you say you fear. You, who murder people every day, couldn’t even kill my men. You, who harm your own people, just to ensure your own safety, are now the ones who will be harmed. You-”

“Lies!” someone said, just barely above a whisper.

All of the prisoners flinched and glanced out of the corners of their eyes.

The king stopped and looked behind him, down the row. He hadn’t seen who’d said it.

“What was that?” he sneered

The boy I had seen earlier met the king’s eyes. “What you say is not true. We are not barbarians. We are not villains. We defend our city from those who are a threat! We do not kill people because we want to. We kill people because we have to!”

King Baqoure laughed a little, “Are you trying to tell me that you are good people?”

The boy glared at him. “Yes. Better than your people.”