Chapter 52: Misunderstood?
A shiver crawled down my spine, and I took an unconscious step back. "Demonkin?" I felt no connection to others of my race, except empathy for their persecution, but my heart broke for Soltair, who must have suffered as he was forced to cut down those who looked like me.
Regardless of the reason, Soltair’s face was black, his voice expressionless. "We killed them all. Even when they surrendered, and begged for mercy. I couldn’t stop myself.."
Trithe looked at him, her eyes softening. "We did what we had to. Who knows how many more they might have killed."
"But were all of them guilty? Surely, the children hadn’t participated in the massacre," he said hoarsely. Tears gathered in his eyes but refused to fall.
"This is a war, Soltair. War isn’t all glory and riches, but filled with horror," she said softly. Her eyes wavered slightly, allowing me to see a rare moment of vulnerability. "I don’t like it either, but it’s what you were sent here to do."
He looked up, meeting her eyes with gratitude. "Thank you, Trithe, but I can’t accept that. The church ordered us to slaughter them before we even discerned the situation. We were justified this time, but what if it were all just a misunderstanding?"
Trithe shook her head, raising her voice in exasperation. I got the feeling this wasn’t the first time they’d had this argument. "A misunderstanding? They sacrificed an entire village to try and summon a Demon Gate! Hundreds of humans gone like ash in the wind. If we hadn’t arrived when we did, the invasion might have begun right then and there."
"But did we need to kill all of them? Many of them were just survivors of the Beast Kingdom."
I looked between them, unable to follow the plot or feelings of their mission. Regardless, I wanted to say something, to comfort the two in some way, but the somber atmosphere stilled my tongue.