The Riddle Of The Future

The Interrogation

In the morning, Lucy and I decided to keep moving. The quicker we travelled, the less time it would take to get to this supposed 'King of Blood.' Much to my distaste, Will insisted in coming along with us. We hadn't told him about our quest but we had informed him in our destination and he knew where to go. Something about him still didn't sit right with me and I was constantly planning an escape route in case something happened.

We packed our possessions and set off through the forest. Will had said that we needed to get to the other side of it and from there, we should be about an hour from the King of Blood. During our journey, my curiosity burned. I wanted to find out some things about Will, so I decided to bombard him with questions.

"Where are you from?" I asked starting operation 'Interrogation.' The boy looked sideways at me suspiciously.

"I was born here, in times of great difficulty. Women were forced to work and children were sold as slaves," his face was extremely grave and I was compelled into silence. "I was sold as a slave to a very rich man. He would beat me every day so I decided to escape. I've lived in the desert ever since."

I fidgeted uncomfortably in the awkward silence that followed this.

"That must have been difficult," I finally said.

"It was indeed, but I have managed just fine by myself."

I narrowed my eyes. "Look, Will. I just want to make this clear, okay? I don't trust you. If you touch either Lucy or I, you will live to regret it. Do you understand?"

Will looked at me and I was surprised to see the seriousness in his eyes. "I don't expect you to trust me. In fact, it is wise for you to be suspicious. The people here are dangerous."

"Then tell me this," I said. "Why do you insist on joining us on our journey?"

"I also have business with the King of Blood."

The way he had said 'business' made my eyes narrow even further. I smelt Mr. Than all over this situation and I swore right then that I would never let William out of my sight. I was on edge and extremely wary.

"What kind of business?" I asked. He was silent for a moment as we walked. Lucy was trailing behind us.

"Just as you have your reasons to be suspicious of me, I also have mine about you."

That irritated me but I knew that that was only fair. We walked for a little while longer before I got curious again.

"What happened to your parents? Why would you be sold as a slave?"

He immediately stiffened and his eyes darkened. "That is not something I am willing to discuss."

This only made me more curious but I let it go, knowing he didn't have any obligations to tell me about his personal life.

"Thanks for telling me what you have," I grudgingly said. "But don't expect me to be warm and fuzzy with you anytime soon."

He merely nodded and I went to walk with Lucy to discuss what I had been told, leaving the boy to wallow in his thoughts and memories.