Interrogate Soldier #8

Cutting the ropes from the hostages, you use it to bind the waking soldiers hands and feet.
You prop him up against a tree stump, facing the fire, so you can get a good look at him.
He’s just a kid!
Worn, thin and dirty faced…and now with a black and purple welt across the side of his head.
What seems strange to you is…his clothes. You look at him curiously.
“Is it me, or does this guy look out of place?”
Valda scoffs, “He’s a killer, preying on his own people,…what do you expect?”
“No,” you clarify, “look at his clothes. They don’t fit him by a long shot.” You look over at Gunther’s body. “He doesn’t have armor underneath…he doesn’t even have a sheath for his sword.”
The soldier’s eyes flutter open and he immediately recoils, staring at you. “AHH! Please don’t hit me! I didn’t do it, I swear I didn’t do anything wrong!”
“Do what?” you ask cooly.
“Whatever it is you tied me up for!” the young man cries. He looks at the bodies still lying against the hillside. “Are they…?”
“They’re alive,” growls Dorbane, “No thanks to you.”
The soldier sighs heavily, letting his head roll forward. His body shakes and at first you think he’s laughing—but he starts to sob. “I’m so glad…” he weeps uncontrollably, “So glad.”
The three of you are seriously confused and glance between one another.
“I didn’t want to have anything to do with this,” he continues, “They said they’d kill my mother if I didn’t help them.” He pouts like a child when he looks at Valda. “Life has been so hard on the farm and with my father gone…”
He looks up at you, “I swear, I didn’t know what was going on! You have to believe me—all they told me I had to do, was dress in this soldier costume and watch the traitors.” The pain and anguish in his face looks real and he keeps looking over at the unconscious bodies.
He voice drops to a near whisper, filled with desperation, “When I heard Gunther and Keelan talking about killing those people, I ran! Keelan caught me and hit me over the head.”
You nod at Valda. She pushes the soldiers head forward and inspects it. “Nice goose egg.”
He looks away, into the darkness, “He dragged me back and…when I woke up, he said if I ran again, he’d slit my throat.”

I think the kid is innocent and telling the truth, go to page #9
You decide to rough the kid up, to make sure he’s not lying, go to page #77