The Island by Jen Minkman Page A

his face. Still, he looks somewhat restless – of course he hasn’t seen his blushing bride yet. Mara hasn’t taken an interest in his ‘surprise’ whatsoever.
    “Dear attendees,” Saul breaks the silence. “Tonight is a special occasion. Two people will be joined in matrimony, witnessed by all of you. The Force be in them.”
    Of course, Saul can’t whip out his Book to read from, so he must be glad with this distraction. No one wonders why he’s not carrying it. They’re all far too curious about who’s getting married.
    From the corner of my eye, I can see Colin and Pete approach. The torches flare up in the dark.
    “But first, we have another item on the program,” Saul continues.
    The main door opens, and Max and Cal appear in the doorway, dragging a handcuffed Henry outside. Cal gives the man a big push so he stumbles forward and lands on his knees in front of Saul.
    Oh no. What is this?
    “This Fool,” a red-faced Saul shouts, pointing an accusatory finger at Henry, “has crossed the Wall. He has invaded our community to spread lies. He claims our Book is mere fantasy. He says Luke and Leia have never really existed!” He drops his voice dramatically. “He even stubbornly maintains he comes from across the sea.”
    His words send a shock through the crowd – myself included. Fantasy? Is this man from the World across the Waters trying to tell us that our ancestors are not real?
    I stand there petrified, watching the scene unfold. Saul kicks Henry in the side, beckoning Cal and Max over to join him.
    They’re carrying swords. The swords from the dining room.
    “He wants to destroy our world,” Saul yells, his face heated and his eyes glittering restlessly. “Question my leadership. He wants to make doubters of us all with his Foolish talk. But I won’t let that happen.”
    Cal takes a step forward. Sweat is dripping from Henry’s forehead. My heart speeds up and my throat goes dry. All of a sudden, it hits me – this whole situation is getting way out of hand.
    Speechlessly I watch Max move over to Henry’s other side. He’s lifting the sword into the air. I’m as dumbfounded as the rest of the youngsters surrounding me. No one steps forward. No one says a word, but their fear is palpable.
    When Saul steps aside to make room for his henchmen, I finally regain the power of speech and storm forward. “No, wait!” I cry out. “You don’t understand!”
    But it’s too late. With a sickening thud, Henry’s body slumps down on the front steps when Cal and Max viciously stab him with their swords. Blood trickles down the stairs. Henry’s eyelids droop and his head hits the marble.
    I look around in a panic. Where the blazes is Colin?
    My brother finally kicks into action. He and Pete rush forward and throw their torches onto the lawn in front of the manor house. Fire blazes instantly. “Liar!” they shout at Saul. “You’ve kept things from us!”
    For a split second, Saul seems unhinged, but then he smirks at them. His guards don’t attempt to protect him – they’re too busy dragging Henry’s body away.
    “Me, a liar?” he says angrily.
    “You’ve been lying to us,” Colin splutters, but it’s not convincing anyone. This is not working.
    Saul laughs scornfully. “Hold on. Do you actually believe what this man was telling us?” he challenges Colin in a threatening voice. “How about we give you the same treatment as him?”
    Our whole plan goes up in flames. Literally. I can hear the muttering of the onlookers around me, see the awkward glances they steal at Colin and Pete. Like they are the liars.
    Colin pales, helplessly looking over at Andy who’s still waiting at the other side of the portico. He hasn’t moved. And then, Colin’s eyes rest on me.
    Saul follows Colin’s gaze and seems to suddenly remember I was the only one who objected to Henry’s summary execution. His eyes narrow almost imperceptibly. His calm tone chills me to the bone when he tells his