Thoren
The words settled over the square, and the last traces of conversation disappeared.
Some residents looked surprised. Others remained guarded, their expressions suggesting they had learned long ago not to trust apologies from anyone holding power.
I could not blame them. Words had been used against these people for generations, twisted into promises no one intended to keep and warnings designed to control them.
I looked across the crowd before continuing.
“When the purist settlement was dismantled, many people were taken into custody for questioning. I gave orders that every person would be investigated individually. No one was to be judged solely because of where they lived, who they were related to, or what they had been taught.”
A woman near the front tightened both hands a
