"The judge in this case has committed much worse crimes than any my father has...."
Cleo stared at him, at first in complete shock, then anger and defiance. At the moment there was no way she as going to take the blame for what he was doing. Maybe if she lived long enough her guilt would errode away at her convinction in that, but it would not be today. He had promised torture, pain, and death long before she had hurt his feelings by calling him a liar. The only thing she would accept is she had just shortened it from weeks or months to a matter of days.
"Its been well over twenty years since my father took over, where were you then? Where were you fifteen years ago? Where were you ten years ago? The Emperor can not care that much if he let my family be here this many years. Surely father was not that good at hiding his activities. What example are you setting, conqueor the Emperor's land and you have twenty years before he cares enough to send somebody.... " There was a little more strength in her voice.
It did not seem right that he could twist their words so they better suited his twisted plan. He damn well knoew what she had been asking for during the agreement. She had told him that she was going to give him the treasure in payment of their lives. Maybe she was too young an naive. Maybe she should have kept her mouth shut and let her parents have negoiated this. Then again if her parents had, they would have only choose to save her life, not their own.
"We are all dead anyway.... I have nothing left to give.... its just a matter when you get done toying with us...."
Hearing the first of her father's screams, Cleo turned her head away from him and Kong. Shuddering, she took a deep breath. Closing her eyes tight she tried to block out and ignore them the best she could. It was impossible to completely block out those kind of screams, and she found her body shuddering at everyone.