“Let the boys go.” Y Ksar smiled at captors unseen behind the light. Both tanks closed upon the village, clicked on their lights.
“TELL YOUR PEOPLE TO ASSEMBLE TO TRY YOU OR THE BOYS WILL BE SHOT! NOW!”
A few of the milling people moved toward the courtyard. “Stop!” Chung commanded.
Immediately a rifle cracked. In the light before one tank Y Tang’s head jerked. His body collapsed. Again the gongs. More women wailed. A defender sprung from his trench before the tank, threw his rifle down, ran to his brother’s body. Of all days for the crow to land on my house, Y Ksar thought.
“WE WILL KILL THESE TWO IF EVERYONE DOES NOT ASSEMBLE IMMEDIATELY. DRAAM CHUNG, DRAAM MUL, IS THAT WHAT YOU WISH FOR YOUR SON? RAM SU, ELDER OF THE EBING CLAN, WILL YOU STAND BY AS CHUNG ORDERS HIS OWN SON’S DEATH
