Page 47 of Betraying Korth

“What if they promise to change and do better?”

“That works for children, but for criminals…it isn’t the same.”

Tess nodded slowly, and a forlorn expression stole over her features. “I didn’t know decisions would be this hard.”

“Luckily, you have a panel of judges to advise you,” I told her in an effort to cheer her up. “And you said he already pled guilty to the list of charges. So, he’s guilty.”

Tess sighed heavily. “I know he is. All the judges said so, too.” Her chin quivered. “But if I say that, he’s going to die because of me.”

“No, he will die becausehemade horrific choices. What he did isn’t your fault; it’s his. You just happen to be the person handing down the sentence that he earned for himself.”

Tess continued to stare at the documents in her hands. Names, many names, were signed at the bottom—Captain James Hook, Tinkerbell, and several others—all testifying that Peter Pan had committed the lengthy list of atrocities he’d been charged with. There was kidnapping children, imprisonment, abuse, murder; the list went on and on.

I thought back to Odette. She had taken children, forced them into servitude, imprisoned those who couldn’t pay taxes, and I’d seen her order the flogging of servants before. I’d sustained several lashings of my own at her command, and my back still bore the scars to prove it. While she may seem naïve and foolish to some, I knew she could be cruel and ruthless when left unchecked.

“Trust me, Tess,” I told her seriously. “People like Peter Pan…they deserved to be punished.”

After Tess left, her voice echoed in my mind long after her footsteps had faded.Have you never done anything bad?I couldn’t even count my own crimes, but those were justified. If people would just take the time to listen, they would understand why I needed to do those things. Who was to say that Peter Pan’s actions weren’t justified as well?

When Korth came to take me for our walk that afternoon, I posed Tess’s conundrum to him, finally asking, “What do you think she should do?”

“Convict him.” Korth’s answer came quickly and confidently. “Criminals need to pay for their crimes.”

“I told her that, but now I’m not sure,” I mused, still lost in wondering how I would feel if I’d been put in Peter Pan’s position. If my crimes were listed off to any court, they would convict me in a heartbeat, and I would be guilty as charged.

“I gave her this case because it’s an easy one. Some things are never excusable, and he’s done several of those things.”

I drew closer to Korth as we strolled in the gardens, breathing in the fragrant scents of the summer blooms, but couldn’t let the topic drop. “Where’s the line? How can you determine what is bad enough to execute someone?”

“A criminal taking someone’s life is never acceptable. Everyone can agree on that,” Korth began, but even that made my heart squeeze and I lost track of what he said next. I had been one of the few to champion keeping Odette alive, but that didn’t address the fact that I was actively trying to begin a revolution in which many people would undoubtedly die. Although I didn’t want to be the one to administer the final killing blow, I knew I would stand aside and allow Odette and Raquel to be killed when the time came. Would that make me just as guilty as whoever held the weapon? For so long, I’d lamented that apathy and reservation were what held our nation back fromoverthrowing our current king, but now…was I just as apathetic and hesitant to take action?

“Did you hear me?” Korth asked.

I startled. “No, I’m sorry. I was lost in thought.”

“I asked what you think a reasonable punishment would be for lying under oath.”

“Didn’t you just lie this morning about the dumbwaiter?” I asked quietly with a quick look at Godfrey trailing behind us. “What should your sentence be?”

“That was to protect your reputation, and I wasn’t under oath.”

“So, as long as you have a reason, it’s justified?”

“That’s not what I’m saying. I’m not a criminal.”

I sighed. “Sometimes it’s too easy for me to see the criminal’s motivations and sympathize.”

Korth halted, his expression confused. “When would you ever be able to sympathize with a criminal’s motivations?”

“For example”—I cast my thoughts around and they settled on the woman I’d watched have her children dragged away from her—“what if a mother didn’t have enough food for her children and she stole in order to feed them? Does she deserve to be imprisoned?”

“She should reach out to the authorities who provide—” Korth began.

“But what if she didn’t know? What if the authorities took too long? That’s a process that could take a long time, and her children were hungry right then.”

“You’re dealing with extremes. Most cases won’t be like that. There are systems in place to help.”

“But sometimes the systems fail us. What then?”

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