Strangers in the Land

Line up against the wall,  the dragoon commanded the Huguenots. The simple command struck terror in Pierre such as he had never felt before. His tongue felt thick, and he panted hard, as though he had been running. "Are they going to kill us?"  Claude whispered. It was October, and morning dawned brisk and cool just like any other autumn day. But by noon Pierre's world had turned upside down. The Edict of Nantes had been revoked, and the Huguenots were no longer free to practice their religion. Anyone who refused to convert would be imprisoned, and the dragoons had orders to kill anyone who tried to escape. In just a few days the fate of Pierre's family would rest on his 12-year-old shoulders. But in the meantime a mysterious beggar would appear on their doorstep with a cryptic message, and a moonlit journey to Grand-pa's estate would expose an unexpected spy.