Marked by the Dragon

Chapter 7

4

After the dark of night had fallen, and he’d received his five lashings, Caden laid on his cot in the barracks, trying not to move much. Even breathing sent pain flaring through his wounds, but he didn’t regret his actions.

Thais had been wrong to threaten Mina or anyone else for that matter. She had some serious anger issues, or perhaps someone had deeply hurt her in the past. Either way, Caden wasn’t sure how to handle her. He never expected to fight a woman, but she had attacked him. And she would have knocked him unconscious if it weren’t for Captain Eduard intervening.

Something creaked, and Caden lifted his head. The barracks were dark, but he saw a shadow moving slowly in his direction.

“Who’s there?” he whispered.

“Shut your mouth,” Thais’s voice whispered back.

Caden laid his head back down and sighed. If she was here to fight him again, he knew he would lose to her. She’d been lashed too, but he thought she handled the pain with much more grace than he had. He chalked it up to her having a higher pain threshold. Thais reached his bed and stood over him. Her face was hidden by the shadows, but her posture didn’t seem menacing.

“What do you want?” Caden asked lowly.

“I wanted to apologize for beating you up,” Thais replied. “I expected more of a challenge.”

“Go away.”

There was a brief moment of silence.

“No one has ever stood up to me the way you did.”

“That’s surprising. You’re a bully, Thais. Eventually, someone always puts the bully down.”

“I …” She sighed. “Where I come from, soft people die. I had to learn to be tough and trust no one because I didn’t want to die. You may not understand that, but it’s the truth.”

Caden stared up at her shadowy figure, mulling over her words. Perhaps she wasn’t as terrible a person as he first assumed.

“You don’t have to apologize to me,” he finally said. “But you might want to apologize to Mina.”

“The girl from earlier?”

“Yes. That’s Lord Klodian’s girl. The one who leads him to his dragons.”

Thais stiffened. “I didn’t know. Do you think she’ll rat me out to Lord Klodian?”

Caden smiled. He didn’t believe Mina would do that, but it wouldn’t hurt to keep a little fear in the air. “Possibly. If you apologize quickly, she may let it pass.”

“I’ll talk to her first thing tomorrow.”

“Good idea. Now, can I try to get some sleep?”

Thais climbed onto the cot with him and laid her head on his chest. Caden froze, unsure of what she was doing. She didn’t move or try to seduce him, and he eventually relaxed when he realized she had fallen asleep. He decided that Thais was more like a wild animal than he first realized, and it seemed like she needed a friend. And that was something he could be for her if she needed it. Until he transferred Dominions, anyway.

When he awoke the next morning, Thais was gone. Judging by the lack of light coming through the windows, dawn hadn’t quite arrived. Caden sat up slowly and was surprised to find that he didn’t feel any pain at all from the previous day’s punishment. He left the cot and headed for the washroom, where he splashed cold water onto his face. A small mirror hung on the wall, and he removed his shirt and twisted awkwardly to get a look at his back.

The rune was there, an onyx symbol that looked like a pillar. A set of eyes sat between the crossbars of the upper portion, and two swords crossed over the center. The details were intricate, and Caden understood now why the Marking had taken so long. What surprised him, however, was the absence of his wounds.

There was no sign that he’d been lashed at all, not even reddened or upraised flesh. He stared at his back in disbelief. How was that possible?

“Pretty neat trick, huh?”

Caden whirled around to see Thais in the doorway. “What trick?”

“The rune healed our wounds.”

“How?”

“Magic, probably. What good would we be as Runesmen if we couldn’t heal quickly? The Dominion Lords would have a tough time keeping their ranks full, especially in the Dominions that are always warring with one another.”

Caden took a final look at his back and slipped his shirt back on.

“You seem to be in a better mood today,” he said, turning to face Thais.

“I got some sleep,” she replied, shrugging. “I’m not always a raging b—”

A horn blared outside the barracks, cutting off her words. The main quarters erupted in chaos as people scrambled out of bed, swiftly dressing and rushing out into the courtyard. Caden and Thais hurriedly followed their fellows.

Captain Eduard was standing with his arms clasped behind his back. Instead of his chainmail and leather armor, he was wearing black pants and a brown shirt. An olive-colored cloak draped his shoulders, tied at the neck. Strapped at his waist was a sword with a black hilt, and the pommel was a large clear stone. Once everyone had lined up, Captain Eduard cleared his throat.

“What is the purpose of a Runesman?” he asked.

“To protect the Dominion and its lord,” someone shouted.

“Correct, at least on the surface. If you dig a little deeper, what do you find?”

Silence met his question, and he flicked his gaze across the line.

“I wouldn’t expect any of you to know yet, but I’m always hoping for a surprise. We are a brotherhood unlike any other. Are we soldiers? Yes, but we are more than that. We have been given a gift that many will never receive. Having this rune on your body isn’t just a sign of who you serve. It’s an honor that you uphold.

“Do you know why Lord Klodian made me the captain of his Runesmen? Not simply because I’ve proven myself to him countless times. It is because I know what it means to be a warrior. And I am going to teach you to be warriors.”

Thais raised her hand.

“Yes?” Captain Eduard asked.

“We’re already warriors, aren’t we? We’re here to kill, and I’m sure any of us can do that.”

“There’s more to being a warrior than killing someone. War without purpose is brutality. We are not tyrants. If that is what you are here for, you can leave now. Listen carefully, all of you. Your first lesson is this: Courage, above all things, is the first quality of a warrior. It takes courage to do the right thing, especially in the face of adversity.

“Beginning tomorrow, you will wake before dawn and run ten laps around the castle. The horn that woke you this morning will blare every morning at the same time. I suggest you do not ignore it unless you enjoy being punished. After you finish your morning run, you can enter the castle for breakfast. You will eat, and you will return here for your training. Are there any questions?”

Caden glanced down the line, but nobody spoke.

“Good. Start running. Ten laps, all the way around. If you don’t finish, you don’t eat.”

Caden wasted no time. He broke from the line and took off, jogging at a swift pace. He made sure not to push himself too hard, fearing that if he was forced to walk at all, he’d be lashed again. A couple of people sprinted past him, but he ignored them and focused on keeping a steady stride. Thais eventually joined him, matching his steps and jogging beside him.

He wasn’t sure, but he suspected that she liked him.