Marked by the Dragon

Chapter 8

5

As a child, Mina’s parents never taught her to read. In retrospect, she assumed it was because they didn’t know how themselves. They were farmers, after all, and had no use for such privileges.

She stared at the spines of the books as she dusted the shelves they rested upon, wondering what the letters spelled out. The colors of the books varied from black to navy to green, and they were all in pristine condition. This was Lord Klodian’s private study, and he demanded only the best.

Mina paused in her work when she spotted a book that had gold lettering. She glanced around, making certain she was alone and pulled the book out. It had some heft to it, and she cracked it open and idly flipped through the pages. Flowing script filled every inch of parchment space. Mina was disappointed to find that there were no pictures.

The sound of approaching footsteps startled her and she quickly replaced the book and continued dusting.

“Where is that blasted girl?” It was Lord Klodian. “Girl!”

Mina rushed toward the open door, reaching it just as Klodian stepped into view.

“I’m here, my Lord.”

“Where have you been? I’ve been searching the entire castle for you.”

“I was completing my chores, as you commanded.”

“Never mind that. You’re coming with me.”

“Now, my Lord?” Mina asked.

“Yes, now. Don’t fall behind, girl. We haven’t got much time.”

Klodian spun around and hurried down the hall. Mina followed after him, her eyes wide with terror. She’d never seen him in such a rush. As she tried to keep up with him, she looked around for a place to leave her duster. A servant stepped out of one of the rooms and paused, bowing her head as Klodian passed her.

“Here,” Mina handed her the duster, smiling at the girl’s confusion.

Klodian hurried through the hallways with sure steps, never once pausing as Mina usually did. He’d designed the maze of hallways, so she wasn’t surprised that he knew exactly where he was going. They exited the castle and were immediately greeted by Captain Eduard in the courtyard.

“Are the Runesmen ready?” Klodian asked.

“Yes,” Eduard hesitated. “You didn’t give me much time to prepare, so I’ll have to use some of the recruits. Most of the seasoned men are out on patrol along the border. We’re ready to follow your lead.”

“Very good. I won’t let this stand, no matter what must be done.”

Mina didn’t understand what he was talking about, but she knew it must be important if he was taking Runesmen with him. Captain Eduard bowed and departed, heading for the barracks. Klodian continued onward and Mina spotted a carriage ahead. The horses pawed at the ground anxiously as if they were aware of Klodian’s urgency.

“Get inside,” Klodian ordered.

Mina looked at him in surprise, but he wasn’t paying her any heed. He walked to the front of the carriage and spoke with the driver. Not wanting to lose the opportunity, Mina climbed into the carriage and sat down, marveling at the interior.

The benches were covered with plush cushions, and the walls and ceiling were elaborately decorated with velvet. Mina ran her fingertips along the soft material. Aside from everything being an ugly gold color, she found the entire experience quite amazing.

Lord Klodian stepped into the carriage and shut the door, then took a seat opposite Mina. She clasped her hands in her lap and lowered her gaze, keeping her eyes on Klodian’s shoes. When the carriage didn’t move, Mina cast a furtive glance at Klodian. He was staring out of the window and seemed to be waiting on something.

A few moments later, Captain Eduard’s face appeared in the glass and he knocked on the carriage door twice. The carriage jerked as it began moving, and Mina sat back, trying to figure out where they might be going.

“I suppose you are curious?” Klodian asked.

“Very, my Lord.”

“We’re going on a hunt, but it is not like the usual trips. I’m not looking for gold and sport this time, but for blood. A dragon attacked Slia.”

Mina’s face scrunched in disbelief. A dragon had attacked a human settlement?

“Is that normal?” she asked.

Klodian snorted. “No, girl. I suspect it might be a young one that strayed too far from home.”

“Dragons are wild animals. They aren’t capable of things like retaliation, are they?” Mina didn’t think so, but she envisioned the glowing eyes staring at her from the cave entrance, and she wasn’t so sure.

“Of course not,” Klodian replied. “But they are territorial, like any other animal. It probably left its nest and ventured far enough that it lost the scent of its fellows. It’s unfortunate that it won’t live long enough to learn from its mistake.”

That made sense to Mina. She wondered how much damage the creature had done to Slia. She’d never been there before, but she knew the name. It was a smaller city within the Thophate Dominion, and it was the closest community to Klodian Keep.

As the time slipped away, Mina began dozing off, occasionally jolting and startling herself. Afraid that Klodian would yell at her, she tried rubbing her eyes and digging her nails into her palms, but it did little to help keep her awake. When the carriage finally stopped, she had no idea how much time had passed.

Klodian stood and stepped out of the carriage. Mina blinked repeatedly and followed after him. Now that she was moving around, she didn’t feel as tired. The crunch of dirt signaled the approach of the Runesmen. Mina shielded her eyes with her right hand and saw Captain Eduard leading the small contingent of soldiers on horseback. She spotted two other familiar faces as well. Caden and Thais.

Thais.

Mina glared at her briefly before turning away. Thais was rude. And violent. Mina wanted nothing to do with the woman. She walked over to stand beside Klodian, so enwrapped in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the smell of smoke in the air. She kept her eyes on the ground until a few flakes of gray ash landed at her feet. Mina realized something was wrong and lifted her head. She gasped.

Slia had been destroyed.

At least, it appeared that way to Mina. As Klodian strode forth, he motioned for her to follow him. She obeyed, gazing wide-eyed at the destruction around her. Buildings were nothing more than piles of rubble, smoke drifted into the sky in lazy plumes, and there was a terrible scent faintly masked by the smoke. Mina would later learn that it was the smell of burnt flesh.

“This is another reason why I hunt the creatures,” Klodian said. “Dragons are dangerous. When they grow in numbers, their food sources become scarce. They start looking for alternatives, and that usually leads them to our cities.”

“I thought you said it was a young one? If a small dragon can do this …” Mina trailed off.

“That was my assumption before we got here, but this isn’t the work of one dragon. Do you sense anything?”

“No, nothing.”

“I doubt the dragons have gone far. Let me know the moment you feel even the slightest hint of something.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

Mina winced and averted her gaze as they passed a corpse. It had been badly burned, and the lower half of it was missing entirely. She could feel bile rising in her throat, but she swallowed her saliva, forcing it back down. Klodian didn’t stop moving. He continued walking through the ruined city, and it slowly became apparent to Mina that he was looking for something.

They turned left onto another street and Klodian paused. He seemed uncertain, which was out of character for him. Mina suddenly grew wary. What if the dragons were still here and she couldn’t sense them? They would all be killed, and it would be her fault.

On the bright side, if she did die, at least she would finally be free, from both Klodian’s leash and her curse. Such dark thoughts used to bother her, but now … now they didn’t. She didn’t know if that was a good thing.

“Your ability to sense the closeness of dragons is invaluable, and not just to me. If the other Dominion Lords knew of your sixth sense, they would try to steal you from me.”

Mina frowned. Why was he telling her this? Klodian grunted to himself and continued walking. Mina rubbed her leg, pressing against the scale under her pants. She didn’t feel the presence of any dragons.

Klodian stopped again after a few feet. He pushed some debris around with his foot and turned to look past Mina. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Captain Eduard and the Runesmen approaching.

“This was the Dominate’s house,” Klodian said. “I can see his body.”

“Should we search for survivors?” Eduard asked.

“Yes, but be quick. And keep your eyes open. I have a feeling the dragons that did this are still in the area.”

Eduard paired the Runesmen in groups of two and sent them in various directions. Mina watched them scatter, wringing her hands anxiously. She wanted to help Klodian find the dragons responsible, but the scale wasn’t giving her anything. He was probably going to be angry with her if she couldn’t track them, yet what could she do?

Mina.

She whirled around at the sound of her name, but no one was there. Her eyes widened. Lord Klodian was gone.