Chapter Thirty-Nine
The Unmarked: Book One
Table of Contents:
[Prologue] [Ch.1] [Ch.2] [Ch.3] [Ch.4] [Ch.5] [Ch.6] [Ch.7] [Ch.8] [Ch.9] [Ch.10] [Ch.11] [Ch.12] [Ch.13] [Ch.14] [Ch.15] [Ch.16] [Ch.17] [Ch.18] [Ch.19] [Ch.20] [Ch. 21] [Ch.22] [Ch.23] [Ch.24] [Ch.25] [Ch.26] [Ch.27] [Ch.28] [Ch.29] [Ch.30] [Ch.31] [Ch.32] [Ch.33] [Ch.34] [Ch.35] [Ch.36] [Ch.37] [Ch.38]
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Rain.
Rain and the four other Guardians approached Cage Twenty-One. He lifted his lantern and the orange glow revealed five figures sprawled across the iron floor. He scanned the bodies and identified Dawn among those sleeping. At his right, Flint held the sack they would drape over her head. At his left, Dill held the cuffs. Rain slid the key into the cell door.
“Be quick” he said to the men.
The moment he turned the key in its lock, Dawn opened her eyes. Rain hesitated. The girl’s features were overtaken by a deep frown. She stood up, and eyed the guards, noticing the cuffs and the burlap bag.
“Come to kidnap me in my sleep?” she said quietly.
“Commander Corbin wants to speak with you”. Rain replied calmly.
She stood. “Not very inviting, is he?”.
At that moment, Rain thought better of treating her like the rest of the prisoners. Her markings indicated that she was a Guardian. She was used to being treated with honor, respect and dignity. Rain figured he could play on those expectations, to get her to cooperate better.
“Will you speak with the Commander?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“You have the choice between coming yourself or being dragged in with cuffs and blindfolds”.
Dawn regarded him for a long moment, her jaw tense. “Then lead the way” she finally said.
“Don’t try anything stupid” Rain said as he opened the door to her cell, remembering her earlier outburst.
She grunted.
Rain told his guards to stand down. They hesitated but obeyed.
Rain moved aside to allow Dawn to step out of the cage. She took a moment to regard her surroundings, as if she were let out of a box for the first time, rather than a cage with railings that she could see through.
They walked, Rain leading the way, Dill at her right, Flint at her left, and the other two soldiers trailing behind her. Rain didn’t think she would try to make a run for it. It was dark and there were guards posted everywhere. She wouldn’t make it very far. Though one could never be too careful. Not when Corbin was Commander.
The walk from Cage Twenty-One to Corbin’s tent was a solid fifteen minutes. They walked through a corridor of illuminated tents. A young, frail girl immerged from behind one of the flaps, followed by a soldier who buckled his pants. Hair frazzled and face wet with tears, she stared at the ground and hugged herself as they headed back towards the direction of the cages.
“You’re sure Corbin just wants to talk to me?” Dawn asked in a strained tone.
“Commander Corbin,” Rain corrected but made no further reply to her comment.
Once they reached Corbin’s tent, Rain pushed open the flap and motioned for Dawn to enter. The four guards walked in behind her, and Rain followed lastly. The tent was well lit with several lanterns, some set on the floor, another on Corbin’s desk, where he stood, pouring over the contents of Dawn’s books. The tent was large enough for the six of them to fit comfortably, and still have space to move. The Commander turned around and regarded Dawn. He seemed displeased to see her uncuffed and not blindfolded. Rain tried to stifle his annoyance and kept an expressionless demeanor. Corbin had always been an intense man, but his intensity had morphed into overt paranoia since the recent murder of his father and the disappearance of Wolfe Bloodwood. Rain did not think the paranoia would play in the Commander’s favor. The man was so cautious it was chaotic. Anything that didn’t go according to Corbin’s will suffered at the hand of his wrath. The lad had always had his father to keep him in check and to channel his intensity into productive behaviors. Without the man, Corbin was… too predictable and angry for his own good. Rain, being older than Corbin and having previously been his father’s right-hand man, tried to step into the role of a stable father figure. Or at least, a stable, older brotherly figure. The man needed healthy stability, not overly constricting rules and regulations. However, step in too far, and Corbin might interpret Rain’s good intentions as a power grab.
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Being the man he was, Corbin didn’t bother wasting time and words with introductions and remarks. He looked straight at Dawn; his features grown darker by the shadows cast from the glowing lanterns. His eyes were filled with raging lust. Not for the girl, but for her knowledge. “How did you come upon the books in your possession?”
The girl stood with her head held high and her shoulders back. Her hair was tied in a long, messy braid that reached her tailbone. She wore dark pants and a matching shirt, which revealed her biceps: one marking her as a Member of Erom and the other as a Guardian. She was tall, poised, and strong of build. This girl…woman, rather, was a warrior, not a child to be underestimated. To be a Guardian you needed to be clever, strong, bright, and outstanding in everything you did. This was Dawn, and then some. Somehow, she had managed to travel all the way from Aura and into the Torrem Mountains on her own. Despite her light blue eyes, her gaze held a dark intensity in them. No, this girl was not to be underestimated.
“The books are not mine. Not yet, at least” she answered.
That, Rain noted, was not an actual answer to the question.
However, Corbin pressed on.
“What does that mean?”
She regarded him, as if debating whether she should answer the question. Of course, refraining from giving Corbin the information he sought would not be in her favor.
“It means that I have been lent one of the books, and it will only be mine to possess once I deliver the other to my master”.
Corbin narrowed his eyes. “And who is your master?”
“You’re venturing into dangerous territories by asking me these questions, Commander”.
Eyes narrowing, Corbin moved from his desk and walked towards her until they were only inches apart. “And you are venturing into dangerous territories by not answering my questions, girl”.
The Commander was a few inches taller than she was, so she had to tilt her head up slightly to meet his gaze. “What exactly” she said quietly, “do you think you can do to me that will make me talk?”
“It’s not merely what I will do, but who I will do it to” he answered in an even tone.
Once again, Dawn regarded him for a long moment. The tension between the two simmered like a pot of water on the verge of boiling. Rain had to force himself not to shift uncomfortably. Dawn clasped her hands behind her back and Rain noticed her fidget with a ring at her finger. Nervous?
“Bah!” Corbin growled, turning away. “Enough of this.” He looked to Rain. “Bring me the sister”. He marched over to Rain and said in a low whisper. “Have her already bleeding upon arrival. I want Dawn distressed and aware that I will not tolerate her games”.
“Yes Sir” Rain answered, though he was weary of making an enemy of her so quickly. He looked to Dawn, giving her one last chance to object. The girl remained silent and slipped her hands into her pockets. Rain frowned. He gestured to Dill to follow, and the men began walking towards the tent entrance. Dawn still didn’t say anything. Did she think Corbin was bluffing? Foolish girl.
Though, there was something eerie about her. The texts she carried with the ancient Runes. Her anonymous master. The implied dangerousness of her mission… So much mystery surrounding a girl so young. And that darkness… in her eyes… He suddenly felt cold.
As he reached the tent flap, a thump sounded from behind. He spun around to see Corbin and the three guards frozen with shock and staring at the ground with wide eyes. Alarm shot through him as he watched in horrified fascination as Dawn writhed on the floor, a gaping hole at her neck, and black veins crisscrossing across her skin.
“What in Damnation…” Rain breathed.
“He’ll kill me!” the girl gasped. “It can only be me!”. Her last words were slurred, as if her tongue was swollen.
Sheer panic overcame Corbin’s features. He knelt besides Dawn, lifting her up and gripping her shoulders. “Who?” he demanded, almost shaking her. “Why?”
“Bookkeeper!” she gasped. “Shadow Realm”.
She fell limp in his arms, the gaping hole at her neck closing up, and the darkness of her veins quickly receding until her skin was back to normal.
Eyes wild and body visibly trembling, Corbin slowly lay her back down on the ground, as if being too abrupt would trigger the episode once again.
“Sir” Rain asked uncomfortably, “do you still want me to retrieve the sister?”
Corbin shook his head slowly and kept his eyes fixed on Dawn.
His features were streaked with horror.
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