CHAPTER FOUR

ADELE’s POV.

The sun creeps into the dungeon signifying the break of dawn. After a little squabble between me and Carolina last night and Bastain coming to my aid every single time, I didn’t get a wink of sleep. It wasn't necessary because of her but the thought of the general was in my head and I didn’t know why. I kept thinking about him, about everything surrounding him, about everything I have heard of him and about his entire personality. He is unlike what I envisioned, even better but to me, he is rotten. The dead bodies littered on the ground when we entered his tent and the way he slashed that man’s neck like he didn’t mean anything.

“You didn’t get any sleep?” Agatha asks from the other side of the dungeon.

“You are awake?”

“Yes” she nods, “I have been awake for the whole night, I couldn’t sleep too”

“Something bothering you?”

Bastain also steers in his sleep and opens his eyes.

“What are the two of you discussing so early?” He asks, pulling his body to a sitting position.

I run my eyes to his well muscled body and I swallow hard. I haven’t gotten used to the tattoo of the coatyl running from his left chest down to his left arm and part of his back yet. When I asked him why he chose, he just shrugged. Now he is seated there, looking like a snack. Well, it’s not like I don’t have a crush on him. I have had a crush on him since I was sixteen but that’s my stuff, I have never said a word about it to him and I am glad he doesn’t know. Well, how could I have told him when he introduced his betrothed to me three years ago and that shattered every hope I had, it’s not like he knows though and I prefer to keep it that way.

“Adele?” Agatha calls my name and I immediately jolt out of my thoughts.

“What are you thinking so intensely about?” Bastain asks, his gaze resting on me.

“Nothing” I shrug, “I just..,

At that moment the dungeon doors open and I heave a sigh of relief, I wasn’t about to answer that question.

All the others stand up on hearing the door open.

“You all should move out” one of the soldiers orders.

“So you will let us go now?” Bastian asks, his voice filled with enough sarcasm as he pulls his shirt over his body before grabbing his leather jacket and his backpack.

“Bastian” I shake my head, “not now”

“Do you think they want to execute us?” Greta inquires but none of us say anything. The only thing keeping me going is the fact that Bastain says the general will not execute us.

They lead us out of the dark dungeon and I have to squint my eyes in order to get accustomed to the light.

After walking for a while, we come to a large courtyard where more than two hundred people are gathered and my eyes spot the man standing in front of them. He looks different from the man I saw last night, maybe because of his change of clothes. His attire includes a fitted leather jacket with intricate stitching and shoulder detailing, along with matching gloves and pants. He is also wearing a belt with various straps and buckles, and a sword is visible,strapped to his back just like the several daggers that are sheathed on various parts of his body. He has his hair falling all over his face giving off an intense aura. He looks much more rugged than last night, much more dangerous.

Another sword is dancing dangerously in his hand as he

walks in front of the two hundred eyes in front of him.

“Today, you have all made a choice to become soldiers to guard Drakeworth with your life” he starts talking, his gaze falling on me for a moment but it doesn’t linger.

“Coming here was your choice but leaving here will be my choice. Either you train and become a soldier worthy of serving the country or I kill you with my own sword”

A hush falls on the courtyard, is he actually supposed to say this? Well, it is him. He is allowed to speak as he pleases and do as he wants.

“In here, you will be trained in combat and in magic. You can not learn one without the other and if you do, that’s a loss. Last but not the least, your life is in your hands. No one here will protect you if you do not protect yourself”

Someone raises their hand to ask a question and he glares at him, making him drop his hand almost immediately.

“Until you are ready to serve your country, you are not allowed to leave this place ever, this is your new home until you become soldiers. Am I understood?”

“Yes, general” echoes throughout the courtyard.

“So this is more like a death ground?” Greta asks, irritation evident on her face.

“That is why the Drakeworth soldiers are ruthless” Bastian responds, “the training here is pretty intense. Last year there were a total of three hundred and twenty recruits, one two hundred and ten made it out here alive. In this place, you fight to the death”

I open my mouth to ask him something but clamp it shut. It would be silly of me to ask that question when I know Bastain has been interested in becoming a soldier ever since, of course he knows everything.

“Good” general Cahir’s voice resonates in the courtyard again, “you will all be divided into a group and each of you will have a leader. You can report to your leaders directly. I will assign soldiers that will help you train as time goes on.

“Do you get to be a group leader too?” One of the girls asks, her voice full of desire towards him. I can’t help but roll my eyes, why in the gods name will she want a man like him?

“Well, I am well available” he replies, “as long as there’s someone to kill. Now, share yourselves into a group of twenty except the six prisoners” his eyes fly to us and I take a step away from him. I don’t know why but the hair at the back of my neck is standing on edge like a danger is looming, something I can not quite grasp.

After everyone starts putting themselves into groups, one of the soldiers beckons to us and we start walking towards them, my eyes not leaving the general.

“Halt!!” The same soldier shouts again once we see a few feet away from him.

“The six of you” he starts talking, “you will be shared into different groups and I do not want to see the lot of you gathered together when it does not warrant it”

“What?” My brows hit my hairline.

“Do you have a problem with that, MacAlister?” He raises an eyebrow at me.

“Adele and I have to be in the same group” Bastain tells him, “I am responsible for her safety”

“All the more reason why you can’t not be in the same group” he hauls back at Bastain, “we do not care about your safety. So if your little lover can not protect herself, then she is more than welcome have her name recorded in the ledger containing the dead” he glares at me, “one slip up and you are all dead”

As soon as he is done, he turns around and walks away.

The urge to shoot a dagger into his back is so intense that I ball my hands into a fist.

“I think he is out to get us,” Lance says.

“And we won’t give him that satisfaction,” I grit in anger.

“For now, let’s fall into groups” Greta chips in.

“See you guys” Carolina says and immediately walks towards a group, not bothering to even look back. Well, good riddance.

“I will find a way for us to stay alive here” Bastain tell the rest of us, “for now, let’s join a group yet”

“Yeah”

The rest of them walk off while his gaze rests on me,

“Let’s join the same group”

“The general will kill us” I tell him.

“He won’t do shit”

“How come you are so sure, Bastain?” I ask folding my hands in front of me, “is there something you are not telling me?”

“Of course not but I am sure he won’t kill either of us. You are the daughter of a high chief and I am the son of a themarturge”

“That’s not a given, Bastain” I roll my eyes,looking round the courtyard, “let’s find different groups for now, we will talk later”

“I will find a way to be in the same group with you, Adele

but make sure you stay safe until then”

He immediately pulls me to a hug before walking away leaving my jaw hanging open once again.