CHAPTER TWO

ADELE’s POV.

We walk and walk for what seems like age. My legs are already getting tired but we can’t stop now, not when we can already see one of the towers erected at the border. The journey to the border is easier than I thought.

We saw a couple of dragons and none of them made an attempt to attack which is contrary to the story of my father. This gives me more morale to actually find out what happened to him.

“Oh, Odin” Agatha finally stops, her breath sagging.

“This is more tortuous than I imagined” she says, “maybe I should turn around and go back to Drakesworth”

“Well, you kept running your mouth about the fact that you would make a good soldier” Lance chips in, “maybe i shouldn’t have indulged you”

“Guys we really don’t have time” I tell them, “we have to reach our destination before nightfall or we will become food for the beat ts of the night devour us”

“Well, aren’t you a bit enthusiastic about this?” It is Carolina. Right from the gates of Drakesworth, I knew we won’t be friends.

“For someone whose family enjoys the favor of the king, aren’t you a little too ambitious? Going to the border and trying to become one of them, what exactly are you trying to prove?”

“Carolina!!” Bastian growls as he comes to stand beside me, “we are not going to go down that path” his eyes darken and I see how his jaw tightens. When it comes to me, Bastian is ready to fight to the death.

“Well, I hope you know that if you speak blasphemous words about the king or his high chiefs, you will be punished for treason” a smirk hovers above my lips, “and I do not care to be your friend so let’s stay clear of each other.

A ruffle behind the bushes catches my attention but before I can say anything, masked soldiers appear before us, their sword’s dangling in their hands.

“Fuck” I mutter under my breath as they surround us, I didn’t know they patrolled this way.

“Identify yourselves” one of them says, his voice rough and devoid of any kind of emotion.

“We are on our way to the border” Bastian says, he doesn’t even look scared to say the least, “we were just taking a break”

“That didn’t answer my question,” the man growls again.

“I am Adele” I chip in, “and we were hoping to become part of those who are training to become soldiers”

His eyes travel over all of us and rest on Bastian again and I see how his forehead creases up but I don’t have time to think about that as his next orders come in.

“Take them” he says and in no time, we are all blindfolded despite all our tantrums to free ourselves.

After walking for over an hour, I start to hear the voices of others which make me certain that we have reached the camp.

“Take them to the general,” one of them says and my heart jumps into my mouth. I have heard a lot of stories about the infamous general and a knot form in my stomach. For one who owns the biggest dragon in Drakesworth and wields so much magic, he hasn’t really had a good reputation in the country. To cut the long story short, he is a merciless and a ruthless killer. Father has said a few things about him. I also heard he is much more powerful than what I know but that’s the least of my worries right now. Do we really have to go to the general? Can’t someone else interrogate us.

“Don’t be scared” Bastian says behind me and I finally let out a sigh, thank the gods he is beside me.

“Do you know the general?” I whisper to him.

“You mean the asshole?” He whispers back.

“Silence!!!” Someone yells from behind us and I clamp my mouth shut.

After a while, we finally come to a halt and I am guessing we have arrived in front of the general. The smell of blood hit my nose and I gag, I hate blood even though I am here to train as a soldier.

“General, we found some younglings in the forest and they claimed to be coming to the camp”

There is silence for a while, my heart already beating faster and faster.

After a while, my blindfold is yanked off and I squint my eyes in order to get accustomed to the room.

I take a few steps back when I see two dead bodies in front of me and a third man is kneeling down, a sword to his neck but no one is holding onto it.

This makes me look up and my breath hitch…..this man.

He is seated on a throne like chair with his gaze drinking in the sight of all of us.

As I gaze into his eyes, I feel my heart skip a beat. his chiseled features illuminated by the soft light around us. His eyes are a deep, piercing blue that seems to see right through us , fringed with thick lashes that add to their allure. I feel like I'm drowning in the intensity of his gaze.

His nose is straight and proportional to the rest of his face, which is perfectly angled and strong. His jawline is defined, accentuated by a tiny scar that runs from his jaw to his neck. His lips are full and inviting, curled into a subtle smile that makes my heart flutter.

His hair is thick and dark, perfectly messy with a subtle wave that adds to his entire appearance. Despite the low light illuminating the room, I can’t help but be drawn to his flawless skin, his skin has a warm glow.

He looks tall and lean, with broad shoulders and a chest that's toned from regular workouts. I can see the outline of his muscles beneath his black leather armor cloak and leather pants which look perfect on him. He has more than five daggers on his person which kind of look perfect too.

After a while, he stands up and starts walking towards us, the sword piercing into the man in the process and I shriek out, Bastian grabs a hold of my hand almost immediately.

As he moves closer to me, I feel my pulse quicken. He exudes an aura of power and dominance, like the earth is his plaything.

“You want to be a soldier when you are scared of blood?” He asks, his deep baritone voice making the hair at the back of my head stand on edge.

“Maybe i should just kill off a liability like you already” he further adds and Bastian shoves me behind him.

“I am responsible for her, general Cahir” he says, his hand gripping mine tightly.

“I did not ask you, Bastian”

My forehead creases up, the two of them know each other? Bastian never mentioned that.

“We are only here to train and become soldiers, general” Lance chips in, “forgive us if we have trespassed in any way.

Despite the chaos, I can’t help but wonder how a man like him became a general. I was hoping to see a full bearded man with scars all over his face and bulgy….. but this man, he looks so different from everything I have imagined.

He holds Bastian’s gaze for a while before turning around and walking back to his throne-like chair.

“Clear the tent” he orders and the men swiftly go to work, clearing the tent in no time.

As soon as the death bodies are out, he turns his gaze back to us again.

“Tell me, have you come all the way to die here as trainees?” His eyes travel over us, “from the look of things, none of you fit well enough”

“You haven’t tested us, general” Carolina chips in.

“Do I need to do that?” He raises an eyebrow, “you are trainees after all.

Then it dawns on me, I hate this man, I fucking hate him.

“You” he points at me, “introduce yourself”

“I can… Bastain tries to step in but I stop him.

“I can speak to him on my own” I return my focus to the general again, “my name is Adele MacAlister and I…

“The daughter of the high chief”

Of course he knows my father.

“The traitor” he further adds.

“Excuse you?” The words are out of my mouth before I can even stop it and I see how his forehead curls.

“I am sorry but you can not go calling my father a traitor when you don’t know anything about him”

“Adele!!” Agatha calls out to me but I ignore her.

“Talker much?” A smirk appears on his face.

“Are you going to let us in or what?” Bastian inquires, irritation evident on his face. I am guessing what they have between them must be bad blood and nothing more.

“What is your level of magic?” He ignores Bastian and continues to stare at me, rage beginning to show on his face.

“None”

“Swords?”

“Bad with it”

His eyebrows hit his hairline, “Are you coming here without any skills?”

“She is good with daggers” Zen, finally speaks.

“Fine then” general Cahir pulls his body from the chair again,

“Win me in a dagger fight and I will let you in. Lose and I will sever your head from your body”

My fucking jaw drops.