The Loyal

Part 2 - The Rise of the Dark Star - The Putrid Smell of Leather

Shuttle. Clunk!

Shuttle. Clunk!

Shuttle Clunk!

"Where's the next campsite?"

"An hour away, I guess. Can't wait to get these two to the Colosseum and be done with them."

"We'll definitely get a rise."

Shuttle. Clunk!

Shuttle. Clunk!

Dain writhed, straining his limbs against the tight bonds. Insects crawled skillfully through his hair and over his face. Thick leather rubbed over his bare arms, tearing up the burnt flesh. Beneath the boy was solid wood, extremely uncomfortable as it swayed back and forth with the stride of the two mares pulling the cart.

Every time the wagon lurched over a stone, a nail dug deeper into Dain's side. Already he knew that his stomach would be soaked in the blood from the little, but deep wound. He longed to be rid of these ropes, which dug into this skin. Dain couldn't remember what happened. His head was throbbing and each lurch did not improve his state.

All Dain could remember was Sirath walking along a battered, unused road, with Dain beside her, looking for a good place to set up their hide-out. Then unexpectedly, they were attacked. It had been a week since Dain had experienced the deep-driven fear caused by panic. It wasn't something he'd forgotten, but it was something that he wished he'd never deal with again.

There was no way Dain could tell how long he'd be in this situation. Occasionally the temperature would drop and the drivers would leave the wagon. The rumble in Dain's stomach got louder and louder each time this happened. But the thing Dain worried the most about was Sirath.

Where was she? Had she escaped? Surely not, as Dain's captors had claimed that this haul would get them a promotion, and if the'd caught Dain alone, this wouldn't be true. But where was Sirath? How were his captors transporting the elegant blue dragon?

Shuttle. Clunk!

Shuttle. Clunk!

"Com'on, let's keep doing. I wanna get these two into the prison as soon as possible. You can get some rest, I'll wake you when we're there." The voice who'd spoken of the Colosseum began a conversation.

"Thanks." The second voice replied, followed by the sound of fabric moving and a yell. "Oi! Men, we aint gonna stop. Keep moving, and you'll all be dining with the queen tonight!"

This was followed by a cheer from behind the wagon. As Dain focused, he began to realise that there was a group of horses following behind the wagon, dragging something large. Sirath! Dain twisted rapidly, trying his largest to be free of the bonds. I have to get to her. Dain yelled against the leather gag in his mouth, choking on the putrid smell.

"He's awake."

"I noticed. You said he wouldn't wake until hours after we got there."

"Yeah well . . ."

"What do we do? We can't risk knocking him out. If Farren finds him too damaged, we'll loose our heads."

"Just leave him I just. He'll quiet down eventually."

Dain shivered, the cold seeping deep into his bones. He screamed again, trying to form understandable words through the leather. The name Farren struck even more fear through his heart. Though Dain couldn't remember where he heard the name before, he prayed that it was just a coincidence that this name would appear during his capture.