The Secret Dragon (Complete) (Editing)

The mark

Chapter 24 – The mark

 

I felt someone shaking my shoulder.

I bolted up to see a man bending down beside me.

"What do you want?" I asked rudely.

I remembered how I was treated yesterday and it wasn't good in any way.

He motioned toward the tent flap and I saw another man standing there. I couldn't tell who he was because the sun was at his back.

I slowly stood up and once I was on my feet I felt someone grab my hands and cut the ropes loose.

I was gently pushed forward from the man behind me.

This is better treatment than what they gave me last night. Why are they acting different this morning?

I walked up to the man in front of the tent flap and noticed that the man standing there was the one that tied me up yesterday.

"What do you guys want?" I asked him, hoping to get an answer this time.

He just opened the tent flap and motioned for me to walk outside.

I sighed as I stepped out of the tent.

I had to blink my eyes a few times until they were accustomed to the light.

When I was finally able to see what I saw surprised me.

I saw the entire camp surrounding me.

They all looked armed and ready to kill if I made one wrong move,

The man I know as Shamir slowly stepped forward out of the group.

“If you want to live for longer than the next five minutes you must tell us how you have come to know about the dragon hunters.” His voice was serious and there was no trace of the playfulness he had last night.

“I don’t know the dragon hunters, I know a dragon hunter.” I paused to see if they were going to say anything, but it became apparent that they were waiting for me to continue. “I was kidnapped by a man that I later found out was a dragon hunter, and he wanted me to help him capture a dragon.”

Shamir seemed to think about what I had said.

“Why would he want you to help him find a dragon? Do you not know that the dragons have long since been extinct?”

“That’s what I tried to tell him.” Before I ever found my dragon.

I added mentally. They didn’t need to know that I had a dragon.

“He did not believe me and so he dragged me around through tons of forests and I finally managed to escape here. And in my haste to get away I found your camp and wasn’t able to get away before you found me, which is one of the main reasons I don’t like it here.”

He nodded as if he completely understood.

“I have one more question.”

“Then ask it.”

His eyes searched my face, as if looking for the answer to the question he had yet to ask.

He sighed and looked away.

“What is that mark on your right shoulder?” He asked just loud enough so that I could hear.

Was I mistaken or did I hear hurt in his voice?

He quickly turned back to me with anger apparent in his eyes.

“Well?”

Oh right, he asked me a question.