Zena- Soldier by Edward Lake

Author:Edward Lake [Lake, Edward]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-11-06T00:00:00+00:00

14

Zena

That night, after another day of training, Evander woke me. With my eyes narrowly open, I saw him there, standing over me with a floating light shaped like a crystal ball, which brightened the entire tent.

“Wake up, soldier,” he quietly ordered.

Oh God, why has Evander sought me out? Has Declan been exposed? Have I been exposed? Though terrified, I hurried to my feet and stood at attention.

“The rest of the camp is sleeping. I want you to follow me.” He took me outside and led me to the far side of the camp. When we got there, he turned toward the open terrain and walked me down a withered pathway, his handy floating light following us. “Have you ever stared at the stars, Declan?” He looked up at the beautiful black sky and folded his arms behind his back.

“Not really, sir. Prisoners only see the daylight sky during recreation hours. But I have seen the stars a few times.” I didn’t know what to think. Of all the recruits, he had come to me. Surely, he did not find me to apologize about beating me down earlier.

Evander exhaled. “That’s quite awful.” He looked down at me and unfolded his arms. “Before this, I had never journeyed to the North Star. I was born on the Holy Planet, Sodus. Lived there my whole life.” He stopped walking and scanned the area. “There is a real darkness on this planet. I can’t imagine living in a place like this for as long as you have.”

I wanted to engage in conversation, yet I had no idea what to say to him. All I could do was wonder. Why has he woken me for a late-night stroll? Had he decided to send me home? “Forgive me, Captain Cain, but why have you brought me out here?”

He sighed and placed a kind hand on my shoulder. “I did a little research on you, Declan. You are a slave fighter for the GGC, yes?”

Beads of perspiration began to swell across my brow. “Yes, Captain.”

“Ten years of survival as a death fighter is a tremendous accomplishment.”

My armpits and palms started to sweat, too. Still, I played along as best as I could and gave him a false smile. “Thank you, sir.”

He shrugged. “However, the kind of fighting you do is based on pure adrenaline and raw strength, not a lot of technique.” He stared at me with a gleam in his eyes. “If you survive the war, Declan, I will use my standing on Sodus to train you to be one of my subordinates. You’ll stay close to me as a slave soldier, and when the time is right, I’ll find a way to set you free.” His face became serious. “I will take your strength and that desire you showed me today and transform you into a deadly combatant. And if my plan works, you’ll never have to go back to that awful prison.”

I stared back at him with a stone face. Set me free? For a moment, I thought Evander was crazy for thinking he could save me from slavery.

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