I had a look at some of them in my very first week, but I must have been too focused on my own situation because I did not remember seeing all the sketches and trajectories edged on these maps. Not surprisingly, they were painted over thick leather, just like most of the materials used in the camp, with water-coloured designed maps of the entire continent.
Some of them were arching towards other territories, some that I had only seen in history books while others portrayed the fire kingdom and some sort of hierarchy. Overcome by curiosity, I grabbed the leather pouch fabric that displayed the Fire Kingdom’s chain of command, surprised that this sort of information was left on display for anyone to find.
I must have been the only human in the camp however and judging by the way Karisha showed me all their finances and resources, the drakes were not a shy people. I took the opportunity to scan through the information, my fingers moving over the etched names that skidded down the page.
At the very top, there was a fire emblem alongside a crown that followed a prominently painted name: King Thayer and with a trailing horizontal line, he was connected to Queen Renora. Spiralling down with a single sharp thick line was a name I had heard before: General Raakim. My heart started beating faster at the memory. This was the man that had killed Dahr’s and Markos’ family. The one who forced Dahr into battle with the constant burden of sacrificed lives over his shoulders. He was the reason Dahr was barely now, learning to smile.
I continued reading to discover a name I had heard before as well. Captain Xadom. His line was drawn right under the general, with two adjacent ones of two other captains. And beneath Captain Xadom were two smaller lines, one for Grannicus and one for Markos. I let my fingers trace Dahr’s name on the map and followed the dotted line that moved from his name, which was surrounded by flame designs, very similarto the ones on his back, to the very top, where the dotted line reached General Raakim’s name. Symbolising that Dahr was reporting directly to him, through some sort of machinations that were not presented on that simple line.
Since Dahr wasn’t here yet, I went for another map. This one had drawn my attention because it showed my region and the entire part of the continent until the city of Senesra, which was circled in red, marking it as the main target. I trailed my finger down south to find a line of small towns, just like mine, scattered across the mountain and went even lower to find my hometown marked in the same shade of red and circled on the map. Then I went even lower to see a trace of other small towns, which forced a line of red circles that led to the very edge of the continent and traced back up again, to follow the drake camp’s advancement. And confirm what I already knew, deep down in my heart.
That Enderflagg was next.
My hands started shaking, my fingers unable to control the shutters that went through my skin and crawled deep down in my bones. Understanding dawned on me. Whatever plans I was trying to devise, whatever strategy I had played until now, if any, would not matter. These maps looked like a planned objective, one that was coming from high above. One that the camp could not so easily reject.
But maybe Dahr could. After all, his name was dotted on those maps in connection to the general, whose power was situated right underneath the king. Maybe he had enough power to refuse this task, to lead his warriors elsewhere.
I fumbled around, trying to find any other piece of information that would help my cause. My shaky hands moved the maps and pushed them across the table, some falling over the plates of food and some dropping off the table. One of the heavier Fire Kingdom tunnelling maps moved slightly to the sideto reveal a stack of papers, which I immediately jumped towards. All of them were addressed to Dahr.
Some from Captain Xadom and some from General Raakim.
This was it. This was the proof I needed, the shrivel of hope I had been looking for. I opened the first letter, without caring about the immoral thing I was doing. Reading someone’s correspondence might have been an offence, but so was attacking an unsuspecting town, so one sin trumped the other.
Grannicus,
Orders to march towards the town of Vrothran, 30 miles north.
The letter was dated 30th November. I immediately moved to open another one, to find it extremely similar, this one from General Raakim.
Grannicus,
March to Fenesra, 22 miles North.
30th January
Unwilling to believe what my eyes were reading, I opened another one.
Grannicus
Order to march to Rashera, 41 miles North
31st December
With trembling hands and a broken heart, I opened the one that would become my damnation. It came directly from General Raakim.
Grannicus,
Enderflagg, 27 miles North-West.
The letter was dated 28th February.
The day of my kidnapping. The day that my world turned upside down. The day I lost everything and let myself be fooled by these people. By this man.
He was the one, my heart barely beat through the shreds its breakage left behind. He was the one in command, he was the one destroying town after town. He would be the one to kill everyone I cared about, everything I had ever built for myself.
Dahrrian Drake Grannicus.
A name I thought brought me joy. A name that I was determined to destroy, even if it cost me everything.
