Dominic cl's Arc

Chapter 2 of 4

Dominic could not sleep. The full meal sat heavy in his gut, but fear kept his eyes open. He lay on his bunk in the training barracks, listening to the wind push against the wood walls. Tomorrow he would stand before the officers and name the men who stole soldiers' pay. He had made his choice in the mess hall. Now he waited for the cost. The door creaked open near midnight. Five men slipped inside, low-rank scouts by their thin boots and quiet steps. They did not carry lamps. Dominic sat up. One of them pointed at his bunk. He knew then this was not a summons. This was the officers answering before the sun could rise. "Up," the lead scout whispered. "Quartermaster wants a word." Dominic stood. He counted five and knew he could not fight them all. Two grabbed his arms. They dragged him past the rows of sleeping men, through the wide double doors, out into the cold yard behind the barracks. No one woke. No one spoke for him. He was worth nothing here, and they meant to prove it. Behind the building they shoved him against the wall. The lead scout drew a knife. "You told the general too much," he said. "Some men would rather you stopped talking." Dominic's back hit the wood. His mind raced. He had no weapon and no rank to hide behind. But he had one thing the officers feared. "The general already has the ledgers," he said fast. "He read the crossed-out names himself. Kill me and he'll know exactly who sent you. You'll hang for the pay you stole." The knife stopped. The scouts glanced at each other. They were low men, sent to do a dirty job for coin. Dominic saw the doubt spread through them. "You want to swing for their theft?" he pressed. "They gave you the blade so their hands stay clean." The lead scout's grip loosened. He was young, and afraid now. He looked at the knife as if it had turned in his hand. "He's right," one scout muttered. "This wasn't our theft." They stepped back. The lead scout spat on the ground and shoved the blade away. "Run," he told Dominic. "Go to the general. Tonight." They scattered into the dark. Dominic stood alone against the cold wall, breathing hard, alive. He had turned their own fear against them. But the truth was worse now. The officers had tried to murder him in his bed. They would not stop with five scared boys. They would send men who did not think, who did not fear the rope. He pushed off the wall. He would reach Magnus before dawn and tell him everything. His only shield now was the general's protection. Without it, the next knife would not pause.