Part 3
The day flew by. Everyone was hungry by nightfall, but luckily there was a water tap in the room, so they weren't thirsty. The guard kept an eye
on them when they left the room to make sure no trooper could see them, and they could also use the restrooms covertly. Tim was aware that
there were many pupils hiding all over the structure, which had a large entryway that was guarded by four guards.
All day, the troopers were at work. The bulky commander yelled orders as they continued to load the supplies from the storehouse onto a cart
and horses in the courtyard. Tim also once heard the scarred one.
In the afternoon, Lia dozed off. Tim held the girl's little hand while he sat next to her the entire time.
It got dark. Tim heard Master Ledren and the commander talking, but he was unable to understand a word they said. The troopers remained.
Aroon compiled a list of people who would be on guard at night in case the troopers moved or started searching for them.
Tolle shook the shoulder of a sleeping Tim well after midnight. "Awaken! There's something going on outdoors!"
Tim leaped to his feet as he heard a moan followed by the guard's body hitting the floor outside. The door was smashed in half a second later,
and six men rushed into the room, one wielding a bloody sword and the other five grasping clubs, among whom Tim recognized Lia's abuser.
When the students saw the armed men, they woke up and started screaming. Tim was filled with a mixture of fury and terror. What do these
men want from them, after all?
The towering, scarred-faced trooper, who must have had to be an officer, came in the door and yelled at his sword-wielding companion.
"You fool, what did I say? Avoid killing the guard at all costs; it will just frighten the young soldiers."
It all fit together in Tim's mind: these men were recruiting as well as coming for supplies! The man with the injured face moved ahead of
the pupils.
"If you comply, nobody will suffer harm! The lads join us; the girls remain here!" He yelled, "Line up!" and everyone immediately stood up.
Tolle shoved Tim, upsetting the order as the boys attempted to create two columns, and the troopers stepped in, beating Tim and a couple of
other students in the back until everyone complied. They marched dutifully to the courtyard between intimidating walls of troopers on either
side. Tim glanced at Lia before heading out; the girl was crying once again and frantically cleaning her tear-stained face.
A horrifying scene greeted the students in the courtyard: in the dim light of the torch-staffs, in front of the dining hall, a group of men approached
Master Ledren, who had his hands bound behind his back and his hair disordered. They roughed up and insulted him, while his four guards lay
unconscious nearby.
"What now, old man?" One of the troopers laughed.
"Not so big-mouthed now, are you?" remarked another.
The third shouted, "Class, attention!" and dragged the Master away.
Though his strength had started to wane, the old man tried to fight. The troopers stopped abusing Master Ledren when the commander arrived.
The commander shook his head but did not look at them critically; rather, he saw their behavior as a practical joke and even smiled slightly.
He said, "Enough playing around, boys!" as though reprimanding kids. "We have more important things to do."
Tim was stunned by the commander's almost conspiratorial gaze at his troopers - though not appearing harsh, this individual's lack of empathy
for others' pain made him perhaps an even more formidable foe.
The commander turned to the students, forcing himself to be serious.
He shouted, "Attention! Step forward if you're over fourteen!"
When Kosta took the lead, his teammates followed suit. Aroon grabbed Tim's hand as he attempted to move ahead as well.
He murmured, "Are you crazy?" and they both ducked behind Tolle's wide back in terror. Although the troopers failed to see them, they approached
and started picking people one by one from those who hadn't come forward, focusing on the boys with more muscle.
The briefing was continued by the commander.
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"War has erupted in the nearby area, as you are aware! We require soldiers! You will gain fame and fortune if you fight well."
Tim's mind was whirling. So it's accurate! They need soldiers since there is a conflict. However, why should they be required to participate in the
war? The settlement is not part of the Governor's territory!
Master Ledren yelled, "This village is under the King's protection!"
The commander became impatient at these words.
"Hang the old man!" he exclaimed, as three of his men grabbed the frantically protesting teacher. A trooper brought out two chairs. The commander
sat on one of them, while they intended to place Master Ledren on the other. There was panic among the pupils. The older boys were appalled as
well, but they no longer dared to act. Like Tim, most people observed the sight in horror. Tim noticed Lia and the girls sobbing as they peeked out
the window of their room; most of them had their eyes covered.
At the attic door of the dining hall, a pulley mechanism with a rope fastened to its beam - normally used by the cooks to carry supplies up to the
attic - caught the troopers' attention. After wrapping the rope around the old teacher's neck and fastening a noose at the end, they made him stand
on his chair. Master Ledren stood still with resigned, closed eyes as one of the troopers kicked the chair out from underneath him.
Several of the boys, particularly the younger ones, started crying when they heard a loud crack. Not daring to look at what had transpired, Tim also
lifted his palm to his eyes in horror.
The commander said, "Ah, leave it, he ruined the fun!" that he heard.
As Tim turned to face the dining hall, he was shocked to see Master Ledren on the ground, sitting with the rope still around his neck and blood
leaking from his temple, surrounded by fragments of the beam and broken pulley from where the old building's structure had collapsed during their
attempt to hang him.
The commander got to his feet. Master Ledren was left half-conscious on the floor as his troopers carried him inside the dining hall.
The commander turned to the chosen boys and said, "Enough of this! You're coming with us; that's my order!"
Everyone fell silent. In the profound silence, Tim believed he could even hear the breathing of Master Ledren.
At last, someone said, "We can't go! This is our home!"
The commander became so furious that his chubby head went red.
He said, "What do you mean you can't? Have you not noticed my immense power?" He gasped, "I can look after anyone if I want to! You can't get
away with this, can you?"
Despite the commander's complete breakdown, the scarred-faced officer maintained calm as he stepped forward and signaled to the other troopers.
"You and you! Take these men to the horses, get them uniforms, and keep an eye on their progress! If you're not changing, just sit on the ground and
don't move! Do I understand correctly?" he shouted.
To Tim's surprise, Kosta held out his hand, making the scarred guy scowl, "What do you want?"
"I just want to announce that you have no chance against my twenty-three formation!"
Tim glanced around hastily and realized Kosta and his teammates had indeed positioned themselves in the famous local formation. The pattern,
where players linked up in a unique way to create an almost unbreakable human wall, had become legendary in school competitions. Teams found
it nearly impossible to push through or outmaneuver players in this formation, and Tim noticed he was already in his assigned winger position - ready
to sprint past any opponent who tried to break their line.
Before he could consider this further, Kosta leaped with great force upon the scarred-faced officer, signaling the other boys to launch their pre-practiced
attack patterns, and the athletic youths quickly overwhelmed the astonished troopers two by two. Tim recognized that the winger needed to get moving!
"Guys, run!" When Tim yelled, everyone leaped to their feet and started racing in the direction of the front gate, or the village's main thoroughfare. At first,
Tim sprinted beside them, but he veered right and vanished into the dark before the exit.
With his heart pounding frantically, Tim slipped up the rear steps of the living quarters. Happy that they had all made it to the street, he heard Kosta and
his group rejoicing with war cries. Despite his fear and the tears that filled his eyes, he continued.
The troopers in the courtyard were rising from the ground and starting to gather themselves while cursing, and he felt as though he was running out of
time. He had no doubt that they would look for the other girls and young men. When Tim arrived in their chamber, he rushed in, prepared to die.