‘Congratulations,’ he said to them all, ‘your victory has earned you a place in the Hawan Military. Welcome! You will be taken into service immediately.’
The boys all looked at one another in surprise.
‘What do you mean?’ asked Jaden, stepping forward. ‘We won, why are we going?’
Kobin eyed the son of his friend and then said plainly, ‘Do you believe they wanted the weakest of the village to join them? You have shown yourselves to be fine specimens, you should be grateful for the honour.’
‘And throw our lives away by going to war? Are you crazy?’
All seemed to agree and they stepped forward with Jaden in protest. Kobin glanced over them all before stating simply, ‘Whether you go now or wait, it makes no difference. You will all go to war. At least this way you will be in good hands. You should be safe enough,’ and then looking at Jaden Kobin said, ‘so long as you do as you’re instructed.’
‘I won’t go,’ said Jaden. ‘I’m going with my grandfather to Waikor.’
‘I’m afraid it is too late for that,’ said Kobin, and he nodded to the soldiers standing nearby. ‘Take them to the trucks. We will leave in the hour.’
‘No! You can’t do this!’ shouted Jaden.
‘Silence him,’ said Kobin, and a soldier hit Jaden hard in the back, knocking him to the ground.
Bo and the others jumped forward to help him up and also attack the soldier, but as several guns were aimed on them, they all stood back. Jaden was pulled to his feet by two soldiers and taken to the first truck, where he was lifted into the back and chained to the seats by his left wrist. He tried to yank it free but it was no use. His flesh was no match for steel.
Soon all in the winners’ circle were loaded into the trucks just as Jaden had been. No goodbye, no gathering of possessions. They were to become soldiers of Hawan, leaving everything of their lives behind. None knew when they would return, or if they’d ever have the chance. Perhaps after the wars were won, or maybe when they had served a sufficient number of years. Their families had noticed the boys being taken and moved toward the trucks, but they were stopped by Hawan reinforcements, which held them at bay. There was nothing any could do to stop it. This was a military unit invading Callibra and taking their young. A simple village did not stand a chance.
With the roar of truck engines starting, gears shifting and brakes being released, they set out upon their journey, toward a place far from home.
Chapter Six
My life, your hands ... where now, my friend?
January 14, 997 R.E.
A golden glow spread over the village as storm clouds reflected the final light of the day, but no one in Callibra could appreciate the beauty in such a dark hour. Many did their best to go about their routines, as every attempt made to see the taken family members was denied by the soldiers. A slight tremble in the ground made everyone in the village nervous. It was not common for the ground to shake in these parts of the continent. The last earthquake to have hit Callibra was thirty years previous, when the wars had just begun. Since then, they had enjoyed peaceful living, with little worry aside from bad weather. Those who could remember the day of the quake seemed more nervous than the others, but even they eventually calmed when nothing followed.
Jaden was oblivious to the rumble as he sat in the back of the Hawan truck, still trying to break free of the chains that held him and his friends captive.
‘Ardim was right,’ said Corey, ‘winning was a dumb move.’
‘How did he know?’ asked Konnor.
‘I don’t think the question is how he knew, but why we didn’t,’ Corey explained. ‘As Kobin made note, why would they want the weakest? They want strong soldiers, fit for battle. We sealed our fate by our need for victory. It’s not our fault, really, we have been raised to always want to win. We never thought for a second that the reward of staying would be given to the losers of that match.’
The boys were silent, mulling over Corey’s wise words. They understood how they had made such a big mistake, but like everything else, they could not believe it. The reality of their situation was still beyond their comprehension. They knew they were going to war. They knew they would be soldiers. They knew they would not go home for a very long time. But they did not know what any of those things really meant.
‘Jaden, stop, it’s no use,’ said Dion and pointed with a flick of his head to the right, ‘you’re going to get us killed.’
There was a guard where he had indicated, at the back of the truck keeping watch, but he had not seemed to care that Jaden was doing everything in his power to snap the lock. It seemed a futile effort, so he had most likely deemed it harmless desperation rather than a potential escape.