preferred fighting, and he had a preference for who rode him. Only his master could ride him. This was because a marksman would find his war mark when the mark was very young and train him to his specifications. Once the war mark was trained, no other rider was able to sit upon him without the mark trying to throw the new rider. It was a common ocÂcurrence that if a marksman was killed in the battle, his mark would stay by the body until it had died of hunger. That was why a war mark was killed when its master had died. If it wasnât killed, it would suffer the pain of death from hunger. It was a very able marksman who could get a strange mark to allow him to ride him. After their grueling ten-hour ride, the army made camp 20 karns from the Volski. Zenak immediately sent three scouts out into the field to find the mercenary armyâs exact location. The next day only one scout, a boy not over seventeen years of age, returned.
âMy King,â gasped the young scout, âI have seen the mercenary army.â The young boy then fell to the ground by Zenakâs feet in a state of total exhaustion.
âGet him some food and water,â Zenak ordered one of the tent guards.
âWhat did you see?â asked Zenak.
The scout gasped for air and grasped his side as he spoke, âAt least 100,000 men and it looked as if they were building war machines, battering rams, and machines for scaling walls.â
Zenak sent for a doctor when he noticed blood on the boyâs hand that grasped his right side. Zenak crouched to the ground and held the boyâs head in his hands.
âWhat happened to you and where are the two other scouts that went with you?â Zenak asked as he cradled the boyâs head in his arms.
âTen mercenaries found us. We put up a good fight and killed them all, but my two friends were killed. They might have lived if I knew how to fight better. I felt they were protecting me. They stood around me and fought off the mercenaries because I was the first one to be stabbed. They killed off all the mercenaries except one. He was too big for them and they were tired; he killed them in a matter of seconds. And just as the man was going to behead me, my mark put two of his hooves into the mercenaryâs chest. But to my dismay, the killer stuck his sword into my markâs heart. I ran back here,â the boy said.
âWhere is the camp?â asked Zenak.
âAbout fifteen karns northwest of here. The camp is big but it has no fortifications,â the boy answered in almost a whisÂper.
âGood,â said Zenak to himself. âWhere is the doctor?â Zenak looked anxiously at the tent door.
The boy looked at Zenak and whispered, âHelp me, oh King.â
Zenak looked at the dying youth and said, âI wish I could.â
The boy died in Zenakâs arms as the doctor walked into the tent.
âGet out,â Zenak ordered. âAs usual, you are late.â The doctor humbly left.
Zenak laid the boyâs head on the ground and sighed. As he stared at the boy, a guard came rushing in. âMy King,â he said, âwe have caught six mercenary scouts.â
Zenak stood up and said, âExcellent work. Bring one of them to me and behead the others. Maybe in this way our young scout here will be avenged.â
âMy King,â the guard answered as he slapped his right thigh. Then the guard ran out the door to get the mercenary scout.
Zenak turned away from the dead boy and ordered one of his tent guards, âGive this boy a heroâs funeral.â
âYes, My King,â he said and then he and two other guards carried the boy out of the tent.
âIt is good that the mercenary camp has no fortifications,â Habor told Zenak.
âI feel sure spies have told them that we are at one quarter of our strengthâwhy should they bother?â Zenak remarked.
Just then a guard pushed the enemy scout that was left alive