Burning Vengeance
14.

Quickly, he takes her hand and looks around the hall.

She yanks herself from his grasp. "I'm not going anywhere with you. I don't even know if you're real. Am I in another dream? Are you stalking me while I sleep?"

"No. This is real. I'm real. Real enough to be scared of how loud you're being." Mikhail shoves her toward a torch on the wall. When he pulls on it, a secret passageway opens. "Come on. Before they find us and kill us both." Reluctantly, she follows Mikhail into the dark. Safely behind the stone door, she looks down an eerie tunnel that disappears into the darkness. "Good. Out of the line of fire for now. Let's go."

"No. Not until you tell me who you really are. I'm not blindly trusting you."

Mikhail sighs, turning back to her and forcing his eyes to meet hers. "You're right, you deserve the truth. I'm Killian's slave, alright? That's why I couldn't meet you in person before." He looks away, as though ashamed of this truth. That's when she notices his clothes.

"So..... this is the real you."

"Yes, unfortunately." He grits his teeth and fists his hands at his sides. "Being a slave of Killian's is no different from being his prisoner. Or I guess I should say, his lab rat."

"His lab rat? That's barbaric."

"Barbaric, yes." Mikhail bows his head, an unseen weight bearing down on him. "That's a good word for it. This half-life I'm forced to live."

"What do you mean by that?"

Mikhail hesitates, then holds out his arm, revealing deep gauges and repulsive burn marks. "You want to know, you want to see. So, look." Her heart twists painfully in her chest at the sight of this young man, bearing all oft himself to her. "Look at what Killian is capable of. I want you to see it. Look at what he's done to me, Fay. He uses us to experiment on, to perfect his dark magic."

"No, I can't look. It's too ugly." Guilt grips her as she turns away, but she can't help it.

"Ugly, yes. That is what this is." He grabs her arm, halting her from running away. "It's a symbol of an ugly past and an uglier future, where Killian is king and kills every single human being."

A horrible chill travels down her spine. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, he wants to eradicate our kind from the Earth. He wants to live in a world without humans."

She wants to back up, she wants to run away, but she's rooted to the spot. "No, that can't be true. The dragons need us, they..... they use us!"

"Killian views us as no more than pests, like roaches under the floorboards." Mikhail clasps his hand over his gnarled flesh, over the destruction and the lingering pain of his past wounds. "This is how much he values human life, Fay. Do you finally get what we're up against? Do you understand why we need you?"

"I do understand."

A sigh of relief leaves Mikhail and his grip on her softens. "Thank you, Fay." He motions for her to follow him down the dark tunnel. "Come on. There are some people I want you to meet." She hesitates, but slowly advances deeper into the hidden passage, finally reaching a large back room. "This is where we live."

"We, as in?"

"As in all of Killian's slaves."

Several people emerge from the darkness. When she sees them, her heart sinks. Exposed ribs, sunken cheeks, horrible scars, the dozens of humans peeking out look starved and abused. They all stare at her, mesmerized, parting to make a path for them as they make their way deeper into the room.

"Why are they staring at me? Are they worried I'm a dragon spy?"

"No, they trust you. In fact... they view you as special. They can feel the magic that flows through you."

Her Dragon's Mark thrums at Mikhail's words. "But I'm just a slave, like them."

"You have no idea how wrong you are." Mikhail turns to face her, along with the many slaves that gaze at her like she's the sun. "You, Fay, bear a magic that's stronger and deeper than anything we've ever experienced."

"No. That can't be possible."

"It is. It runs deeper and older than your relationship to the Dragon King. In fact, it may be why he was drawn to you."

"It's true, right?" A young boy squeezes out of the crowd and scampers up to her, his eyes bright with hope. "My mom said you were our 'salvation'. Before she..... before she died." The boy chokes, tears rising in his eyes. "You're going to save us, right, like my mom said?" The boy's clothes are no more than rags. Through them, she can see a spray of bruises. "Was she right?"

"I don't want to help you." She sighs.

"You don't?"

"No. I can't continue this long cycle of violence. I can't condone it."

The boy's eyes widen in shock. He steps back, as does the crowd beyond him. "So, we're doomed to live like this.... forever?"

"No. Fay just needs to understand our plan."

"Your plan?" Slowly, an elderly woman emerges from the crowd. With a kind smile, she hands Fay something wrapped in cloth. "Is this.... a gift?"

"Yes. Please, take it."

Fay lets her drop the wrapped object in her hands. "Um, what is it?"

"Open it and see."

Gingerly, she takes the item and eases back the cloth. The dagger in her hand is welded of pure gold and seems to set her Dragon's Mark ablaze.

"This dagger has been spelled for years by our most skilled magic users. Now, it's finally ready."

"Ready for, what?"

"To end the royal bloodline. You, Fay, need to use this dagger to kill Killian and the Dragon King. Say you'll do it, Fay. For us all." Mikhail backs her up against the wall, the blade heavy in her hand. But before she can say another word, the door bursts open and slams against the wall, sending the slaves scattering. Emerging from the entrance with a dark, dangerous glare is Killian. She tries to tuck the dagger into the back of her dress, but it's too tight. Mikhail takes it from her. "Don't worry. I'll return it to you when you need it most." He whispers that promise in her ear and she's not sure how to respond. But it doesn't matter, there's no time.

Killian reaches her and takes her by the arm. "You're going to regret this little escape attempt, Fay."

"I will make you regret a lot more."

The slaves audibly gasp at her strong words and Killian snarls. "We'll see about that." A violent fury overtakes her and she fights Killian with all she has as he drags her to the upper passageway. "Calm yourself."

"Calm myself, after seeing how you treated those people? After hearing their screams and seeing scars?" She claws at him, kicks him in the shin, does anything and everything she can to get away, to hurt him. She sinks her teeth DEEP into his hand. He quickly loosens his grip on her.

"Ah, fuck!" As soon as she bites him, she feels a stinging pain in her own body, in the exact same spot. Killian advances on her. She expects him to break her arm or light her on fire. But his grip on her shoulders is surprisingly gentle as he backs her up against the wall. That's when she smells it: a scent of smoke and leather, crisp and deep all at once. Alarik's scent. "Look at me, Fay." sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ (F)indNƟvᴇl.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

She's reluctant. But after a long, tense silence, she looks up at the man holding her in place. "Alarik?"

"Do you have to ask?" She recognizes it now. The warm light in his eyes, the light that only belongs to Alarik. "You can't tell me apart from that monster?" His grip on her shoulders tightens, his whole body shaking. "Are we really that similar?"

"I don't know. He could be playing a trick on me."

Her words sting him and he steps away from her. "You really can't tell it's me?"

"I've seen a lot these past few days. I don't think I can trust my eyes anymore."

He sighs heavily. "That collar. I gave it to you before the ball and told you I didn't want to go."

"Alarik....." she sighs. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"It's okay. Are you alright?"

"I am fine now that you're here."

"Is that really enough?" Alarik reaches for her, but thinks better of pulling her into his arms. He coughs.

"Alarik, are you alright?"

"I'll be better when we're out of here."

"Right. Maybe we should fight our way out of here?"

"We can't risk them overpowering us."

"Then what should we do?"

"What I just did a moment ago, I'll pretend to be Killian."

"Are you sure that will work?"

"I know him better than anyone. I know how to imitate him." She bites her lip, a thousand worst-case-scenarios flashing through her mind. But it all stops when he takes her hands in his. "I swear, nothing bad is going to happen, Fay. Just trust me."

"Alarik, I do trust you."

"Good." With a deep breath, Alarik allows Killian's cold demeanor to fall over him like a cloak. His eyes flash dangerously. "Let's go." Taking her by the upper arm, he drags her through Killian's lair, coming to the mouth of the cave-like entrance. Two guards straighten as they approach. "Out of my way. I'm taking this whore for a ride."

The guards exchange a glance. The taller one frowns. "You told us the prisoner wasn't to leave..."

"Yes. You said that you were using her to lure the Dragon King here."

"I've changed my mind. I'll take her to Dragon King and flay her alive in front of him."

She swallows hard, even though she knows his words are false. The guards shift uncomfortably on their feet. "You don't sound like yourself, sir."

"And what of this girl? She's not the same as she was before, not as scared." Again the guards trade glances, still not buying what Alarik has said. They reach for their swords.

Giving up, Fay falls to her knees before the guards. "I'm sorry. Please just let him go and take me back!"

A slow round of applause sounds behind them. She turns to find the real Killian sauntering toward them. "What a climatic ending. Did you rehearse this?"

"Killian!" Alarik lunges for him, but a guard shoves a sharp sword beneath Fay's throat, halting him.

"Good. Now that we're done with the theatrics, follow me."

The duo are dragged back to her prison cell. Clenching and unclenching his fists, Alarik glowers at Killian like a caged animal. "You wanted to bait me. Well, I'm here, brother. Let Fay go."

"No. We leave together."

"Neither of you will be leaving. Not when I have my brother and a perfect torture device for him at my fingertips."

"You think I care for her? I don't."

"Come now. Don't insult me with such a blatant lie. I know she's your weak spot, your missing scale."

Jaw clenched, Alarik remains stoic and silent, doubling down. Killian answers with inhuman agility, clutching her by the throat and hurtling her into the far wall with all his might. "Ahh!" Alarik flinches when her body crushes against the stone. She coughs and shakes from the impact.

"You still insist this slave means nothing to you, brother?"

Struggling to her knees, she answers for Alarik. "I feel more for him, than he does for me."

"Fay." Her words catch Alarik off-guard and he stares at her in awe.

"It's true. I may care for him, but he sees me only as his whore."

"Is that so?"

Alarik grits his teeth, forcing a false answer from his lips. "It's true. She's just my fuckdoll. Nothing more."

"Then I guess you won't miss her."

"What?"

Killian's wide smile mutates as he transforms into his massive red dragon, flames boiling in his chest. "Fay, no!" Alarik lunges to save her, but there is no time.

"Alarik-" she barely gets his name out before Killian releases a barrage of scalding, lethal flames at her.

"Fay!" She feels the unending despair in Alarik's soul as immense pressure and heat bombard her. But one thing she doesn't feel is her body burning.

"No..... it's not possible....."

She rises from the ashes, naked before the twin dragon kings, unburnt.

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