Burning Vengeance
18.

"It's a mistake. I don't know this man."

"It's okay, you can tell him the truth. He can't move under our spell." She tries to backup, but Mikhail grabs her wrist.

Growing more and more angry, she tears her hand out of his iron grip. "Don't touch me."

"That's okay. You don't need to assist you with this." Mikhail smiles, looking down at her hand. Suddenly, she feels her fingers wrap around something heavy and sharp. With some unknown magic, he has put the dagger directly in her hand. "I told you I'd return it to you when you needed it most. Now is that time."

Alarik struggles behind her, barely rising to his knees. The humans chant louder and he is slammed back into the stone floor. "God damn it!"

"You're the promised one, Fay."

"The promised one. The High Priest called you that too." Alarik notes.

"He did, they're both wrong. I'm not special."

"You are special, Fay. You were meant to do this. You were meant to kill the Drago King, to end this reign of terror." He takes another step toward her. She can feel Alarik struggling beneath her now. "You swore you'd do this, Fay. You know it's the only way. The only way to free us all."

"You..... swore you'd do this?" Alarik looks up at her, at the deadly weapon in her hand. "Fay, was this your plan all along? Did you.... always plan to kill me?"

"Alarik, I can't say it's a bad idea." She shrugs.

"What?" His eyes widen, shock and betrayal plain on his face. She can barely look at him.

"You know it's true, Alarik. Even you can admit, it would end the long history of dragons abusing humans. No more rulers with your awesome power, no more imbalance." Alarik grits his teeth, tearing his eyes away from hers as he fights with all his might to get free. "But I can't do it."

"What?"

"I can't do it. I..... I care too much about Alarik. I refuse to shed his blood."

"Fay....." Alarik's cold gaze seems to soften slightly at her words and he stops fighting.

"So, you choose this murdering ruler over your own people?" Mikhail and his army of humans glare at her, their eyes black with hatred.

"I do."

"But the survival of the human race is at stake!"

"It isn't Alarik threatening it! It's Killian. He has already escaped to plan his next move. He exploded out of this room the minute you all went on the offensive. He could come back any second and kill us all."

Several humans glance around nervously, her words hitting home, but Mikhail doesn't relent. "All the more reason to kill the monster in front of us as quickly as possible."

The humans straighten, renewed by his words. They take up their grizzly chant with even more fervor. Alarik gasps in pain, writhing on the ground now. The invisible chains of magic that bind him dig deep into his flesh.

"Stop this! Can't you see we're stronger together?" The words leave her mouth before she even fully form the thought, but it rings true.

"What are you talking about?"

"The only way to fix the world is for all of us to unite. Humans and dragons alike."

Everyone, including the humans chanting, the cowering slaves, even the dragons on the ground, all stare at her in shock.

"What are you saying, Fay?"

"Please. Just listen to me. The answer isn't forcing those unlike you into submission and becoming just as violent as your oppressors. You'll just be sinking to their level. Do you want to become what you hate?"

"We're just protecting ourselves. Nothing more."

"It may start as defense, but it won't end that way. In the end, you'd become as awful as the worst dragon kings. You'll be no better than Killian if you do this."

"We have to do what's necessary for our freedom and safety."

"So you would repay violence with violence?" The humans all around her begin to falter, looking at each other with uncertainty. "You know that's not the answer. If you choose to embrace this bloodshed, you'll be ushering in the end of the world." Her words seem to hit everyone present with the force of a blow. They all pause, stunned and uncertain.

Mikhail steps forward, his head bowed. He takes the dagger from her hand. "I see now...." he turns the dagger over in his hands. Its razor-sharp golden blade glints dangerously. "I see now, that I'll have to this myself." Moving faster than she thought possible, Mikhail bolts for Alairk, the dagger raised. "DIE, DRAGON!"

She wants to move, to save Alarik, but she's frozen to the spot. All she can do is watch in horror as Mikhail brings the knife down into Alarik's chest. "Aghhh!"

"Alarik!"

He roars and pain explodes across her own chest. She clutches it and hits her knees. Seeing the bond shared between her and Alarik causes all of the assembled humans to stop chanting. They stare in stunned silence.

"You..... you aren't dead.... how?"

"Fay...." the only word that leaves Alarik's mouth is her name. Freed from the chanting, he reaches for her. Even through her blind pain, she smiles. She reaches for him with a shaking hand.

BAM!

Her ears ring and her vision blurs as the throne room erupts in an explosion, larger and louder than ever experienced. For a second, everything goes dark. Then she forces her eyes open. "What the..." the room she was in has been completely leveled. All that remains is burning rubble and the scattered screams of humans.

"Fay.... come out and plaaaAAAaaay...." her blood runs cold as Killian's terrifying, taunting voice rings out in the thick smoke. It sounds like it's coming from everywhere.

"Killian, you want to play? Let's play."

"That's the spirit!" Another explosion rings out, only this time, it blows the thick smoke away. What she see makes her stop in her tracks: Killian, standing before her, her sword held to Alarik's throat.

"Run."

"You know she won't do that, no matter how much you beg, little brother." She spots a large, violent-looking axe a few feet away from her and moves to grab it. "Nice try. But one more step and I open his throat." The sword digs deeper into Alarik's throat. She freezes, slowly raising her hands where Killian can see them. "That's what I thought."

"Get off of me!" Alarik fights Killian with all his might, but it's no use. Killian slices a deep cut through his shoulder and pain rips through them both.

"Agh!" She hits her knees, gripping her own shoulder. "Killian, what do you want?"

"What do I want? You."

She looks up at Kilian's unexpected answer. His laughter is low and dark, growing as he shifts, shifting into his lethal red form.

"Run!" Alarik shouts.

She has no time to consider doing anything else as she turns and runs, but it's no use. Killian's tail whips out of the darkness, wrapping around her body. "No!" He flaps his powerful wings, lifting her high in the air.

"Fay!" She closes her eyes, gathering her strength, summoning her power to her. But as quickly as it comes, it is taken away as Killian thrashes her around like a ragdoll. She squeezes her eyes shut, helpless to the power, the speed, the sheer strength he has over her. Her worst fears are realizes as he raises her high in the air and hurdles her toward the ground. "Fay!" Desperate to help her, Alarik hurdles something through the air and she catches it. It's the sword. "Cut yourself free. Now." With a sudden surge of fear, her sweaty fingers slip on the hilt of the sword and it clatters to the ground. "No!" Alarik's anguished scream is the last thing she hears before she is slammed to the ground with awful speed and strength.

Everything in her cracks and shakes as her vision goes black. When she shakes herself back to reality, Alarik is pinned by twenty of Killian's men. "Let. Him. Go." Her eyes turn dark and dangerous. She moves toward Alarik as he struggles desperately beneath their impossible weight. But a cold, hard grip on her arm stops her.

"Enough of these games." With inhuman strength, Killian pulls her to his body.

"Don't touch her!" Alarik thrashes against the enemy dragons, blue sparks spitting from his mouth. But when he tries to shift, he can't.

"Alarik, fight with all you've got!"

"I'm trying. It's just these.... fucking injuries!" He struggles, practically lifting the dragons off of him. His skin begins to ripple as he shifts. But he crumples, his body returning to its human form as he hits the ground.

"Alarik!" She tries to run to him, but Killian pulls her in closer, his breath on her body stinking of rotting meat. "Get off of me. Just let me go and-"

"No, I don't think I will. Because I've figured out how to get my powers back." His words leave her numb.

Alarik blinks, equally stunned.

"That's not possible."

"It is very possible." His grip on her arm tightens, right over her Dragon's Mark. It stings like a wound opening beneath his touch. "See, I recently discovered that there is always a conduit for the curse, a living being that serves as the beating heart of its power." Killian grins, licking at her ear as his words slither in. "It used to be someone else, but they tragically met their end."

It hits her all at once. Every puzzle piece clicks into place. "Soren."

"You seem to understand now, yes." He turns her to face him, his grip ironclad. His horrible, empty eyes bore into hers. "You are the new heart of the curse, Fay."

She opens her mouth to protest, to think of some reason why it can't be true. But she can't speak, because Killian clamps his cold mouth over hers in a crushing kiss.

"No! Let her go, you bastard!"

She can feel Alarik thrashing at her back. She can feel Killian's stale, slimy tongue slip into her mouth. And something boiling.... dangerous and dark.... bubbles up inside her.

She turns away from his putrid kiss, spitting his saliva from her mouth.

He chuckles. "That was nice. Thank you." He throws her across the room. She slides into the wall, still gagging from his assault. "We should do it again sometime, Fay."

Then it hits her all at once. Blinding, uncontrollable pain, worse than any torture she's ever endured. Her knees hit the ground as she writhes, her Dragon's Mark burning as though it's been dipped in acid. A horrific scream tears from her mouth.

"Fay!" The guards explode off of Alarik in a sudden, ferocious burst of strength as he lunges for her. But he too hits his knees. "What.... what is this?"

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Shocked, despaired, she watches as Alarik's mark fades to nothing on her skin. In its place, a thick, black Dragon's Mark rises. Killians' mark.

"No....."

"Yes." Killian's eyes flash blue. He takes slow, powerful strides toward her, the power of the Dragon King coursing through his veins. "Now, let's have some real fun."

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