We The Kings: Book Two

Chapter 24

The coldness had spread all the way up to my arms and onto my shoulders. But it was the least of my concerns.

"Samuel?" I asked. My eyes were as wide as full moons.

"Miss me?" He said. He tackled me, shoving me to the ground.

Mavis screamed. She approached Samuel and attempted to grab him off of me, but Samuel was too strong. He turned and aimed his attack on her. She held her hands up in defense. He held a dagger to her throat.

"Let her go!" I commanded.

"I don't think so, Princey. There's something I want from you. Something I need from you." He said as the blade teased her skinny neck.

"What do you need from me?"

"I have my soldiers everywhere in your kingdom. We've been hiding, waiting to attack."

"Zander! What's going on! Who is he?" Mavis screamed.

"Quiet, you stay out of this." He pulled her closer to him.

"Why haven't you attacked before then? Why wait?"

"I wanted to see you. I want to see you cry when I kill your wife in cold blood."

"Please don't hurt her. Or anyone. I'll give you whatever you want. Just let my people be free. They don't deserve this war."

"I want you, Princey. I want you to forfeit your life to me. In return I will spare the life of your wife. Your citizens, too."

"You'll let all of them live just for me to die? Why?"

"I despise you that much. I loathe your very existence. I have never wanted to skin another human so bad in my entire life."

The good life I thought I had shattered. Perhaps the other reality wasn't real, perhaps it was a dream. In either life, we wanted each other dead. Perhaps it was finally time for me to die.

I felt the cold spread to my chest.

"Alright, Samuel. Kill me. Make a spectacle out of it. Make a cape out of my skin, I do not care. As long as they live. As long as she lives."

He tossed Mavis to the ground like he was disposing of garbage. He marched up to me. I heard her cry. I didn't scream. I let him hold me down and plunge the knife through my chest.

It felt much worse than when I did it myself. It went much deeper. I fell backwards as he continued to viciously carve into my heart, like he wanted it as a prize.

I woke back up, anxiously gasping for air. Two yellow eyes watched over me. My body reverted from cold to hot.

"You sacrifice yourself for your people."

"That.. That wasn't real, right?"

"No. I created an altered state of falsehood. A state where life will be seemingly perfect. To see if you would truly sacrifice yourself for not just your loved ones, but your people you do not know."

"I told you, I want to be a generous king. I want to stop the slaughter of innocents. I want to end the lives of those who do nothing but destroy."

"You have passed my test, but it is not done. Your bond with dragons must strengthen. No human has ever survived doing so."

"Let me try. Please."

He huffed hot air out of his nose. I dropped to my knees. The dragon's claw reached out to me. He pushed it through my chest. It felt like all of my insides were lit on fire and twisted. I could feel everything. The rushing of my blood was painful. It felt like boiling water under my skin that was bursting to come out. I screamed as the dragons claw penetrated deeper into my chest. I could no longer breathe. My lungs begged for air, but it was a wish I could not grant. Everything went dark.

I awoke with a mouthful of sand. I hacked up the beads of warm sand out of my mouth. The hot sun peered down on me. I was alone in the desert. I began to wonder if the dragon was a fever dream from the heat.

I felt a sharp, shooting pain in my chest. I pulled back my shirt where my wound used to be. The center of my chest was occupied by something else; a green dragon scale. It resembled a shiny emerald, and was the size of a large gem. It was embedded into my chest like jewels on a crown. My fingers grazed the scale gently, which sent a shooting pain through my body.

I had no idea what the scale was for. The dragon said it would help me win the war, but how? Did it have some magical abilities? The dragon had done me a great service, and I owed him my life for that.

"Thank you." I muttered.

The town I had entered in was in the near distance. It was time to get out of the desert.

I walked through the sandy town in search of a way out. The thought of searching for food crossed my mind, but I didn't need any nourishment. I wasn't hungry or even tired for that matter.

"Is that you?" A voice gasped.

I turned to see Charles, holding a bowl of food.

"Yes, it is." I said.

"You've been gone for so long. I thought you were dead! I was just about to leave this pathetic excuse of a kingdom!"

"I wouldn't say pathetic, but I agree. It's time we leave."

"Where are we going now?"

"Belmonte. I think it's about time to see my wife again."