I'm The Dragon King's Slave

Chapter Fourteen: The Dagger

In utter shock, I stare at Mikhail in the dim corridor of Killian's labyrinthian lair. Quickly, he looks around the hall, then takes me by the hand. Blinking, I yank myself from his grasp.
    "I'm not going anywhere with you." I say firmly, "I don't even know if you're real. Is this just another dream?" Mikhail shakes his head.
    "No. This is real. I'm real. Real enough to be scared of how loud you're being." He adds. Mikhail shoves me 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." He says quickly.

    Reluctantly, I follow Mikhail into the dark. Safely behind the stone door, I look down an eerie tunnel that disappears into the darkness.
    "Good. Out of the line of fire for now. Let's go." Mikhail whispers.
    "No." I say firmly, "Not until you tell me who you really are. I'm not going to just trust you blindly." Mikhail sighs, turning back to me and forcing his eyes to meet mine.
    "You're right. You deserve the truth." He sighs, "I'm Killian's slave, all right? That's why I couldn't meet you in person before." He looks away, as though ashamed of the truth. That's when I notice his clothes. He's filthy and covered in wounds. Nothing like the clean, powerful man I met in my dreams.
    "So... this is the real you," I state. Mikhail nods.
    "Yes. Unfortunately." He grits his teeth and his fists shake 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."
    "That's barbaric!" I gasp.
    "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?" I ask. Mikhail hesitates, but then he holds out his arm, revealing deep gouges and repulsive burn marks. Oh my god.
    "You want to know. You want to see." He sighs, "So, look." My heart twists painfully in my chest as he rolls his sleeve higher, the sight of his injuries growing much worse with each pull of his shirt.
    "Look at what Killian is capable of. I want you to see it. Look what he's done to me, Lavena." I swallow, shaking my head and gazing down at the floor.
    "Look." Mikhail insists, "He uses us to experiment on. To perfect his dark magic."
    "No, I can't." Guilt grips me as I turn away, but I can't help it. I can already imagine the horrid scars Mikhail wears, but I don't want to see them for myself. Mikhail grabs my arm, halting me from turning away.
    "It's a symbol of an ugly past and an uglier future where Killian is king and kills every single human being." Mikhail explains. A horrible chill travels down my spine.
    "What do you mean?" I ask slowly.
    "I mean he wants to eradicate our kind from Earth. He wants to live in a world without humans."

    I want to back up and run away, but I'm rooted to the spot.
    "No... that can't be true. The dragons need us, they– they use us!" I exclaim.
    "Killian views us as no more than pests. Like roaches under the floorboards." Mikhail scoffs and clasps his hand over a piece of gnarled flesh, over the destruction and the lingering pain of his past wounds.
    "This is how much Killian values human life, Lavena." He sighs, "Do you finally get it? What we're up against? Do you understand why we need you?"
    "I understand." I nod and a sigh of relief leaves Mikhail. His grip on me relaxes.
    "Thank you, Lavena." He motions for me to follow him down the dark tunnel.
    "Come on. There are some people I want you to meet." I hesitate but slowly advance deeper into the hidden passage, finally reaching a large black room.
    "This is where we live," Mikhail explains, gesturing around the room.
    "We?" I repeat curiously.
    "As in all of Killian's slaves." Several people emerge from the darkness. When I see them, my heart sinks. Exposed ribs, sunken cheeks, horrible scars– the dozens of humans peek out looking starved and abused. They all stare at me, mesmerized, parting to make a path for me as I make my way further into the room.
    "Why are they all staring at me?" I whisper, "Do they think I'm a dragon spy or something?"
    "No. They trust you. In fact..." Mikhail turns to me and smiles, "They view you as special because they can feel the magic that flows through you." My Dragon's Mark thrums at Mikhail's words.
    "But I'm just a slave like them," I reply quickly. Mikhail laughs and shakes his head.
    "You have no idea how wrong you are." He turns to face me, along with the many slaves that gaze at me like I'm the sun.
    "You, Lavena, bear a magic that's stronger and deeper than anything humans have ever experienced." Mikhail starts.
    "No. That's impossible." I reply.
    "It is." Mikhail insists, "It runs deeper and older than your relationship with the Dragon King. In fact, it may be why he was drawn to you." First the prophecy from the high dragon priest, now this?
    "It's true, right?" A young boy squeezes out of the crowd and scampers up to me, his eyes bright with hope. He can't be more than ten years old.
    "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, I can see a fresh spray of bruises.
    "Was she right?" The boy continues.
    "I... I don't know. All this violence... it's just an endless cycle." I stutter. 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?" The boy asks weakly.
    "No." Mikhail says quickly, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Lavena just needs to understand our plan."
    "Your plan?" I ask. Slowly, an elder woman emerges from the crowd. With a kind smile, she hands me something wrapped in cloth.
    "Is this a gift?" I ask slowly.
    "Yes." The woman nods eagerly, "Please take it." I let her drop the wrapped object in my hands.
    "Um... thank you." I say slowly.
    "No." The old woman shakes her head, a warm smile on her face, "Thank you, Lavena." Gingerly, I take the item and ease back the cloth. My breath catches at the golden dagger welded of pure gold. It seems to set my Dragon's Mark ablaze.
    "This dagger has been spelled for years by our most skilled magic users." Mikhail explains, "Now, It's finally ready."
    "...Ready for what?" I ask hesitantly.
    "To end the royal bloodline." Mikhail replies, "You, Lavena, need to use this dagger to kill Killian and the Dragon King." No. Not this again.
    "Say you'll do it, Lavena. For us all." Mikhail pleads. He backs me up against the wall, the blade heavy in my hands. But before I can say another word, the door bursts open with deadly force and the slaves scatter. Emerging from the entrance with a dark, dangerous glare, is Killian.