Page 115 of The Last Dragon
Grogol’s eyes narrow as he releases a sigh. The fact that he still wears the red-adorned coat of a general makes my blood boil. That uniform should belong only to those who care about humanity.
“You made me believe we were alike,” I snap. “That you understood what it’s like to lose someone.”
“And I do!” His voice is loud, but his composure is still unyielding. “But I also know that nothing I do will ever bring them back. Why should others have what I’ve lost?”
“You think letting others suffer is going to help fix what’s broken in you?!” I snarl. “It seems like you have already given up. But unlike you,General, I have something to fight for.”
“I have admired your skills ever since you were aboy, Kazelius,” he says calmly, but a hand flexes at his side, shoulders stiff. “You were ruthless. Fearless. Unlike anything I’ve seen before. Your hatred for the beasts has given you the discipline that I desired to see in every soldier I have ever trained. Yet it was only you who kept it. It is why I have hoped to have you by my side in the chain of command. It is why I have trained you. Why I took you under my wing when you lost everything.”
“And everything you’ve taught me, I’ll use to kill you,” I seethe.
His eyes darken, and his features relax. He’s given up.
“Fine,” he says, turning to the soldier behind him. The man steps forward with a pouch no larger than my palm. From it, he pulls a syringe filled with a swirling red liquid that glows faintly beneath the torchlight.
“This is exactly what you need right now,” Grogol says, lifting the vial so the light catches the fluid. But it’s not the usual serum. There’s more of it—thicker, darker.Wrong. It’s like the one inDisciplinary, but it looks like it’s infused with my serum. Once again, I’m their pig to practice on.
He grabs my arm. I thrash against the chains, twisting, pulling, but they don’t budge. His grip tightens. I’m not going anywhere.
He plunges the serum into my neck, and cold tingles through my throat, up to the top of my head.
“Within minutes, the serum will take over your balance. It will seep into your heart and enter your bloodstream, bringing it straight to the brain. Where your… conditions will be amplified.Your vision will worsen. Eventually, you will lose consciousness—and ultimately, the serum will kill you. You will feel no pain.” He grabs my face, fingernails digging into my cheeks.
“You don’t touch him!” Nida yells, thrashing against her chains.
Grogol turns to her. “Almost forgot you were here,” he says. “The rat—the infestation—the reason he’s souncontrollable. Love.” A scoff escapes him. “Pathetic.” He grabs her face, snapping it to the side. I twist my wrist, nearly ripping my arm out of my socket, trying to reach for him—but it’s no use. He lets go of her, but his eyes never leave her face.
“You turned my soldier weak. I would’ve thought you’d be a great asset to us.” He sighs, disappointed. “But it seems that blood in this matter is irrelevant.”
I face Nida, but all I see is red—blurring, bleeding into everything. Brown and copper and black warp, twisting into one. I blink hard, trying to steady my breath, trying to focus.
The serum.
It’s taking effect.
Damn it. It’s different. Itfeelsdifferent. It’s not my serum. It’s something else. I have to get out of this.
I grab the chain with my right hand and yank. Hard. The wall groans, a sharp crack echoes, and dust rains down into my hair. Still—not enough. I’m too weak. Every breath strains my chest. My strength is slipping fast.
Damn it.
“Take the girl,” Grogol orders, his voice bouncing between the stone walls. Footsteps close in fast. Chains rattle. Nida thrashes.
“If you lay a hand on her—” I snarl, yanking hard at my restraints. My grip tightens around the cold metal. The chains are too stubborn to break.
“Such a waste,” he mutters. “You had potential, Kazelius. Real potential.”
He strides toward Nida. She fights back, twisting as a soldier removes her chains. When they fall, she screams at Grogol.
He lets out a breathy laugh, shallow and cruel. Then waves her off like she’s nothing. “Kill her.”
No hesitation. He spins on his heel and walks away, not once looking back. The soldier by the door fumbles with strange tools, but my vision is too blurry to make them out.
I slip in and out of consciousness, trying to fight it—but whatever this thing is, it’s taking me fast. The air in the cave, Nida’s voice, the scraping of metal tools—it all fades into the distance.
I gasp for air.
No.No. I know what’s happening.
