Page 116 of The Last Dragon
My memories.
Break this. Break the serum. But how?
My name is Kazelius Aaran. Hunter. Unit Seventeen. Commander. Pirlem is destroyed. There’s more than onedragon. Nida is my Tracker. Raumen’s dead. Stonetail. Grogol is responsible.
My name is Kazelius Aaran. Hunter. Unit Seventeen. Commander. Pirlem is destroyed. There’s more than one dragon. Nida is my Tracker. Raumen’s dead. Stonetail. Grogol is responsible.
My name is Kazelius Aaran. Hunter. Unit Seventeen. Commander. Pirlem is destroyed. There’s more than one dragon. Nida is my Tracker. Raumen’s dead. Stonetail. Grogol is responsible.
I repeat it in my head. Over and over again. Keeping myself controlled and steady.
My name is Kazelius Aaran. Hunter. Unit Seventeen. Commander. Pirlem is destroyed. There’s more than one dragon. Nida is my Tracker.
Nida is my Tracker.
Nida.
My eyes fly open.
Nida thrashes as the guards toss her around, still fighting, still refusing to give in. But it’s useless. Too many of them. And she’s far too weak. Her eyes lock on the chains around my wrists, scanning for a way to break them. I shake my head—no use. She has to run. A soldier grabs her arm, dagger flashing toward her throat. She ducks, slipping beneath his strike. But she’s surrounded. An arm wraps around her neck, choking her. She kicks, claws, and snarls like a caged animal desperate to survive.
“Shut up!” the soldier snaps, yanking her by the hair. She screams, grabbing his wrist, trying to break free.
“Nida!” I roar, blood forming around my wrists as I attempt to free myself—bones nearly breaking. The soldier beside me grabs my throat. I spit blood into his face, and his fist answers. A sharp crack to my cheekbone.
I’ll enjoy ripping his spine out once I’m free.
The man turns around walking toward Nida as she’s being dragged across the stone floor by her hair, yelling in pain. Our eyes meet—her fear flares into fierce, burning rage. She lets go of the soldier’s wrist she’d been holding. Her hand shoots to the dagger strapped to the inside of her boot. With a swift motion, the sharp edge of the dagger meets the thickness of her hair, cutting her loose—then she plunges it into the soldier’s leg. He howls, but his screams cut off when the blade finds his throat.
The serum floods my veins, pain exploding in my chest. I choke, coughing up blood, desperate for air. But no matter how hard I gasp, my lungs stay empty. The chains bite cold against my wrists, but it’s nothing compared to the numbness spreading through my body, warm blood traveling down my arm. My vision blurs again. I try to keep my head up. But I’m weak. Exhausted. Helpless.
Then, warmth presses against my cheeks—soft, steady.
“Nida,” I whisper. She’s cupping my face, shaking me. Every time I close my eyes, she brings me back. But I know—I’m hanging by a thread.My name… is—
Am I going to die here?
Leave everything?
My unit.
My friends.
My family.
Shit.
I don’t have a family. Not by blood, at least.My unit is—my unit is my family.
“Zel, you have to stay with me!” she screams. Her voice—agonizing. It pains me to hear her like this.
Something twists in my chest .My heart pounds harder with every beat, as if it’s trying to break through my ribs. I blink the fog from my vision, but only for a moment. Tears spill down her cheeks. I want to wipe them away, but I can’t even lift my hand.
“Please.” She weeps, shaking me. “We’re the ones who survive.”
A harsh light floods in as the door slams open. Four soldiers storm inside. Nida curls around me, folding in like a mother wolf shielding her pup. Her eyes dart wildly as the soldiers close in, desperately pulling me to her.
“No, no, no no no.” Her voice muffles. Silence—suffocating. I can only hear her fast heart beat. Soldiers yell—but I can’t make out their voices. Only whispers forming.Shut it off.
