Page 29 of The Last Dragon
She lets out a gentle scoff, breathing in through her nose. “I can imagine that. All the new recruits want to get a good look at you. The one thatsurvived.” She gently tucks a finger under my chin, tilting my head slightly to the side. Her stare lingers on my cloudy eye for a moment before she looks away to scribble notes on her tablet.
“In a way, I have you to thank for that,” I say softly, forcing her to smile.
“I was only there at the right time,” she responds, her eyes drifting to the back of my head, where two scars peek through my hair. “How are the others?” Her focus returns to the note. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen them.”
I raise a brow, and she catches on it. Why does she think I’d know this?
“Sam told me you’re back in their unit,” she says, removing my suspicions.
Of course, it was Sam.
“In a way, I’m not surprised,” I reply.
“Well,” she narrows her eyes, turning my chin further to let the light hit my scars. “He’s the only one I get to see.”
“Visits often?”
“Not as much.” She presses her lips into a thin line. “Lately, whenever he has something on his mind, he can figure it out on his own. His skills have grown. I might take him in as my second.”
“He deserves it,” I say. “More than anyone.” She nods a few times. Sam is the most skilled Medic there is—if you don’t count the commandant. Though he’s shy, when he does speak, meaningful things come out.Sayna quickly scans the notepad before grabbing the vial with the serum and syringe. It’s asuppressant, so my symptoms are less noticeable. Though lately it hasn’t been of much help.
“But how areyoufeeling?” she asks, shaking a vial in her right hand, holding a syringe in the other.
I shrug, quickly collecting my thoughts. “The same.”
Her thin lips curve into a soft smile. She tucks a loose strand of gray hair behind her ear, gently biting the vial to hold it, freeing her hands. Her cold fingers wrap around my wrist, pulling it closer. A soft hum escapes her as she examines the black veins twisting and intertwining. They run all the way from my wrist to my neck, where the lines fade in color, merging black with the hue of my skin. She lifts my arm, peeking at the side of my ribcage and chest. Her eyes narrow, darting across my body.
“It’s spreading,” she mumbles with the vial still in her teeth, placing my arm down on my lap. “Faster this time.”
I shove my right arm back into the loose blouse, covering my bare chest and veins. I don’t like it when people look at them for too long—even when it’s Sayna. My heart thumps in my chest, my muscles tensing up as I wait for her to speak up.
“Can you contain it?” I ask bluntly, massaging the palm of my hand to calm myself before the sinking feeling takes over. If I don’t, I risk the spread becoming worse. Sayna pauses for a moment, removing the flask from her teeth and studying it with a frown, as if the plain glass will reveal all the answers. She takes a deep breath.
“Only for a while,” she says solemnly, piercing the syringe through the top of the vial, extracting the serum from it. “But you won’t be able to fight for long, Kazelius. Not with the amount of pressure on you.”
“I’ve defied the odds before,” I say, rolling up my sleeve.
“This isdifferent,” she snaps. “If you strain your body too much, you won’t be able to hunt, let alonewalk.”
Her words pierce through me, and I’m left with nothing but an open mouth, trying to find something to say. I don’t want to accept those words, and I’m not willing to either. I’d wanted to avoid the responsibilities of Commander, not stop fighting all together. I swore an oath. An oath I’m not intending to break until my dying breath. To protect the people of Karalia. I’ll crawl across the battlefield if I have to, as long as it means freeing the innocents—and those still to come—from this nightmare. But as long as I get to do it alone—without anyone getting in harm’s way.
Her thin, frail fingers wrap around my wrist. Then, she aims the syringe into my vein. For a beat, it feels like a sensation of tiny, sharp needles coursing through my entire arm, all the way up to my shoulder and across my chest. I wince at the pain as it spreads throughout my body, though it quickly fades into a warm feeling. My muscles relax, and I blink away the blurred vision caused by the serum.
“I’ll give you a double dose.” She pulls out another vial and shakes it, the bubbling liquid sloshing against the glass. “The General asked me to assess you for the Commander position?” she asks.
I nod. “He’s been trying to name me Commander for months now. This is the only time he wouldn't take no for an answer.”
She presses her lips together in thought. “Hunting and tracking can put a lot of strain on you if you have an additional responsibility as a Commander,” she comments, attaching the vial to the syringe. The liquid hisses as the syringe pierces its surface, drawing it in. “Even a regular human being wouldn’t be able to handle that.”
“Well, you’ll be glad to hear I have a Tracker now,” I say, watching her slow movements.
Her eyes widen. “Is that so?” A subtle smile appears on her lips. “That changes things.” She presses the needle into my vein,letting the serum enter my bloodstream once more. My vision blurs. This time, it stings more.
“If you have a Tracker, that removes pressure from you. You can focus on commanding and hunting. While you let the Tracker do the tracking.” She pulls out the needle, patting my vein with a cotton ball. “Additionally, you can focus on honing your hunting skills instead of constantly working on both. That eases pressure further.”
“And if I do all three?” I say, denial creeping up.
She looks at me like she’s about to scold me. “Your symptoms will get worse,” she says, furrowing her brow. “Mentally and physically. You need to balance this out.”
