Page 10 of Breaking Briar

There will be time to bury the dead once I’m seated back on the throne where I belong, my precious Briar chained to my side for all to see. Sneering, I look again up at the towers, my body twitching as I seek her out. I can feel her pulsing through my soul as if her heart beats with mine.

Each breath she takes, I take with her. She’s near. I know she’s near. With a savage roar, I tilt my head up to the skies and unleash an unholy howl. Everyone stops for a moment, their bodies quivering as the sound ripples through the courtyard.

Let them be afraid. Today will be the last day they breathe my air.

Lifting my sword, I aim for the heart of the next man to fall at my feet. His lips twist into a sneer as he bellows out to the heavens. “Abomination,” he cries, lunging forward.

I slide my sword alongside his and smack it to the side, deflecting the blow. Abomination? As if my brain unlocks all the memories I’ve long suppressed, images float before my eyes.

The witch.

The curse.

Abomination.

Shaking my head to clear the vision, I step in closer, grabbing the front of his armor. “Explain yourself,” I roar.

Heat licks up the side of my face as I stare the man down, noting the shifting expressions of horror as they flash over his face. The acrid stench of urine assaults my nose as the coward whimpers and shakes in my grasp.

“D- Dragon born,” he sputters, lifting his sword once more. “Abomination.”

The metal hilt clangs against his gauntlets as he quivers before me, attempting to find some measure of bravado. I have no time to piece through his words. Not with all this chaos whirling about me like a storm.

Tossing the traitor to the ground, I slam my foot against his wrist. The satisfying crunch of bones beneath me sends a thrill racing up my spine. The soldier howls out his pain, his cries joining those around him as my men slaughter them just as effectively as they razed our kingdom.

I wish I could say I found no pleasure in his pain, but I cannot. Breathing in, I take in the stench of his agony, letting it slither through my veins, becoming one with me. With a twist of my heel, I crush the remaining delicate bones until there’s nothing left.

My lips twist into a feral snarl as I press the tip of my sword against his throat. Each swallow is shallow, not quite enough to have him impale himself on my blade. Leaning in, I put weight on the sword, pushing in just enough for a thin line of blood to slide across his neck and into the ground below.

“How say you that I’m an abomination when you’ve destroyed innocent men and women? You are the abomination.”

With a choking cough, he presses himself further into the ground to escape the inevitable. Though I want him dead, I want answers even more. So far, no one has dared to speak to me, even when asked directly the meaning of this invasion.

I lift, giving him a slight reprieve. “Answer me, Kendrick scum.”

His lips tilt in what can only be a smile if he wasn’t in so much pain. “Born of a human and a dragon. You are to be exterminated. Never will you sully our princess with your demonic seed. The witch has foretold this. You may think to win, but you will lose. Your kind will always lose.”

The man speaks gibberish. He must be mad with delirium. Pulling the sword away from his neck, I aim a bit lower—his heart. Deep inside, I know it’s foolish. I should just stab him through the neck and be done with it.

To get to his heart, I’d have to go through his armor, expending far more energy. However, the irrational side wants to know his heart will forever be severed. With a betrayal this massive, I feel the intense need to answer in kind.

Pushing the sword down, it eases through his armor like a warm knife sliding through butter. Shocked, I watch as it pierces him, drawing a ragged cry from his lips.

Must be the adrenaline rushing through me. It’s the only thing that makes sense right now. With a snarl, I lean forward even more, until the sword goes all the way through him. He gasps and writhes for a moment as his life force bubbles up from his lips and eases out onto his face.

With a sneer, I twist the sword, reveling in the sounds of death as they waft up from his body. He looks at me, his eyes wild as his lips move, trying to form words. But it’s all for naught.

All too soon, he lies still, his face going slack. Just as he deserved. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to revel in the joy of seeing him look so shocked, even in death. Snarling, I yank my sword out of his chest and move on to the next casualty. Though the battle still rages, we seem to have the high ground.

Next to me, my brothers-in-arms fight to the death, beating back the hordes of soldiers, but still they come. Wave after wave they slam into us, taking full advantage of our weary, haggard state. Adrenaline keeps me moving, keeps me pressing forward when all I want to do is collapse.

If only I could make sense of this all. The idea that the king is a dragon is preposterous. From everything I’ve known about the man, there’s nothing ferocious about him. If anything, he is every bit prey and not a predator.

No doubt it’s some lie the evil witch planted in their heads, turning them against us. But what is her end game? Is it just to keep Briar away from me? My heart stutters as more memories pour in, overwhelming me until I fall to my knees.

She cursed Briar, threatening to cause her death. It was only by means of the good witch that she’d survive. My head throbs as I piece through the puzzles, trying desperately to figure things out.

“Head in the battle, boy,” a familiar voice cries out behind me.