I'm The Dragon King's Slave

Chapter Eighteen: The Flames Of War

"Lavena... what–what is this?" Alarik gasps through his pain.
"It's a long story. I'll explain later." I reply quickly.
"It's okay, you can tell him the truth." Mikhail nods, "He can't move under our spell." I gently set Alarik's head back on the ground, and back up, but Mikhail grabs my wrist. Growing more and more angry, I tear my hand out of Mikhail's iron grip.
"Don't touch me." I growl.
"That's okay." Mikhail nods, "You don't need me to assist you with this." He smiles, looking down at my hand. Suddenly, I feel my fingers wrap around something heavy and sharp. With some unknown magic, Mikhail has put the dagger in my hand.
"I told you I'd return it to you when you needed it the most." Mikhail smiles, "Now it's time." Alarik struggles behind me, barely rising to his knees. The humans chant louder, and he is slammed back to the stone floor with enough force to crack it.
"God damn it..!" Alarik curses.
"You're the promised one, Lavena." Mikhail continues.
"The promised one." Alarik repeats, "The High Priest called you that, too."
"He did, but they're just words. It means nothing." I insist.
"It means everything." Mikhail insists, "It means you were meant to do this. You were meant ot kill the Dragon King. To end this reign of terror." He takes another step toward me. I can feel Alarik struggling right beneath me.
"We talked about this, Lavena. I told you this was the only way. The only way to free us all." Alarik's eyes go wide as he looks up at me from the ground.
"You... you talked about this?" His voice is full of hurt as he looks at the deadly weapon in my hand.
"Lavena... was this your plan all along?" Alarik asks slowly, his eyes full of hurt and betrayal, "Did you always plan to kill me?"
"No." I say quickly, "I never said or did anything to hurt you. But I have talked with Mikhail about the dragon's power. About your power. How it's been used for centuries to hurt humans. Our world is unbalanced, and we need to fix it." Alarik's turns away from me, struggling to free himself.
"But I won't choose this way."

"What?" Mikhail gasps.
"I won't do it. They might be wrong, but they're still people, just like us." I say firmly.
"Lavena," Alarik's cold gaze seems to soften slightly at my words. He stops fighting.
"So." Mikhail scoffs, "You choose this murdering ruler over your own people?" Mikhail and his army of humans glare at me, their eyes black with hatred.
"I do." I nod.
"But the survival of the human race is at stake!" Mikhail exclaims.
"It isn't Alarik threatening it!" I shoot back, "It's Killian. He has already escaped to plan his next move. He got out of this room the minute you all went on the offensive. He could come back at any second and kill us all." Several humans glance around nervously, my words hitting home, but Mikhail doesn't relent.
"All the more reason to kill the monster in front of us as quickly as possible." The humans straighten, renewed by his words. They take up their grizzly chant with even more fervor. Alarik gasps in pain, writhing on the ground. The invisible chains of magic that bind him dig deep into his flesh.
"Stop this!" I yell, "Can't you see we're stronger together?!" The words leave my mouth before I even fully form the throught, but it rings true. That's it. That's the answer.
"What are you talking about?" Mikhail demands.
"The only way for us to fix this." I explain, "The only way to fix the world is for all of us to work together. Humans and dragons alike." Everyone– the humans chanting, the cowering slaves, even the dragons on the ground– stare at me in shock.
"What are you saying, Lavena?" Alarik asks through his pain.
"Please. Just listen to me." I plead, "The answer isn't dividing the world in half between us. While that may seem peaceful, it just creatures further division."
"Exactly." Mikhail nods, "So we should defend ourselves now and erase the threat entirely."
"It may start as defense, but it won't end that way." I continue, "In the end, you'd become as awful as the worst dragon kings. You'll be no better than Killian if you do this."
"We have to do what's necessary for our freedom and safety." Mikail insists.
"So why would you repay violence with violence?!" I demand. The humans all around me begin to falter, looking aat each other with uncertainty.
"You know that's not the answer." I continue, "If you choose to embrace this bloodshed... You'll be ushering in the end of the world."