The Clash Of Drakkon: Book Four Of The Drakkon Series

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Alessandra Drakkon

Queen of the Drakkon Empire

"I'll offer you two choices, surrender now, or die here." I didn't think they would surrender, they had gone through too much, suffered slavery in their lives already, they wouldn't go back to anything like that, and yet I knew I couldn't let them live free either, their species had too much temptation to overindulge and become monsters like Cyrian, with too much power to be controlled by anyone.

"You want us to surrender? So what? We can become your slaves? Your prisoners?" A male Nisha shouted out to the crowd, seeming fearless, and sadly it seemed like the rest of the Nisha agreed with his questions.

"I am not asking you to become slaves or prisoners, but I can't let you live unmonitored either, you pose too much of a threat. If I let you all go back to your home planet, would you stay gone, or would you rebuild your forces and come back with a vengeance?" I was being honest with them, I had no intention of trying to lie to them about any of this. I thought that maybe offering them the chance to leave instead of surrender to me might make them leave peacefully, but I wasn't sure. I wanted them to consider their choices carefully, because I wouldn't allow them to change their mind later.

"Of course, we will leave, you've already defeated our King, you are obviously too strong for us, we would not return here. So, take your people and leave!" I give the Nisha woman a stern glare, not budging in the slightest, I would not be leaving before them.

"I think you misunderstand me, your current slaves will not be going with you, only Nisha will be returning if you all choose to leave." She scowls at me, not liking my words at all, which I did understand at least, they had spent so much time overindulging themselves when Cyrian was in power, that to go without would be hard for them.

"What! They're our property! You have no right to take them! Besides we would starve long before we returned home!" I scoff at her blatant lie, did they not realize that I had spent time with their king, that I knew about the Nisha's dietary needs, knew who they could and couldn't feed on.

"A person cannot be owned! You have no claim over them! Besides, you wouldn't starve, I know very well that Nisha can feed off each other, it isn't as nice for you as feeding off other species, but it is enough to keep you sustained, do you have any other useless arguments, or shall I send you all on your way now?" Their faces turned angry at my firm words, that they would not be able to take the slaves they loved to torture and feed off of.

"You've already killed our king! You have no claim on us! You can't tell us what to do!" I hear rubble moving and whip my head to the side, nervous that a Nisha was approaching from behind, but it is only my guards and Caius, clearly, they had felt it was time to return now that the battle had stopped, though the way they were covered in blood and small wounds, it made me wonder if they ever left in that shuttle in the first place.

"If you think I have no claim over you, look at this head! I killed your king, by all rights I am your new Queen, so will you follow me, or will you return back to your planet?" I was giving them this choice because I couldn't imagine not doing it, but I also remembered Cyrian's words about the Aliria's mistake. 'A pity they hadn't been smarter and killed all of us before we conquered them.' His voice echoes in my head unwelcome, but at the same time I knew there was a reason my brain couldn't let go of his words, I knew what I needed to make happen, I just didn't want to make the choice unless I absolutely had to.

"I will never follow you! You are nothing but a half-breed! I will only follow a Nisha!" That same female Nisha from before seemed to have something against me, I bet it was the fact that I killed Cyrian.

She lifts her hand and blows on it, black smoke floats off her hand in a stream, moving to form a black cloud around me. "How could you kill me?" Cyrian's sad face appears in front of me, I knew it was an illusion, but it still make me flinch back upon seeing his face again, alive and his body whole. "I loved you!" Another Cyrian appears on my other side, making my head whip around in confusion. "I still love you!" Yet another Cyrian appears, I was so confused, my vision was utterly obstructed from the true outside world, all I could see was this fake hallucination. "I will make you mine again!" He lunges at me, and I scream and slashes out with my hand, my claws tearing through his skin, warm blood coats my fingers and I know something is wrong, she wasn't nearly strong enough to form physical manifestations, so how was this illusion bleeding?