Dead King's Sword (Old Draft)

25. Imprisoned

Keiran sat on a hard stone bench. He scratched his neck, near the mark that had been burned into his skin once Principal Bast and the others had sealed his magic. Metal cuffs secured his wrists. The walls were composed of black tiles; a single bulb hung above his head. Water dripped from somewhere and plopped into what sounded like a bucket of water. On the other side of the grills stretched a long corridor where mages dressed in black robes watched the prisoners.

A man with tan skin and bronze hair brought Key a food tray. He opened the gate with one hand, then stepped inside. Key could smell the alcohol coming out of the man's pores; he noticed the blush near the man's cheeks. The guard had been one of the popular kids when Key had gone to school at Champion's Magic Academy, a flyball player. And Key had always fantasized about killing him.

Now the man placed the tray on the ground, opened his robe, and pulled down his pants. Key closed his eyes and turned his head, but he could hear the urine hitting the plastic, imagine it turning the bread and meat into a soggy mess.

Chuckling, the man Key had wanted to kill, but had forgotten his name, went out and slammed the gate shut. Key felt scales slide across his skin, his jaw stretched and grew until he reigned in his emotions and his dragon features left him. Key remembered how the human magi at his school would always throw objects at him or cast spells to try to get him to reveal his true form. And once his dragon features came out, they would play a game called 'Hunt the dragon'.

Key had spent more time running than learning, and instead of asking him why his grades had been so terrible, his father and stepmother had beaten him. Now his bully was working as a guard, and Key was working with a demon, but since the demon was no longer replying to him, Key guessed he had been fired.

Key sighed; he had been a father once.

His son had been born without any dragon traits, and when he turned fourteen, the boy had told Key, "I don't want to be your son anymore. People that sleep with dragons are vile and disgusting. I hope you rot in Roth."

Key didn't bother to explain that he had never slept with a dragon; it was his father who had impregnated one- the same grandfather his son loved. If Key had cared about his son, he would have said something to make the boy stay, but Key hadn't cared for him. He thought the boy bore an unnatural love for his mother, had a poor magical ability, and would likely never be more than a farmer, sanitation worker, or some other low caliber worker of a similar nature.

'He should be fifty or seventy by now,' Key thought. 'I wonder what he ended up doing with his life. I wonder if he remembers me.'

Key thought of Zeren, the student he had seen with Brian's caterpillar. If he had taken Odette from her, he wouldn't have gotten caught. But he had grown to like Zeren. She was a stubborn, mischievous brat, but she had a good heart. Key heard his brother's voice echo in his mind, 'Why did you do it?'

'Maybe I just wanted to experience what it felt like to be you for a while."

Brian's expression had hardened; his lips drew into a thin line. Brian was the kid their parents had brandished for the world to see. Key was the one they hid. Not fully dragon nor human, neither side had been eager to accept him as theirs. Key had spent most of his early life chasing his parents' affection before finally seeing how futile his efforts were and giving up.

'Why do I do stupid things and risk my life at every turn?"

'Well, it's simple; I only feel alive when I'm about to die.'

After Key spoke, Brian had slapped him. It had hurt. It was like Key had been hit with a rock; Key's thoughts had scattered in shock. He tasted blood. Key looked at Brian, the composure on the older man's face. Key had angered his brother plenty of times before, but this was the first time Brian had hit him. "It's time you grow up," was the last thing Brian said before throwing his half-brother in a cell and walking away.

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