Imperial

Chapter 1

"Hurry up, you foul beast!" Master yelled.

Cold black eyes glared at me, almost obscured by bushy eyebrows. His back was slightly hunched, and I was easily double his height. Regardless, he was completely in control, with his gnarled hands gripping my heavy chains.

For a split second, I focused on the chains that bound me closer to the human. How easy it would be to yank the chains and make him stumble! So easy, so tempting. But so dangerous.

Such an action always had a painful reaction.

Beside me, Master abruptly cleared his throat, jerking me out of my thoughts. One glance at him told me he was impatient, and in a much grumpier mood than normal. The harsh lines on his weathered skin sagged, and his dark, bristly eyebrows were furrowed. If I hesitated for any longer, he would undoubtedly punish me. Not daring to think of what he would do, I reluctantly heaved the heavy wagon forward. Slowly. Gradually.

Each step was like torture. Fire shot up my limbs, even as I rasped desperately for air through the metal muzzle binding my jaws shut. It did not help that my throat burned, craving cool water to soothe it. My stomach was utterly empty - as normal. For the twenty years I had been alive, I had survived on pitiful amounts of human leftovers, just like every dragon here.

And the wagon was heavy. Its weight dragged me down, even as I tried to heave it further through the desolate fields.

But the scorching pain was too much. The exhaustion was too much.

I faltered again.

Master kept barking commands at me, demanding me to hurry up. Narrowing my eyes, I glared at him. Rest – I just wanted to rest. To eat. To recover. That was all I wanted; all I needed. Cold, uncaring eyes stared back.

"MOVE!" Master hissed. But I remained motionless and defiant, instead holding his gaze venomously. Exhausted or not, he would have definitely felt my response had it not been for the metal muzzle clamping my jaws together.

Slowly, Master pulled out his knife. It was small, no bigger than my smallest talon. But he ensured its blade was jagged, to maximise the pain each slice would inflict.

Master's thin lips drew into a wicked smile - revealing brown teeth and gaping holes. Realising his intentions, I flinched away, my head moving as far away as the chains would allow.

Get away, get away! My mind screamed, each word more shrill and desperate than the last. I thrashed my head, trying to make it difficult for Master to make good on his threat.

Soulless eyes gleamed maliciously, savouring my fear. Gripping the knife, Master approached me, not at all scared as I started growling at him viciously.

Leave me alone, I wanted to hiss, but the muzzle was too tight. Furiously, I glared at the man responsible for my tortured life as he drew the knife closer and closer towards my eye.

Perhaps it would be like a victory, to die. To be released from a world so hostile and intimidating. No more humans, no more labour. No more torture. But that was not really what I wanted. I just wanted to escape; to be free. Surely that wasn't too much to ask?

"You see this here?" Master tapped the knife's blade against a grimy scale below my eye. I could see the dull metal glinting in the sun. "You do your work, or I'll use it on you."

The small knife hovered in front of my left eye. It was impossible not to notice the dried blood covering its blade, a painful reminder of my last encounter with it. In a last effort to protect my eye, I squeezed them both shut. And waited for the impending agony.

But nothing happened.

Cautiously, I blinked open my eyes. Still, the blade hovered in front of my eye. Curling my lips, I slowly started to draw my head away from the knife. Fortunately, the knife did not follow after me, and I threw my head back to be completely out of its reach.