Dragon: A Histories of Purga Novel

Chapter Sixteen

Wilhelm stood in front of King Rowan, blocking his view of the video that played on an endless loop. The King looked broken. His head hung down with his chin resting on his chest. His wrists were bleeding from the many times he spent trying to yank his arms out of the restraints that held them.

Wilhelm moved toward him and grabbed his chin, lifting his face up so that they could look at each other, eye to eye. He smiled coldly and let go of the King's chin. He stepped away, grasping his arms behind his back at the same time. He stood there in silence for a minute, taking in his masterpiece.

"You have no idea how good I feel watching you like this," he commented. "Years and years I've spent planning this. Planning your fall. It has come together beautifully."

"No matter how long it takes, or how hard it will be, you will lose," King Rowan said. He coughed harshly as the words left his aching throat. "I promise that. You...will...lose."

"I think not."

The ground shook slightly, causing a knot a fear to rise within the King. He wasn't sure what the lunatic had in store for him this time.

Just then, something massive came into view. It was a person mutated almost beyond recognition. The thing was so grotesque that Rowan let out a muffled gasp. Then he just stared in shock.

"What have you done?" he asked. The thing in front of him was barely human, but it had been human at one point, and Rowan recognized him. "What have you done to him?"

"I had Dr. Taren make a few modifications," Wilhelm replied. "I don't know if you remember or if you chose to forget, but this fool was the one that abandoned me in the trees of Ledun. He left me vulnerable and for what? Morality?" A dark, warped look came over his face. It was savage and twisted it into something that didn't look remotely human. "He backed out from the fight on the grounds that we were slaughtering people. As if the Terraquois didn't deserve it. And when I finally recover and make my way back to my homeland, what do I find out? That you rewarded him! You made him a Lord. A traitor and a coward!"

Wilhelm stood next to the giant creature, looking up at him. It, however, stared straight ahead. It didn't even move an inch.

"So I had Dr. Taren turn him into a monster. Sort of fitting, don't you think? Being forced to become something that he despised?" Wilhelm said. "I loved the irony. Now he's mine to command. He's already wiped out the force that was hiding in the Duanti Forest. A lot of Imperial Guards, Royal Infantry, and civilians died there."

"What is the purpose of trying to rule Roanoke and her citizens if you just kill them all, you bloody fool?" Rowan spat.

Wilhelm smacked him across the face. The blow stung, but Rowan didn't react.

"You're the fool!" Wilhelm shouted. "How many men did you send out to die just so you come back the conquering King and hero? How many deaths are on your head?"

Rowan didn't answer.

"You sit there and call me a fool, but you know the truth. Don't you? You are no better than me." Wilhelm continued, his voice raw with hate.

"I was trying to protect my people from a threat," Rowan answered, his eye simmering with his own rage. He focused on that anger instead of letting the truth of Wilhelm's words hit him. And there was truth to them.

"Yes. I suppose you thought you were," Wilhelm responded. "But don't worry. After I have gained complete control over Roanoke, the Terraquois will be next. I will finally finish what you tried to start. I will exterminate the lot of them. Every man, woman, and child. I will destroy them so completely that their bones won't be found thousands of years later. It will be like they never existed."