Chapter 10

The guards came again with their swords and shields when the prisoners cries reached them again. Preparing for a riot, they unsheathed their swords, and unbuckled their shields. They saw Ahzera climbing up to them, head bowed he kept walking, even after the guards screamed for him to stop. Ahzera's mind was elsewhere. A long way away. His head snapped up, His eyes glowed with an unnatural blackness, as if consuming the light. "No, too slow, now you die." Using lightning speed, Ahzera's spear reached the first guards neck, and kept going, severing the head from the body, the latter spurted blood, shook, then stayed still. The other guard screamed and ran back up the stairs. "No." The dragon threw the spear into the man's back, he fell to the floor and laid still. Walking past, without breaking his stride, he pulled out the spear. He entered the guards room and grabbed a flagon of mead. With a spear in one hand, and a metal flagon in the other, he walked into the barracks. A few curious rats inspected the now still boots of Ahzera. He reared back his head and burst out a cone of flames. The black burning beast of fire engulfed the baracks, the dungeon, and the torture rooms. The heat was so intense that the stonework bars crumbled and fell. As soon as it started, it stopped. The prisoners, if singed, were fine. They came in a wave towards Ahzera, they saw the dead and bleeding corpses of their former guards and stopped. "Ahzera turned towards the filthy, angry mob and said in a voice that the inmates could barely hear, "I am Ahzera, THE DRAGON!" He spat flame again, and the fire hit the ceiling then stopped in midair. "I am your new leader. Who disputes that?" No one stepped forward. "Good, now, ARM YOURSELVES!" The men scrambled for the armor racks in a frenzy, each not wanting to disappoint the guard slaying, fire spitting man who stood in the center of the room. A small group, perhaps a group of 5 and a leader stepped toward Ahzera. The center man said, "Do you remember us, my lord Ahzera?" Ahzera turned and grinned. "My hawks...I thought you had died attempting to steal the Scepter." "No sir, only imprisoned, we've been on death row for weeks now, when we saw that they had captured you, we despaired." "No need to now, take the high ranking armor, You are my best, so you shall have. Prepare for battle, my people!"