Alister's gloved hands clenched the railing, the metal buckling with a sharp CRK-CRK.
His eyes widened, pupils narrowed into dragon slits and glowing, his face darkening with rage.
"I remember every second," he snarled. "The wasteland reeking of blood, that colossal eye watching me, and him—standing there, cloaked in shadows, holding out his hand like some god. The nerve of him, thinking he could leash me."
Alameck's anger surged, a roar in Alister's mind. "And when I told him no—'It was never my desire to kill, only theirs to die'—did you see that look? That flicker of shock, then rage, like I'd slapped him across his masked face! Then he says, 'So be it,' and swings like he's judge and executioner!"
Alister's eyes blazed, scales flickering briefly across his knuckles as his draconic aura began to rise around his body.
"So be it?" he echoed, his voice rising as he chuckled softly with a dangerous edge.
