Chapter 2

“If that is the case, mind telling me where we are?” Rex asked defiantly, angry at Telagus’s apparent pride at whatever he had done.

“We are in a place that resides between your mother’s and your own mind, I have you in here to enjoy the show,” he replied with an evil smile.

“Show? What show?” Rex asked, scowling while eyeing him suspiciously.

“Oh right, I forgot, since your mother’s shell is technically in command of your actions, with my influence of course, I will help you see what you’re doing,” he continued, his eyes glowing red for a second, producing a large round disk between them.

“What I’m doing…what the f**k are you on about?” Rex replied aggressively, he had no idea what was going on and was doing his best to try and stall Telagus to try and figure out a way out of his current predicament.

Growling disdainfully, Telagus snapped his neck from side to side sharply, “Oh such filth from young mouths, it is disgusting to hear.”

“Don’t like cuss words?” Rex asked, smiling.

“I am a highly intelligent being, I will not degrade myself to peasantry and use such unsavoury words as those to get my point across,” Telagus said, his gaze focused intently on the disk he had produced.

Stepping forward cautiously, Rex was worried Telagus would attack him while he focused his attention on the disk and not his actions.

“In this place, neither can do any harm to the other,” Telagus sighed, “Do they not teach young minds anything of importance anymore.”

“How do I know this isn’t a trick?” Rex asked, raising an eyebrow, he was a little curious as to why Telagus had not resumed his assault.

Sighing loudly, Telagus produced a large green fireball in his hand and hurled it at Rex, it fizzling out in inch before coming into contact with Rex, “I am many things, but not one to say untruths, now come and see your handiwork for yourself,” he said waving his hand toward the large disk with a large smile.

“My handiwork?” Rex asked with a frown, ‘But I am in here, how can I be doing anything else?’ he said to himself, he was confused with what was happening.

“Yes child, YOUR handiwork, which is becoming quite impressive I might add.”

*

*

*

5 Minutes earlier:

Once the spell was finished, Telagus and Rex’s forms become still.

Rushing over to Rex, Rector quickly performed the magical evaluation, muttering to himself while he studied the pillars carefully, “Ok, life signs are good, he seems to be in some kind of suspended animation, no, not that, he is here but his mind is elsewhere, what have you done to him?” he asked, staring at Telagus as he asked.

“What shall we do?” Markus asked, and when Rector did not reply, he dismounted his horse and came next to Rector and placed his hand on his shoulder and repeated his question, “My lord, what are your orders?”

“Technically we have no winner yet, so we must wait,” Rector sighed, releasing his hold on the evaluation spell.

“Sire, why didn’t you tell us about keeping Rina’s body? We could have assisted you in taking care of her, you know she meant the world to us as well,” Markus asked, looking over her like a son gazed at his mother, which, like Rex’s was now standing still, lifeless with a vacant expression on her face.

“This was my burden I chose to have, you knew I despised the old ones' rule of ‘the birth of a royal, meant death for the life giver,’ I was so close to finding how to reunite her soul and body, my own body began to fail me before I could finalise my findings,” Rector sighed, placing his hand on Markus’s shoulder, smiling at Ley who had also appeared next to the group.

“Well, if we stab her, match over, yes?” Lacey asked, limping to within hearing range, the blow Telagus had dealt to her had broken her arm and damaged her leg, Minet also held onto her side and had blood streaming down her face from a cut above her eyebrow.

“Well, yes, I believe it would be, but maybe there would be another way, without damaging her body,” Rector replied hastily, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

Picking up on her sword as she passed it, Lacey limped slowly over to where Rina’s body was standing motionless, and after a deep sigh, she said loudly, “I am sorry about this my lord, but it needs to end,” pushing the sword forward toward her heart.

Just as the blade’s tip was about to pierce the skin, Rina’s hand shot out like lightning, catching and stopping the blade.

“Not so fast,” Telagus said suddenly, looking up at Lacey with a glare.

“Oh shit!” she exclaimed as Telagus brought his free hand out quickly, striking Lacey firmly on the chest, sending her backward a few feet, after rolling a few times, she finally came to a stop, laying on her side motionless, blood now seeping from the corner of her mouth.

“No! Lacey!” Markus yelled, placing his hand on his sword pommel, being stopped by Rector’s hand swiftly, Minet had just limped over to Lacey’s side to check her vitals.

“We cannot interfere, yet,” Rector said quietly.

“Yet?” Markus asked.

“Not yet, be patient,” Rector said, glaring at Telagus who was now standing next to Rex as an idea had occurred to him.

“Now you will all witness your demise, at the hands of who you thought would protect you!” Telagus announced loudly, turning to Rex, “Rex dear, I need you to punish these men, they hurt me, your own mother,” he said, except his voice had now become a female’s voice.

“He speaks as Rina now, what is he up to…” Markus said, trailing off as Rex’s head snapped up and looked at Telagus.

“I knew you weren’t finished yet Rex, we need your help,” Minet begged as she heard Rex’s name, standing up and beginning to move toward him.

Rex’s head snapped to Minet causing her to stop dead in her tracks, “Rex, what’s wrong? You don’t look right,” she asked, slightly shocked by his new appearance, his eyes were now bloodshot and a faint black diamond had appeared on his forehead.

“Telagus, this is not fighting with honour to decide the battle of two armies!” Rector called out the moment he saw Rex’s face.

“The rules do not depict how I am allowed to win, they only prevent others from interfering,” Telagus said with a smile, “Now that it seems I have won, it is now time to receive my earnings.”

“You have not won or earnt anything,” Rector said, “The rules say to death, neither of you has perished, so neither has won.”

“Hm that is true, but like for you, Rex is more valuable alive than dead,” Telagus continued, looking at Rex, changing his voice to Rina’s once more, “They are going to kill me Rex, protect your mother.”

Looking at Telagus tenderly, Rex’s head then snapped to Rector and his army, his expression full of hatred and anger, Minet also saw this, making her way over to in front of him, “Rex, it’s me, Minet, you know me, please, stop this.”

“Son, look, it’s the woman who accused you of rape and got off scot-free, now sharing a bed with you, punish her as well,” Telagus said with Rina’s voice.

“Rex, you know I was made to say that by my father and Deacon, even Rector knew! That’s why I wasn’t punished! I have already told you this,” Minet said, slightly worried with the news of that secret being said out aloud with so many people present, Rector and her both knew if news of the accusation had become public, they would want her to be persecuted no matter the circumstances involved.

Even with Minet’s pleading, Rex’s angry expression did not change as he began to make his way to where Minet was standing, her mind reeled from what was happening, he had been very understanding when she explained the situation to him earlier, but now he was coming to punish her, and by the look of his expression, severely.

Just as Rex stopped before Minet and pulled his sword back to strike her down, a palm-sized rock hit the side of his face causing him to stop. Looking in the direction it had come from, a thousand faces of Rector’s army stood in total shock at what Rex was about to do, the man who had thrown the rock stepped forward, it was the captain in Rex’s group of elite soldiers he had taken command of, “My lord, this is NOT our way! If you and the emperor deem it worthy of punishment, she should stand trial.”

“Punish them all my son, starting with her!” Telagus called out with Rina’s voice, pointing to Minet.

At those words, Rex inhaled deeply, and while staring at Minet with intense hatred, exhaled a wide breath of flames that engulfed her almost instantly, causing everyone who saw it to gasp in shock.

Once Rex stopped the spout, everyone in close vicinity turned away, not wanting to witness the damage the fire had done, Rector was the only one still watching with a fiery look in his eyes, “Markus, please take young Lacey and Minet away from here.”

“But my lord, Minet would be…dead?” Markus said, as the steam cleared and Minet was kneeling on the ground, her hands still outstretched.

“You have interfered with combat to decide the battle!” Telagus roared gleefully, “I can now take my win!”

“Not so fast, you have directly attacked someone outside of this combat,” Rector said loudly over the top of Telagus, pointing to the guard captain holding his flame-covered shield out in front of him.