Chapter 8

After merely a minute, Rex was regretting his decision to continue, the pain was already wreaking havoc on his body, he had heard and felt six ribs snap, and his collarbone and was pretty sure something was wrong with his spine and wouldn’t be surprised the cramping he felt in his abdomen meant internal damage. Ulna had still not moved since they began beside a few twitches, and the few times Rex had had to stop for a few seconds to breathe his way through a new wave of searing pain, Markus had quickly jumped in and checked her vitals, shaking his head each time. “Come on damn you,” Rex cursed after each time no change was found, the only thing that was keeping him going was the wave of hope he had felt through the bond he shared with Marcia, every time Markus checked Ulna’s vitals for any improvement the wave sent reassurance through him and gave him the strength to continue as his body was being broken and bent.

Allowing the magic to fill him once more, Rex started a new batch of chanting, closing his eyes knowing what came next, but unlike little pangs of pain he felt like someone had slammed the back of his skull with a cudgel, the shockwave made him grunt in pain, his vision blurring for a few seconds. ‘Something is wrong,’ he told himself as the headache receded a bit and his vision cleared up a little, he could hear a distant voice speaking to him, but it all seemed so far away and quiet that he could not hear it properly. Shaking his head to try and regain his focus, he heard it again, and with a frown, he looked up to ask the others, it was the looks on their faces that shocked him, they were all staring at him wide-eyed, Markus had one hand on his shoulder and was kneeling next to him speaking, but he could not make out the words.

A few seconds of not chanting had broken the connection momentarily giving him some reprieve, his hearing suddenly returned with a roar and his vision sharpened, ‘Why is everyone looking at me like that?’ he asked himself, taking a deep breath in to try and ease some of his headache, feeling intense pain in his chest, he had forgotten he was sporting a set of broken ribs, ‘Idiot,’ he told himself, changing to short sharp breaths instead.

“Unless you wish to die sweetness, stop this foolishness!”

The suddenness of Sküülen appearing in front of them startled everyone, her armour was splattered in a mixture of semi-dried and fresh blood, and her gauntlets were dripping fresh blood as she had just finished killing someone, she had a harsh stony look on her face, an almost identical match to his grandmother when she was chastising him, eyes reduced to slits through eyebrows covered in a heavy frown.

“What are you talking about?” Marcia asked, scowling at Sküülen, “He must be close.”

“Yes, he is very close, to joining that damned bird in the fade,” Sküülen snapped her reply sharply.

“The fade?” Lacey asked, she had an idea what Sküülen meant but was hoping she was wrong.

“Yes, the skylark has met the embrace of the fade, now stop this foolishness, or he will join it,” Sküülen replied angrily.

“You’re saying my Ulna is dead? Markus could feel life still there, so you’re full of shit, a f**king lying demon! Why should we trust you!?” Marcia screamed, tears brimming her eyes again, leaning over Ulna, looking, listening and feeling desperately for signs of life.

“He feels the body alive, but the beast’s mind has left, but cannot continue on through the fade until Rex stops keeping the shell on the brink. I know what death looks like stupid girl, I know better than anyone,” Sküülen replied, backhanding Marcia, her usual chirpy voice changing to a darker and more sinister one.

“Because you’re a f**king demon!” Lacey shouted, her sword coming to the ready.

“I am many things, but a demon I am not, I am Sküülen, daughter to Mors.”

“Mors, as in THE Mors? Death himself?” Markus asked, his eyes widening. Rex wasn’t sure if it was fear or surprise, or a mixture of both that seeped into his voice.

“So you’re saying I made a pact with the daughter of death? F**k sake, of course I did,” Rex sighed, feeling a painful surge course through his body, a slight crunch and jolt, he could feel his ribs finding their correct spot and resetting themselves.

Winking at Rex, Sküülen turned to Marcia, ‘Her essence will await your arrival in the spirit realm, before it leaves, you should say your goodbyes now while it can still hear you,“ as she spoke this time, her voice softened a little, turning back to Rex who was gritting his teeth once more as his body felt another surge as he continued to heal,  “Were you to continue my sweetness, you would follow it into the fade, your body matching the dying one, I cannot lose you yet, we have unfinished business.”

“Is the business with death ever done?” Rex replied with a weak smile, ‘Good job Rex, be a smartass to death’s daughter.’

“We will see, you need to join this fight soul bound, I have slain many, but the unnaturals have now bolstered the weaklings army twofold,” Sküülen said, looking up from the group, her fierce gaze scanning the battlefield.

“Unnaturals?” Minet asked.

“Puppets that are dead in spirit, not in body,” Sküülen replied, tilting her head at Minet, looking a little confused she had to explain herself.

“I’ll come…later my prince, I am sorry, this is too much for me right now,” Marcia said, leaning over Ulna’s body, still stroking her head, Rex could feel the anguish and sorrow leech through the bond, he looked at the others, with the looks on their faces, they could also feel it too.

Rex finally thought he had the strength to get back to his feet, so while grimacing, he pushed against his knee and slowly got to his feet, he knew he was not back to full health just yet, but knew it should not be much longer. “Let’s get this battle over with shall we? We need to find someone to give a good report on what’s happened.”

“Ley is right over there with the captain of your guard, Kemp I think his name was,” Markus said, seeing a giant form cutting his way through three undead who had lumbered toward him, “That’s strange.”

“What is?” Rex asked, taking deep slow breaths in and out to test if his ribs had healed, once he was satisfied, he rolled his neck slowly from side to side to see if the cracking sound from his neck meant his collarbone had also reset itself.

“If I am not mistaken, those are Bohl from the treasury guard, strange they have joined the fight,” Markus said, squinting his eyes.

“Shit, we must be that short on troops they were needed, come let’s tip the balance back our way,” Rex said, rolling his shoulders, stretching and flexing his arms and legs to see what range they held, ‘Everything all good it seems’ he said with a satisfied nod.

‘Glad you listened to the slayer of many young prince, even if you wouldn’t listen to me,’ Fafnir huffed, if Rex was not wrong, he could sense a little hurt in the way he said this.

‘I’m guessing you were the voice I couldn’t quite hear,’ Rex said with a sigh, ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Not good enough to aid you physically, but healing quite nicely, my magic reserves are faint but slowly returning, as do yours, so let us remind them of the power of soul bound.’

Marcia was about to say something once more when another large shadow loomed over the group. Looking up, Rex thought he recognised the beast almost instantly, it was the one he had saved, noticing the one talon missing on the right foot, it landed next to Marcia and Ulna, and after a few chirps and squawks and not getting a reply from Ulna, it looked at Marcia who smiled in response. Leaning over Marcia, the skylark placed its forehead on Marcia’s. Rex thought it best to let his skylark keep her company for a while as she mourned.

Gathering the others, Rex led the way back toward the battle, quickly cutting through a wave of Telagus’s army that had almost successfully flanked the defenders, the soldiers were relieved once the wave had been defeated, cheering loud praises to Rex and his companions before bolstering the front lines, Rex pushed his way through to Ley, who smiled seeing him, “I knew you find me eventually.”

“Ley we need to speak,” Rex yelled, his voice barely audible over the clashing of arms, the screams of the dying and maimed and the whizzing of arrows and fireballs.

Nodding once sharply, he turned his head, “Kent, take the reins,” easily lopping the head off an undead enemy, returned to battle by necromancy, keeping his front to the enemy as they came to the back of the group, shielded soldiers forming a shield wall to prevent stray arrows and fireballs from finding them.

“Status report.”

“Your father is nowhere to be found, and our numbers are dwindling, with four fronts holding against the dead that rises to fight us again, the sky army has defeated all siege engines, but has proven to not be much use for ground assaults without general Marcia leading them, I had to call a favour to have a few Bohl warriors to join the fronts to push them back a little, what are your orders?”

‘Great, so we are pretty much f**ked right now,’ Rex sighed to himself, stroking his chin absentmindedly, making Ley smile, looking at his companions for ideas, he looked from Minet to Lacey, to Lizz, stopping at Sküülen, who was eyeing her enemy with fierce eyes, seemingly eager to re-join the fight, “I have an idea, but it’s crazy, the necromancers are the problem, aren’t they?”

“Yes, why?” he replied curiously.