Chapter 8

"You took the only person I ever cared about!!"

Vanessa and Rex both roared, surprisingly at the exact same time.

“Only you were supposed to die tonight!” Cried Vanessa, “All of this is because of you!” She started moving towards Rex, only one thing in her mind, revenge!

“Why were you trying to kill me? I have done nothing to either of you! I didn’t even know you until recently!” Rex yelled seeing Vanessa moving on him with her dagger at the ready.

“Your family ruined us!” She said, she was only a few feet away now, still grim determination for the kill written all over her face.

“If you want a fight, here I am!” Rex said. He just realised in the heat of the moment, he had no weapon to help him. So he did the only thing he could of, raise both hands up, fists clenched at Vanessa.

“Are you that cocky you think you can take me without a weapon!!?” Vanessa sneered, “Very well!” 

Adjusting her grip for a stab, Vanessa thrust the dagger towards Rex’s stomach. She was trying to inflict as much damage to Rex as she could, savouring releasing all of her sorrow on the fight.

Seeing where Vanessa had aimed her dagger Rex quickly pushed her wrist and moved the dagger away from himself.

'Wow, he is fast!' Vanessa thought, taken aback by his sudden burst of speed, she was going to need all the tricks in close combat she had learnt, all for someone who had no fighting training whatsoever! She had seen what had happened at the river, it was pure luck he had won, not skill, this should’ve been an easy win for her.

Seeing an opening for a punch on her jaw after she failed her stab attack, Rex thought he would try and land a hit on her to make her realise this wasn’t a fight she would win easily and he would fight to his last breath. Mustering some of his strength, he tried to jab, but she had seen that coming and grabbed his hand, rotating it around and dragging him forward. Wow, she was strong for such a small frame!

With Rex’s hand trapped Vanessa brought the dagger back around to try and connect it with his rib cage. Rex was once again there to stop her, but he was off with his timing and grabbed the blade of the dagger instead of getting a hold of her hand or wrist.

Seeing that he was able to hold the blade and she couldn’t pull it through with his tight grip, she did the only thing that came to her mind. Bringing her knees up, using the power from her legs, she pushed away from Rex to be able to break the deadlock and create some distance between them again for a new attempt.

It had worked to some extent, she had created space, and he still had the dagger in his hand!

How did he do that?? Vanessa could see it had hurt him, but not enough to make him let go of it.

Moving the dagger to his uninjured hand, Rex grinned, “It seems you no longer have the upper hand!”

At least the pain in his hand had started to ebb since changing hands with the dagger, looking at the damage it had done, it had already started his healing trick again, thank god for that he chuckled to himself.

'You are getting reckless youngling,' boomed a voice in his head.

“What the hell!!??” Vanessa exclaimed, Rex was somehow healing his hand, by himself!!

That’s impossible, you need healing magic, and seeing how it seemed Rex had no knowledge of their land, Vanessa didn’t think Rex could have come across that kind of information and to have learnt it so early in his life, for it also took years to control, while being apprenticed to a master, which she knew his grandmother was not.

This changed everything for Vanessa, she didn’t have the tools to deal with someone who seemed to be able to heal that quickly, he wasn’t even speaking any incantations. To be honest, she had no idea how she was going to deal with someone who seemed to have so much strength, so she did the only thing she knew might get her out.

“It seems we are at a stalemate. Seeing as how neither of us seems to have gained an upper hand, I would like to propose a truce, give us time to deal with our loved ones,” she said, pointing at both Reeva and Iris. Surely, he wasn’t heartless she thought, in the time they had spent together, she had thought him quite the opposite, even going so far as to think if it wasn’t for the hate their families had for each other, they could be have been friends, or maybe even more! 

Get your act together girl, she chided, now is not the time to think this rubbish, mothers rule number 1 is, 'don't get attached to the job', attachment leads to sentiment which leads to mistakes, her mother had always called them a job, never people or names.

I need to get out. Vanessa then dropped her combat stance and put her hands up showing her palms as a sign of showing her commitment to her recent words.

“Very well Vanessa or Nessa, whatever your name seems to be, I believe you trustworthy enough to follow through on your word, as a sign of my goodwill, I believe this belongs to you.” Rex had turned the dagger to the side, so the blade was facing neither of them.

Was he this stupid? He is giving me back a weapon! Vanessa thought, but seeing the smile on his face, it seemed he knew something she didn't, not knowing if he had more tricks up his sleeve, she decided retreat was the best course, at the present time. “We will take this up again soon, that I promise you.” She added, slowly taking the dagger back and placing it back on her sheath on her waist.

Heading over to where her mother was, Vanessa reached into the satchel she was carrying and pulled out what looked to be something shaped like a stick. She then drew a symbol on her mother’s head, one Rex didn’t recognise and spoke a language he wasn’t familiar with. Whatever she did seemed to make the body float and move to wherever she pointed the stick. “What is that?” Rex asked.

“It was meant for you…” she said, “like I said Rex, this isn’t over.” Turning away from him, she walked into the darkness, jumped the fence with the body following her and pretty soon the sound of her footsteps trailed off into the distance and couldn’t be heard anymore.

Now all Rex had to do was deal with the body of his grandmother, which he had no idea how or what to do. “I definitely can’t call the police,” he said rubbing his forehead, “There’s a bloody arrow sticking out of her, I won’t be able to explain that!” 

“It is tradition to burn the bodies to release the soul,” came a deep voice from beside him.

Whipping around Rex quickly got himself at the ready for another possible fight.

"Calm yourself young prince, I come with no intention to fight, my deepest apologies I am late." The stranger said, looking at Iris with deep sadness on his face.

"Who are you? And you called me 'young prince'?" Rex said relaxing a little.

I really need to work on being aware of my surroundings Rex thought himself, he was really getting sick of how easy it was for people to get the jump on him.

"Yes, that is your title, I will explain it all to you soon, we were supposed to all be travelling together while Iris and I were going to give you a history lesson on our way to Calrend " the man said, lifting Iris up and carrying her to the middle of the yard, "let us free her soul before we continue, it is important."

"Ok, I'm missing so much of who I'm supposed to be, what I am, where I'm from..." Rex started off, he was tired of being in the dark when all he wanted was answers.

"All in good time young one, come and hold this, it's called an ek'real, used with a relative of the deceased, it is a conduit for the soul to travel onto its next life from this one." The man said digging into the satchel he carried across his shoulder and handing it to Rex, it seemed to be a white cylinder-shaped object with gold writing down the side.

"Who are you? And what do I do with it?" Rex said turning it around and looking it up and down.

"Come close, take a hold of her hand and with your other hand hold the ek'real, because of your family bond, the answer will be clearer." The man said.

More cryptic nonsense Rex thought, how am I supposed to use this stick to 'set her free' and how will holding her hand make it easier. Rex knelt down beside Iris, noticing she still had a slight smile on her face, he could help but start to feel his need to begin crying, he already missed her so much. As soon as he took her hand he felt a sudden rush of warmth fill his body, he could hear the man start to say something, he couldn't make out the words even though he was close to him. 

Looking down at Iris he noticed that the ek'real in his hand had sprouted a fire on the end, like a candle! 'Blow on the fire youngling, it's time' That was the same voice that came to him at the river! This time the voice was much clearer than before, the sound was very deep and he could feel the weight on the words that were spoken.

Once again trusting the voice, last time it spoke the truth he thought, he took a breath in and blew on the candle. The flame flicked a little and then lifted off the ek'real and started floating towards Iris. Once it reached her chest, instead of setting fire to her like Rex thought it would, it instead went into her and the light it created died off. 

After waiting a few seconds, he looked up at the stranger thinking maybe he had done something wrong, but the man just smiled at him and nodded back at Iris. Looking back down he saw that the light started to fill up her entire body, once her entire body was consumed in the light, her body began to disintegrate into little light specs, starting at her feet and traveling up her body, it quickly engulfed her and shortly after the specs formed the shape of a tiny dragon before dispersing.

An incredible sight to behold. And that was the end of the legacy of Iris, or was it?

"Now young prince, I believe introductions are in order." The man said.

"Yes, it seems introductions would be best," Rex said standing and facing him.

"My name is Markus Veilspinner, I was Lady Iris's contact in Dracoterrum and was to come tomorrow morning for our formal introduction, but Iris sent me a message using telepathy to come right away, I apologise for my delay, I hope I can make amends," he said bowing at the waist at Rex.

"So, you call me 'young prince'" Rex asked once Markus had stood up straight again.

"Yes, your name is Rex Magnus, son to Rector Magnus who is the current emperor of the northern lands of Dracoterrum, so that would make you the prince," Markus said.

The news sent Rex reeling! He had always considered himself a nobody, and this man was telling him he was a prince! "So you're telling me I'm royalty??" He said crossing his arms, "if I'm the prince of some drangoter whatever you called it, why am I here and not there?" 

"I know you have questions, and we have a three day ride to Calrend, so let's not get it all out now and have nothing left for the rest of the trip," Markus chuckled.

Seeing he wasn't going to be much more tonight Rex instead asked Markus, "So, what's next?"

"Now we leave this place," Was his reply.

"Well let me grab a few things." Rex said about to run off to pack a few pieces of clothes and his phone.

"Not needed, come now," Markus said beckoning him to come with him.

"What!? Three days in the same clothes??" Rex complained.

"No, we are not savages, we have everything you will need already packed and awaiting you, come now," Markus said.

There's that cryptic shit again Rex thought, scowling as he followed Markus to the front room of the house.

Once inside, Markus closed all the curtains and shut the front door, walked back to the plain part of the wall, moved a picture frame off the wall while mumbling, this will do nicely, to himself. "I will take us close to the gateway using this portal, I can't get too close, because the gateway negates all magic in a radius around it" he said, taking out a black piece of chalk. He started drawing symbols on the wall and once he was done, he drew a large oval. Once the oval was complete a purple wave rippled from the centre and filled the oval. "Come Rex," Markus said beckoning him to go into it, "I will be right behind you."

Rex took one last look around at what had been the only memories he had ever created in his short span, sighed, and walked into the portal.

Instantly Rex felt weightless being suspended in the purple ocean inside of the portal, then without warning there was a strong pull that grabbed him and dragged him off at a dizzying speed, Rex had to close his eyes from fear of being sick, and then just like that, it stopped and Rex found himself on solid ground again, standing inside of a candlelit room, it seemed his mind was still reeling from the speed of the portal and the room began to spin and the sick feeling started to find him again.

"If he spews you owe me 5 dactrem."

"Deal."