The Cruel Prince's Wrath

Chapter 27

Prince Ievos had remained at the valley camp as he sent some scouts to Laseron’Dir ahead of the bulk of his group and he had established the base in the valley. Some elves hunted and others foraged for food, the remaining prepared fires for cooking. Ievos was sat beside a fire, his sister, and her friend Reinys nearby as the evening drew in with the setting sun. Ievos had a dark expression on his face as he sat in silence. Tyrria was the one brave enough to speak with him.

“Ievos… are we sure about detouring to Laseron’Dir?” she asked him.

“We will know when the scouting party comes back with their report,” he replied.

“I am… nervous about returning there,” she braved saying and he shot her cold eyes but did not respond as fiercely as his eyes suggested he would.

“So am I…” was his reply. “Gerenil and Dresna left there shortly after my brother, Tolanda and I did, and we have had no report on it since. I fear what state my mother left it in,”

“Gerenil? Dresna?” Reinys asked. “I know those names… yes, I was captured by humans and was caged up with them. We were likely bound for sale as whores or slaves until some of us managed to escape. I wondered what became of them,” she said.

“They are safe,” Ievos replied.

“They seemed like good women, especially Gerenil,” Reinys muttered.

“She is a good woman, but I would still see her die just to see Iefyr suffer,” Ievos spat.

“Brother… why have you become so cold? So cruel?” Tyrria asked.

“I was always like this, sister, remember how little you know me still,” he said, and she reached a hand placing it on his. He did not recoil from her touch but was surprised by it.

“You are in so much pain, brother, I know this, I see it in you every day. You have suffered a lot in your life and… you are still suffering now,”

“It does not matter of my past or my present, I am now looking to the future,”

“But that is not true, is it?” Tyrria braved and again he did not respond in anger.

“I look to the future and to my revenge, it is all I aim for. Once I have that, I will be satisfied,”

“But will you?” Tyrria asked and he looked up only to feel drawn to look elsewhere and his eyes widened. There he saw Iefyr standing, looking directly at him. How? How did he find them? Ievos stood abruptly. “Brother?” Tyrria asked but got no response.

“Prince Ievos?” Reinys also called but he looked as though he had seen a ghost. He began forwards.

“Wait, do not follow,” he murmured to them as they moved to get up and then he disappeared. Tyrria exchanged concerned looks with Reinys.

Ievos moved towards Iefyr, his brother not being seen by anyone else led him away from the camp and towards some trees. Ievos felt anger rise inside of him at the confirmation that his eyes had not deceived him and indeed it was Iefyr. He drew on his fire and cast it towards his brother but nothing happened.

“I see, so you have perfected the art of spiritual travel through meditation,” he said and folded his arms. “how far away are you?”

“I’ll not tell you that, at least not yet, I have come to speak with you, though,”

“Conversation? You came all this way for a conversation?” Ievos spat, “I know you are in the human kingdom, brother, I know you cannot project all the way here from the Dragon Kingdom.”

“I wish to apologise for the hurt Tolanda and I caused you, it is… regretful how it went in the end but why, Ievos, why did you return to your mother?” Iefyr asked a question he had been desperate to ask and now appearing completely baffled and almost hurt that Ievos would have done this.

“I had nowhere else I could be, I am not… as strong as you, mentally or emotionally, I would not have endured watching you with her,” Ievos replied.

“You are strong, you are stronger than you believe. I have come here to urge you abandon your mother and return to us once more. Father, Tolanda and I… everyone wants you to come back with me,” the prince’s eyes darkened.

“There is nothing for me there!” he hissed.

“And what is there for you here?” Iefyr replied. “Please, brother, we all care about you, do not be our enemy,” he tried and Ievos could see the hurt in his brother’s eyes, he was genuine in his words, but they were spoken to a cold and hardened heart.

“Is Tolanda with you on this journey?” he asked but Iefyr was silent. “If you cannot persuade me then perhaps, she could? I am sure you thought of that, where are you based?” he asked but Iefyr was silent, and the prince walked slowly towards him as he stood in spirit form. As he got closer Ievos suddenly thrust his hand into Iefyr’s spirit and drew on his own spirit sorcerers magic and sent Iefyr back to his material body with such a tremendous force he heard him cry out once reunited with his body and he knew where they were. He grinned coldly before he followed Iefyr’s cries.