The Cruel Prince's Wrath

Chapter 21

Ievos took his party out of the castle bounds, he did not feel strong enough, but he refused to stay near his mother for a single moment longer after she had attempted to torture him once more. His mind raced with the memories he was forced to conjure, the happiness he had felt with Tolanda he had somehow managed to call upon that and push away his pain and hatred to access these memories. His mother’s words also rang through his mind.

“Ievos,” his sisters voice called him from his thoughts. “You appear to be struggling, do you need rest?” she asked him.

“No! I just want to make tracks!” he snapped back at her, “we move out, onwards!” he ordered the elves he had gathered. His heart had darkened once more and his mind felt fragmented like he was about to lose it; his mind, his being his own identity as he knew it now. He was marching onwards determinedly but he could not continue far, and his body involuntarily hunched as he collapsed again to his hands and knees. Tyria hurried to him as did the red-haired elven servant. “Leave me!” he called pushing them away.

“What happened to you, brother? Why are you suffering?” Tyria asked him.

“Oh, you suddenly care once more?” he snapped as he insisted on pulling himself to his feet. “We will camp here, and I need one of our healers,” he called.

“We camp here, so close to the castle we just left, and we waste our camping supplies?” Reinys asked.

“We camp here! That is an order! I will not set foot in there!” he cried out and silently some of his small army began to pitch up and a healer was brought to him, he appeared to be hiding under a hood and Ievos could barely see his face. “We go into my tent once it is up and you can heal me then,” he said, and the hooded healer silently nodded his head. Ievos narrowed his eyes at the mute elf as his tent was raised and made ready. “Do you speak?” he asked this strange elven healer who seemed visibly scared despite having his face concealed under the large hood. Ievos then noted the man’s build, he was slim but something about him was different, he was hunched over as though trying to appear smaller in height. He reached out and snatched away his hood.

“A dragon!” Tyria gasped and others gasped and murmured as they saw the reveal. It was Urro the water dragon servant he had been assigned within the dragon palace. Urro dropped to his knees prostrating before the prince. Ievos could hardly conceal his surprise.

“Please do not kill me, sire, I am only here because I was your servant and I wished to continue serving you!” he begged.

“Why? It makes you a traitor just like me,” Ievos questioned after regaining himself from his shock.

“Please, sire, please, let me serve you,”

“You mean spy?” Ievos asked and then reached over to grab the red-haired elf pulling her to him. “This is my servant now, what is your name?” he demanded.

“Zia,” she muttered feeling scared of Ievos.

“You can have two,” Urro offered, “I am not a spy, I swear, you know me I am incapable of anything significant, but I can serve you, please!” he continued, “please be merciful, my prince, I only wish to serve you,” he continued to grovel and sob pleading for his life. Ievos kicked him.

“Get up! You’re making me sick with all your snivelling,” he said and Urro pulled himself to his feet. “Where have you been all these months?”

“I was… plucking up courage to come to you but… I feared being caught and killed. I saw you leaving and knew it was the perfect opportunity to come to you,” he said, “will you… spare me?” Urro asked.

“If I get even slightly suspicious of you, I will kill you myself,” Ievos growled. “I did not think you could heal and that was why you were a servant,” Ievos added.

“I have… brought some remedies but I do not know much about them, I have also brought tea I knew you were growing so fond of,” he said with an uncertain smile. Ievos was pleased of the tea and slightly softened at the kind thought of his former and now once again servant.

                                                                                        ~~

Cauladra watched out of a window as Ievos set up camp just outside the castle and she started to laugh turning to Dakin who she had summoned to her chambers.

“I knew he would not get far,” she said amused at his failings. “I am not even certain any of them will return to us, I think this fool journey of his will kill them all,” she muttered as though it was of no consequence.

“What are we to do if he does not return or if he returns with no allies from the Shadow Dragons?” Dakin asked her.

“I have already sent an assurance with him, I have little faith in him and so in urgent matters I have a back-up,” she said.

“And what is it? Or who is it that you deem more reliable than he or even I? You could have sent me with him,” Dakin said.

“Yes, I could have but I know the two of you despise one another and would have likely ended up killing one another, and I would miss you,” she said sitting on her bed, “my son… had access to some strange power whilst I was torturing him, his eyes… turned black and he was suddenly free, and he released my other prisoner. I could not believe it, what I saw… he did not have the power to save himself but the moment another was in danger…” she trailed off, “I do wonder if he is changed, the old Ievos… well, he did used to be wracked with guilt at those I tortured and killed in front of him but that was when he was a child. He stopped caring about others altogether, I wonder, that human he fell in love with… perhaps she did change him.” Cauladra mused almost as though she was alone and had not summoned another to her chambers to speak, like she had forgotten Dakin was even there.