The Cruel Prince's Wrath

Chapter 16

Iefyr, Tolanda, Velkin, Liv and Tolan had begun their journey setting out into the night upon the most well rested gerdai the stables had. Iefyr had plans to ride most of the night and the earlier parts of the morning until the sun heightened and then they would rest. He was determined to put some good miles behind them under the cool night air. Tolanda had this knot in her stomach twisting and growing heavier and she knew it was anxiety or even fear. The thought of drawing anywhere near Cauladra left her with a chill but the prospect of being near Ievos was more nerve wracking for her. She still refused to believe he would hurt either her or his brother, but she had not seen him for months and she knew his rage and anger was already deep set within his soul.

“So, sister, I did not get to join you on your last adventure, so this is exciting,” Tolan spoke breaking her from her thoughts which were becoming dark so it was most welcome. She looked over to him as they each rode a gerdai side by side, Iefyr and Velkin were in front of them, and Liv was a little behind them not feeling confident on the back of a gerdai so she was taking slow on her beast. Tolanda smiled to her brother.

“I am pleased you have joined, the last adventure proved very trying emotionally so and this one will also be difficult,”

“That is why I am here, I will support you through this,” he said.

“Thank you, Tolan,” she replied.

“You are my little sister, and it pains me to know how much you were going through, even at the time you came to our home to see me and father, you hid it quite well, but I felt… something, my instincts I suppose told me you were not alright. That is why I left as soon as father passed, I was travelling to the kingdom of dragons to find you. I suppose I had my own adventure in a way, but it was a lonesome one,” he said.

“I was so pleased to see you, brother, so pleased, it has been a huge comfort having my brother near during these times,” she said.

“And I always will be, I’ll never let you off on an adventure without me again, I want to do all I can to protect you. I am not much of a fighter, but I would still defend you,”

“I know, when we were young you always stood up for me,” she replied smiling at the memory of them as children.

“I wish so much time had not passed, I feel I have missed out on so much of your life since I am that much older now, there are things to come that I will miss out on,” he said sadly.

“I know, but you are not that old, really Tolan,” she assured, “you do not look that much older, at first I thought you did but I think it was just a shock, I had no idea time had passed at a different rate beyond the threshold of Laseron’Dir but now I look at you and I do not see that age. You still have a boyish way about you,” she teased giggling.

“Part of his charm,” Liv called from behind and they laughed, Tolan looking a little embarrassed.

“I couldn’t help but notice just how much closer the two of you have gotten after coming to call at Tolan’s door this evening,” Iefyr called back teasingly and grinned at Velkin who at his side.

“Is this gossip, I hear?” Velkin added teasingly.

“The two of you… really?” Tolanda asked, “you have already…” she could not even say the words.

“Had s*x?” Liv asked, “no, because Iefyr interrupted us,”

“My apologies,” Iefyr said from the front mocking sincerity.

“This is embarrassing,” Tolan muttered under his breath.

“It is embarrassing to be with me is it?” Liv asked but was also teasing though he took the bait.

“No! Of course not! I just meant-“ he was interrupted by her laughter.

“Tolan, you are far too easy to catch like that,” she said.

The brothers at the front finished laughing and Velkin felt the need for a serious conversation with Iefyr and sped up his gerdai a little indicating Iefyr do the same so they could speak without the others hearing. Iefyr did so and they had put a little distance between them and their group.

“I was going to wait to say this, but I feel it is important to say it from the very beginning of our journey,” Velkin began.

“I am listening,” Iefyr said looking at his younger brother who looked so regal upon the gerdai he rode, as though he was always meant to be king.

“I am hoping for Ievos to see sense and return to us but if he does not and I see an opening, I will take it and I will kill him,” Velkin’s word stung him.

“I fear he would kill you first,” Iefyr replied.

“Would you prefer that outcome?” Velkin asked.

“I do not want to watch my brothers kill each other; nobody wants that. I do not wish for your death over his,” Iefyr replied.

“Just so you know, I will not hesitate to strike,” Velkin added.

“I know you won’t, let us just hope it does not come to that. If Ievos were to kill you there would be no coming back from that and I would have still lost a brother. If you were to kill Ievos, that would be a tragic end to a tragic life and I would have lost a brother,” Iefyr replied keeping his voice level controlling the sadness he felt at the prospect of either outcome.

“It is a last recourse, we are not even likely to see him in person, we need to keep our distance whilst you reach him by meditation,”

“Yes, how are your meditative powers, brother?”

“I can probably reach further than you in doing what you are about to do but I understand this is something you feel you must do yourself,” Velkin replied.

“Yes, it is partly my doing making him go back to his mother, I feel I must try and make things good between us once more,”

“You still do not understand the bond of the dragon soul, do you?” Velkin asked.

“I admit, I likely do not fully understand it even now,”

“Do you understand that Ievos is somewhat of an anomaly, he is not full dragon and yet he possesses the soul of both a Dregan Sorka Reqi and Kai’Suli whilst also being elven sorcerer. His bond with Tolanda… was also an abnormality,” he said.

“How do you know this, or is this just speculation?” Iefyr shot.

“Why is his dragon soul so powerful? One does wonder but it is also… unlikely that a half soul dragon would end up a twin soul, perhaps Sorka Reqi but a twin soul? It is very strange,”

“And who are you to claim their bond was abnormal? She was drawn to him, she felt for him, much to my dismay of course but… she saw something in him nobody else saw, that much was obvious.”

“Did the elders not say by bonding with her he had trapped her soul with his own? Bound her to him almost, that is not how our bonds work. He is an anomaly, really, he should not even be,”

“That is… that is what they said…” Iefyr wondered on that a moment. He had seen his brother with Tolanda and they had seemed happy but he had not felt it was right. He thought it was just his jealousy and regret over giving up the fight for her. He looked to Velkin again. “I was almost losing control of myself when they were together… I thought I would go mad, the pain… the… it just felt wrong, but I had thought it was down to my envy and regret,” he voiced his thoughts.

“It was likely your own bond to her, your own dragon soul telling you that those two together was not right,” Velkin said.

“You are quite knowledgeable regarding all of this, I had not realised,”

“All dragons should be, it is a part of us, a sacred part of us,” Velkin replied.

“Yes, I feel a little more connected to my dragon half than I do my elven, being in the kingdom has been wonderful and I felt like I belonged for the first time in years, well aside from the servants of course but Laseron’Dir was never really a place for me. I never really fit in. I had friends, friends who were forced to fight that battle with Cauladra, friends who died in that battle, one died in my arms,” Iefyr muttered his thoughts taking a darker turn. His hunter friends Lerenis and Kendrel, he hoped they had found peace now.