Wielders of Magic, Book 2: The Trinity

Rentham sat awake, his eyes wide, the face of his beloved wife fading from his eyes. "Edowain . . ." He gasped, reaching out as if she was going to grasp his hand. "My love, what has happened to you?"

She had been thought dead, down in the Werewolf city, where only they had returned. They believed it, and they never went back to find her.

Somehow she survived, and now she was trying to kill him. What did he do wrong? Had he given up to fast? Had he stopped loving her to soon? Had she felt betrayed?

"Why!?" He screamed, his fist cracking into the side table. "Why is this happening!?"

Rentham had moved on, he had let his love fly away into the winds of time, he had let her slip between his fingers. He shouldn't have let go, he shouldn't have thought she was dead so quickly! What had he done? Why had he been so foolish!?

There was a knocking at his door. He whipped his head up, his dark hair falling in light, spiderweb like strands around his ebony skinned face. "Who is it?" He asked, just now noticing that he was in a strange room. His hand reached across it and grabbed his dagger, hiding it beneath the sheets as the door started to open.

"Its just me, sorry we had to knock you out." Drusilla stepped in, shutting the door behind her. "You can put whatever weapon you have back now, I won't bite. I am actually here to examine your head."

"I am sorry, I was . . . distressed. I wasn't thinking straight, and you were almost killed because of me! I shouldn't have ran towards her like an idiot, I shouldn't have-"

"Hey, shh." Drusilla sat down beside him, taking one of his large, fine boned hands in her own. "I understand. Any of us would of done the same, if it were for someone we loved as dearly as that. Do not feel ashamed. She was aiming to kill you, and you still ran towards her, wanting to embrace her, wanting to have everything back to normal. Any person would of done that in the name of love, and you my king, are no exception."

"Drusilla-" Tears appeared in his eyes, his face crumbling before her. "I can't fight her. I can't kill her."

"We won't make you." She brought one of her little hands up and stroked his face. "We would never make you do that."

"I don't know how I can even face her when . . . when we swore we would protect each other. When we said we would be together forever, and love one another until the end! It was for better, or for worse! It was holy matromony!"

He broke. Their leader was destroyed before his follower. He hated himself, he hated everything about his feelings.

"Rentham, I love you, and so does Rey, and Jaden. I am pretty sure Jackson did as well, and if he were still here, he would agree with me. We all will follow you to the end, and no matter what, you will be our king. I don't care if you can not face your wife, I don't care if you can't get us through this battle alive. All we care about is the mission, and that we each do what we were sent here to do." She kissed his forehead, standing up and looking him in the eye. "To free our kind, and if anyone is fit to do it, it is you."

"Thank you, I . . . I don't know what I would do without you, my kin." He whipped his eyes, looking at the bed sheets as if they were suddenly very interesting. "I love you as well, with all my heart. You are my people, and I will protect you until the end."

"And we will follow you until than." She opened the door and stepped out of it. "Come down and eat when you are ready, we will be waiting for you."

The door clicked shut.

"No more." He said, getting up and throwing his boots on. "Edowain, my love, my world, I would have staid beside you until the end. I would have, and I am sorry for abandoning you."

Rentham looked in the mirror, seeing his shattered eyes and tear streaked face. "But by my sword if you hurt them . . ." He choked and looked down, the last of his tears trickling down his face and splatting on the floor. "We parted long ago, never to return."

"Drusilla! Get away!" Rey flew out of his bed and got to his feet, drawing his dagger that lay at his side and holding it out towards the air. His eyes were wide and red, with a small amount of fear and concern in his voice. The memory of the dragon slowly started to dissipate, as well as the burned corps of the Red Witch. He didn't like that dream one bit, seeing is how he didn't really remember much of anything after that. It was all a blur, everything was strange looking - like staring through water.

No one was in the room, but he could feel someone; someone that he had known of before. He groaned at the feeling, closing his eyes for a moment before it spoke.

"I have returned to claim you." Came a low voice that rang down in his soul, wracking his every being. "We had a little run in before, but that was a mistake. You weren't supposed to see me until the end."

"That was the end." He said, turning, his shirt soaked with cold sweat as he clutched the dagger in his hand.

"No, it was not." She shrugged, the dark cloak draped over her frail shoulders like a sheet over a skeleton. "But at last we are here, and we shall be together, like you promised." She removed her hood, her dark curls flowing down around her smooth, milk-white neck.

"You are still as beautiful as when I met you." He sighed, tears coming to his eyes. "So beautiful, so delicate. You were like a soft, gentle drop of dew on a rose petal. You entered my being, never to leave again . . . well, not without taking part of me with you anyway."

"Oh my darling!" She said, coming to him and wrapping her arms around his neck, her soft lips pressing against his. "We will be so happy now that we will be reunited. I have missed you with every ounce of my being!"

"The same to you . . ." He replied, closing his eyes and drowning in her touch. "But-"

"Shh." She said, brushing her lips against his throat. "Do not speak . . ."

"No . . . no stop! GET OFF ME!" He pushed her away and stumbled back against the door. "You liar! My wife is dead! I will not be with her, I know exactly where I am to end up!"

The creature shrieked and grew taller, darkness blotting out the light of the window and filling the room. Her perfect face faded into a long, drawn out reaper, complete with hollow black eyes and a gaping jaw. "It does not matter, Rey Spellbinder! You could of come quietly, but now the fever will rip your soul from your body, and you will die in the most pain you could ever imagine!"

"Why!? Why now?" He screamed, pressing his back against the door as it came near; its scythe coming closer and closer to his throat where its lips once touched.

"Because, that is the prophecy." It grinned, its grey sagging skin curving up in a sick smile. "All of you are to die, except for one!"

"All of us?" Rey gasped, feeling his breath start to leave him. "What do you mean?"

"All of the Spellbinders are to die, all except one." He let his smile slip and placed his scythe around the dark warlocks throat, throwing Rey's head back with his undeniable magic so he could do the job with more ease.

"Our sister is to survive than!" He laughed in return. "Praise that! I do not care if I die-"

"No, not her. I have a feeling you don't even know he is one of you yet. He dwells in your midst, and I can't believe you don't suspect."

"W-What?" His eyes widened, looking straight into the eyes of Death, the Reaper of Souls.

REY! Wake up! Please!

". . . Drusilla?" He asked, seeing the face of death turn a little paler at the echoing voice.

"NO! YOU ARE COMING WITH ME!" It shrieked, grabbing his wrist. The dark warlock watched in terror as his arm slowly started to turn a grey hue, like the color of death. He eventually gained his courage and placed his hand on the skeletal arm of the reaper, tightening it with anger.

"Let go of me monster! I will not die today!" He commanded, his eyes flashing red. It shrieked one last time before departing out of the unsealed corners of the place like smoke, leaving him behind as things started to become darker and darker with each second.

"He's not waking up!" Drusilla cried frantically, looking at Rentham who stood helplessly at the foot of the bed. "I don't know whats wrong with him! Why isn't he waking up!?"

"Has his heart stopped?" Jaden asked.

"No, its still beating but its very faint . . . we are loosing him! Oh name of the gods someone do something!" Drusilla sobbed, dropping her head in her hands as her friend slowly started to slip away.

Falling . . . falling . . . falling . . . WHOA!

Rey sat up with a start, breathing heavily and running a clammy hand through his sweat drenched hair. "Name of the Abyss!"

"Oh thank the gods!" Rentham said with a sigh as Drusilla wrapped the dark warlock in a tight embrace. "We had thought we had lost you."

"Really?" He squinted his eyes. "That's not very logical. There is nothing wrong with me."

"You have a fever." The Red Witch stated, cupping her hand over his forehead. "Or well, did have one. I think it broke."

"Well that's nice. You can get yourself off of me now. Whatever sent you are wearing is making me nauseated." He pushed her off and scooted back a little. "I would be very grateful for some privacy right now my fellow comrades. I saw . . . strange things."

"Good, lets go." Rentham said and grabbed Drusilla's arm, pulling her gently out of the room and shutting the door behind them.

Hollow words rang in the dark warlocks mind for a moment.". . . He dwells in your midst, and I can't believe you don't even suspect . . ."

"Jaden stays!" Rey shouted before the assassin left the room, watching with sharp eyes as he reentered and sat down at the foot of the bed, wondering what he needed.

"Close the door behind you-"

SLAM!

"Alright." Rey sat there for a moment, staring at Jaden with piercing blue eyes that were as cold as ice. "After some careful consideration, I have decided to ask you this question. It is one that you must answer truthfully, for if I am not to know, than I will be very angry with you and slay you were you sit. No one else could possibly be it, so I am asking you, here and now. Who are you and where did you come from? I want to know everything, from the place of where you were born, and the place that you are today. Everything in between."

"Why?" He replied, staring at him with wary eyes. He didn't like to drag up his past, and there really wasn't much to tell anyway.

"Because you are my brother, and I want to know why."

"What-" Jaden gasped, fear washing over his face. "How did-"

"Death told me you little weasel!" Rey climbed out from the bed and wrapped his weak hands around the assassins collar. "Yes, I have met Death! Now tell me how that is possible! Why did you not tell us before!? Why have you been lying to us this whole time!?"

"I didn't know how to tell you. I didn't want to tell you. I am not going to be known as the son of that awful man!" He replied, his voice as loud as the dark warlocks. "He left me and my mother and we had to fend for ourselves, and when the Black Dragoness attacked, my dear mother died in its clutches! I never forgave him, he didn't even teach me how to wield a sword! I was defenseless, I was a nothing in the eyes of the most feared beast among all the realms! MY FATHER ABANDONED ME!"

"HE ABANDONED ALL OF US!" Rey shrieked, standing up. "Do you really think you were the only one? We were right there for you, and you just turned away like a blind man! Why did you not tell us brother, why did you not make us aware of who you truly where!?"

"I was not going to be part of your damaged family, that's why." Jaden stood up, his eyes raging more than Rey had ever seen. "I didn't want to be known as the scarred child that was left behind by his jack ass father! I didn't want to be pitied like you all, I just wanted to be known as a quick and efficient dragon slayer, and find the one that killed my mother." He looked down at the ground, anger starting to turn to remorse.

"Jaden . . ."

"I never knew Jackson, I never knew any of you, but when he died I felt . . ." He placed a hand over his eyes. "I felt like I should of known him, and should of been closer. I mean, you people are my half siblings, why could I not protect you? I couldn't protect my mother, and I couldn't protect Jackson and . . . and . . ."

"No one asked you to protect him. You are . . . you are our little brother, Jaden, and we protect you, it is not the other way around." Rey put a hand under his drooping chin and made him look into his eyes. "You should of told us."

"I know . . . I'm sorry." The assassins visage started to crumble before him, tears streaking down his face as his shoulders slumped. He had never seen him look so vulnerable, so . . .

Lost.

"Hey, it's alright." Rey wrapped him in a tight embrace, blinking back tears as well. "We might of lost one piece of the family, but we gained one today. Our family is not broken, it is strong, and it will continue to be strong until the end. I don't care if father left us, we are still together, we are still a family, and we love you."

Jaden nodded his head and than pulled away, trying to hide his red face as he quickly walked out the door, leaving it open wide as Rey sat in his bed clothes.

The dark warlock turned around and sat on the bed, staring at the wall and shaking his head in disbelief. "He's the Unity."