The Mirror (Completed)

FIFTEEN

The Duke rises to his feet, looking up to me, fear reflected in his eyes. "The strongest family of hunters, they were known for their adaption to our ways of fighting, learning of the magic we possessed. They stole from the elves and witches, creating stones and grains that were used to defend and protect their lives, that were used in magical spells that could hide you from your predator, and even as teleportation devices. This family found a way to bind these materials into powerful weapons and were the reason for why the elves became a race of darkness and hate," Duke Gravon explains, switching his gaze back to the goddess who holds me in her magical grasp. "These people came from a land of sand and shallow trees. The mightiest warrior and hunter of their kin was called Heka of the Nile, a hunter who knew of the gods and goddess and that they had created Iduna. Heka of the Nile knew that the duty bestowed upon him was to silence the souls of the creatures of Iduna, so he worked on a way to reach the gates of Iduna and finish what his family had begun."

"And his head was cut from his shoulders by an elf, a beautiful elf who seduced him," Dregh adds, her eyes meeting mine as I am released from her hold, my feet stumbling back a little as the name hits me. Heka of the Nile. The name my father has taken and the Nile River in the name of that hunters, meaning he was from Egypt. My father spent much of his time in the Middle East, even focusing five years of his life to that country as he was constantly on digs there and making connections to find certain pieces for his work. Mother said that my father found his true potential in Egypt. "Heka of the Nile, his children lived on, passing down stories for their own children and soon enough, after the story of the world of Iduna was seen as a silly children's story, one of these children believed it to be true."

"So Heka, the one roaming Iduna right now, is a descendant of the original Heka who wished to destroy Iduna?" I ask, "What did this Heka of the Nile do?"

Kyril steps forward, eyes reflecting the fear that the Duke too holds. "He murdered a god, something that was thought no mortal could ever do." Kyril turns back to his mother, shaking his head. "What are you implying about Candice? That she is a hunter? That she is a relative of Heka of the Nile?" A smile pulls across Dregh's lips as she lifts her chin, shoulders rolling back.

"No, she is not here to murder us all, to slay us, no, for that is not why she has stepped foot in Iduna. She looks innocent, my dearest Kyril, like an innocent flower plucked from their home and in new territory. She is still learning of Iduna, taking it all in, and she does want to leave."

"What are you implying?" Kyril asks, voice stern as my throat dries.

The goddess lays a hand on my arm, sparks flying through my skin as smiles. "She was born to seduce any powerful being of Iduna, my son, to determine the fate of your very existence. And my, she will lead you to Heka, she will indeed."

"You do not know me," I snap to the goddess, my voice stern as the goddess pulls away, shocked at my lash out to her. "I just want to go home."

"And you are home," Dregh informs, her voice a mere whisper, as if to keep it away from the ears of Kyril of Gravon. She holds out her hands, a glossy bubble forming around us, sheltering our existence from that of Kyril and the Duke. "You have been gone for so long, Candice of the Nile, daughter of Heka, and descendant of Heka of the Nile. My, oh my, how the bloodline of the world's deadliest hunters has changed. You were born to return back to Iduna, to finish what your long-lost relative started. You came here to find your father, to hunt down the hunter of demi-gods." My jaw is clenched as the goddess smiles. "But your father merely hunts demi-gods, unable to truly take on the battle between a god and a mortal. He is not strong enough, but you, my dearest little Candice, hold such a strong loyalty to your flesh and blood, that you will soon pick up a sword and taint that soul of yours in crimson red."