Heart Over Sword-Chapter 315: Imposter King (2)

There was no way she was returning to the dungeons. It was right where Scarecrow wanted her, stuck in the clutches of his claws. It would be the end of her.

Evanna spun around, her mind racing as her legs sprinted forward until she abruptly stopped. Axel and Ronan, the blasted fools, didn’t heed her orders and jumped out of the bushes. Without wasting time, Evanna continued, knowing well they would follow her. The princess didn’t look over her shoulder when the doors burst open, the sound of armour clinked, and the loud thuds of footsteps chased after them.

"Go to my mother," Evanna began as they turned a corner and dove down a different corridor, one the servants used and was well hidden from view. Calming her racing heart, Evanna continued in a hushed whisper, "Tell her Scarecrow, the leader of the faceless creatures, is here. He has taken over Thalinal..."

At their confused expressions, Evanna added. "The King is dead."

"What?!" Ronan exclaimed, then glanced at the corridor that remained clear and silent. They could only hear the echoes of the guards’ footsteps from the other corridor. The vibrations only made their hearts thump wilder with unease. "The King is de-"

"On it," Axel interrupted, his expression fierce. "What about you? We can’t leave you alone unguarded."

Evanna started to walk away. "I’ll be fine. It’s more important that Loraven understands the King’s odd behaviour. There could be other faceless among us, too. I don’t know... And if I fail in anything tonight, I know my mother will know what to do."

Axel reached for her arm, making the princess pause. "You cannot fail." His voice was gruff as he searched her expression. It was unlike Evanna to speak of failure. After all that they’d been through, Axel never expected her to talk in such a way.

However, Evanna was logical and strategic. She was most likely summarising what might happen without any real thought about herself. From what Axel knew about Princess Loraven, she was just as wild and intelligent as her daughter. Obviously, that was where Evanna got it from, he mused. "Okay," he nodded, releasing her arm as some guards charged down the corridor.

"*There!*"

"Go! Stay safe!" Evanna urged before running towards the guards, drawing their attention away from Axel and Ronan. The pair gritted their teeth, the need to help strong, yet they pushed past their wishes and turned their back on their princess.

"Come on." Axel pushed Ronan forward. He was quicker than him, and so he ensured his friend looked ahead, thinking of the task Evanna gave them rather than looking back at the sounds of swords clashing and grunts. Evanna was strong, and she had more than a few gifts up her sleeves.

The princess was glad to see Axel and Ronan obeyed her this time. It was critical that her mother was aware of this whilst she kept Scarecrow busy.

It was undeniable that the creature would come for her soon, and that was exactly what she desired.

Scarecrow had to go, and so far, it had only been Evanna who had fought with the creature and survived. It was difficult to discern whether there were others among them who might be able to resist the Faceless mind control. That wasn’t something she was going to leave to chance though.

Evanna finished incapacitating the elven guards, ensuring they weren’t too injured as they dropped to the ground. She would leave them there like breadcrumbs, leading the others in her direction. The princess needed to find somewhere she could lure Scarecrow and deal with him swiftly.

As Evanna briskly walked through the hallways, still using her grace to nod at nobles who were either going to the banquet or already retiring for the evening, unaware of the drama unfolding, the princess still managed to quietly and without disturbance, incapacitate more elven warriors. En route, she noted one of the towers opposite the one she’d stayed in when she was first a prisoner. The realisation of the guards’ bodies prompted screams behind her, quickly succeeded by the sounds of additional guards in pursuit of Evanna.

"Find her!" Thalinal’s voice resonated down the halls.

Good. Scarecrow was taking the bait. Evanna raced ahead, but not too far that the guards would not see her. She needed them to follow her. The only question now was how to draw them and Scarecrow close and take him out without killing the guards. Scarecrow could also use them as hostages. freeweɓnovel-cøm

Ugh. Evanna frowned at the throbbing headache forming at the forefront of her mind. If only her honeymoon could last a little longer. She sighed and scolded herself for her selfishness. Thalinal was dead; her husband’s father, a great ruler and someone she saw herself becoming friends with was gone. In his place was a monster with nefarious ideas.

Evanna skidded to a halt, her breaths coming out uneven after running up countless steps up the tower until she was now facing two columns that led nowhere. There was no roof, nor was there much of a wall. Anyone could easily fall to their deaths at this height.

"This chase has been pointless, Evanna," Scarecrow’s voice floated across the raging wind that caused their clothes to shake.

Evanna spun around, facing the guards and Scarecrow, who’d put his hair up in a ponytail. Thalinal... He never did that! She was sure in all the time she’d known him and seen of his portraits that the former King never tied his hair back. Instead of speaking to the creature, Evanna searched the guard’s features. "He is not your King!" Her voice demanded attention.

The guards paused their pursuit at her words. Confusion swept across their faces, but only briefly before the King burst into laughter. "Honestly, I am standing right here-"

"Does he seem in his right mind to you?!" Evanna shouted, trying and hoping to get through to these men. "The King has not been acting himself all night. This is not Thalinal. This is Scarecrow! Scarecrow leads the faceless... The creatures that your prince and other warriors are fighting in Direwood right now!"

Scarecrow tilted his head to the side, a nasty smirk on his lips. "The prince... I do wonder why he hasn’t returned yet..."

Evanna’s stomach dropped at his words, ignoring the way the guards slowly started to surround her. "What do you mean..." Evanna’s voice failed her, and the wind roared around her. Yet Scarecrow heard her. The creature strolled forward, his gait lazy as he assessed Evanna.

The guards glanced at each other and observed the King after Evanna’s little speech. She could see it, but it faded to the back of her mind as worry formed for her love. Scarecrow stopped before her, his hand caressing her cheek as he leaned forward and gazed into her eyes, his own dead. The silver hue that once reminded Evanna of the bright moon had turned to steel.

"There are more of us than you... Your dear prince is probably in the middle of being seduced as his body is being consumed..." Scarecrow whispered darkly, his thumb brushing along the bottom of her lip.

Evanna swallowed down the nausea that rose up her throat as she glared at the creature wearing Thalinal’s face. A shiver crawled along her body at his closeness and from the following words leaving his lips. "You know... with the prince gone, you will need to marry again..."

"Please stop talking," Evanna muttered before she could stop herself.

Scarecrow sneered, his other hand trailing down her shoulder and arm. "I’ve longed for your death, but there is hardly any suffering in dying." His hand was on her hip next, making her skin crawl. Was her face going green? Ugh, focus, Evanna.

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