Heart Over Sword-Chapter 321: Battle of life & death (1)

After the debacle in the palace and Arawn’s return with Evanna, there wasn’t a chance to discuss Arawn’s coronation. The Faceless were a true threat. With the bodies left behind from Ger’s slaughter, Arawn had the best of the best to research and create a charm to detect the creatures that nobody paid attention to until they escaped their endless prison in the forest.

It shouldn’t take too long to create such a charm, especially with someone like Darcassan, who was just as old, possibly older than the previous King, Thalinal. Yet, time wasn’t on their side. The Faceless had ventured further than the kingdom of Dunhurst. With such urgency, Arawn, Evanna, their comrades, and the warriors set off to destroy any Faceless they encountered.

The creatures had scattered, making it hard to determine how many there were. Somehow, Scarecrow had also evaded them. Loraven had sent a search party, more like a manhunt for the creature that looked like Thalinal, but to no avail. It was possible that he killed another being, especially after being discovered as an imposter.

Ger had been a great help in tracking the Faceless in both his human form and dragon form. That nose of his did aid in their discovery. But there weren’t many left in Direwood forest. His reputation among the Flori improved, though many were still wary of him. Ger’s attitude had changed from before he died and returned; he didn’t care what people thought about him, nor would he try to change their minds.

Leaping off the falling Faceless creature on the outskirts of Direwood forest, Evanna wiped the muck away from her cheek. Arawn slid in beside her on ice, his arm hooking around her waist as he assessed her for any injuries.

"You two can be quite sickly at times," Garrett grunted, though he was a little jealous. His little spymaster was already in the lands of the fae or maybe somewhere else. Fiza was never direct about her next locations. He frowned at where his thoughts went and returned to the conversation that ventured from his initial comment.

"My father has sent word. There have been some sightings around Dunhurst. They are in dire need of our help. Most of the soldiers were terrified, and some were taken over by the creatures. This actually makes them easier to kill when they do not use their mind tricks..." Evanna trailed off and then glanced back at the scroll in her hand. "Dammit."

Arawn read over her shoulder and glanced at Ger. "How long will it take you to get past Dunhurst and the midlands before Dunhurst?" He asked with a furrowed brow.

"Why?" Ger sheathed the Dragon blade behind his back.

"A great horde of the Faceless are between Dunhurst and Hatherland. I think... Conrad is there," Evanna added.

Ger scoffed. "Then he can deal with them. I’m not helping that prick-"

"A horde, Ger. I do not think this is something he can handle by himself. My father would not mention it otherwise."

"Conrad isn’t by himself," Ger retorted. "He has an army... No, scratch that... He has multiple armies at his disposal and ’allies’ who bowed down to his empire."

"Not to mention the army of the dead," Garrett added. Ger and Garrett locked eyes, shocked at their agreement and how well they seemed to be getting on.

"Put aside your hatred for the man," Evanna scolded, crossing her arms as she looked at each man in their close-knit circle. Axel and Ronan’s lips thinned, but they cooperated, remaining silent as their soon-to-be-Queen continued. "There are innocents, civilians still between Dunhurst and Hatherland. Who knows how many have been affected and are still being affected by this?"

"Evanna is right. This doesn’t only concern us now. It would be in our best interest to eliminate this threat promptly, lest cunning creatures like Scarecrow assume influential roles within the kingdoms," Arawn concluded, his icy stare almost chilling those around them who might argue against him.

"Alright..." Ger sighed begrudgingly, along with others in their circle.

Garrett was the first to dish out Arawn’s orders to the warriors. The others remained on standby deeper in the forest, and so they would follow them towards the Hatherland kingdom, providing another army to aid in this widespread issue.

Sitting on her trusty steed, Midknight, Evanna trotted beside Arawn, leading their army to aid the new King.

⚜⚜⚜

On the battlefield, Conrad, the Demon King, scoffed at the creature screeching below his foot. Were these really the Faceless that caused others such terrifying nightmares? He swore they were more fearsome and horrifying in Direwood forest. Were these the weaker ones?

Besides his closer comrades, the King was dissatisfied with his brother’s Golden Army. They fought well when they weren’t peeing their pants. These men hadn’t lived through or seen what he had growing up. The demon inside his head always talked to him, calling to darker, twister parts of him he wanted left buried in his mind. Or were they his demon’s desires? It was hard at times to discern the difference.

Conrad stomped his boot down on the creature’s face. This one had somehow slithered through the frontlines to come directly to him. He didn’t know how that was possible, though. There was an army of corpses fighting at the front.

The Faceless were distracted by them, and so were those not used to his powers. Some fled the battleground. Those deserting them didn’t last long. Conrad had more corpses in the surrounding areas, keeping guard and killing those who tried to flee. There was no mercy for those who were not loyal or couldn’t face their fears. Did they not see how much the dead were helping them?

Though they weren’t powerful, they were great pawns against the creatures. They could injure the Faceless and were not susceptible to their powers. They screeched their frustrations until they could finally cut through their bodies, more irked after the limbs on the ground continued to attack them. That was when he sent his brother’s army in along with his younger brothers, who wished to earn their keep and gain honour among their men.

Days turned into a week of fighting these irksome creatures. The lines of corpses fell, and although Conrad could continue his little puppet show, he released his hold on their limbs, deeming them useless by this point. The King, along with his men, fought each creature. Conrad could mostly take them down by himself, allowing others to team up.

While he remained unfatigued, his men were beginning to display signs of weariness. They had engaged in numerous battles, but this one was unlike any they had fought before. These creatures surrounded them, and when one fell, another took its place. Or more than three would end up attacking and ultimately killing his men. It was almost suicidal at this point, but if he fell, then so would the other kingdoms.

A small part of him almost allowed the Faceless to go free. As long as his people, his men were spared. But there was no sparing his men or kingdom. These creatures wanted to become human.

Fighting by himself took longer, but there were fewer casualties. Their mind tricks also didn’t work when there were multiple assailants. They didn’t work on Conrad because, well, he assumed it had something to do with whatever he was.

Conrad stabbed between the eyes of a Faceless, feet positioned on either side of its face as a large shadow fell over him. It wasn’t nighttime yet. The Demon King looked up, and his mouth parted at the sight of a magnificent beast. A white dragon.

It was so majestic even Conrad paused in its presence. Would this beast take pity on them and help?

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