Heart Over Sword
Chapter 187: The Living Dead (2)

Chapter 187: The Living Dead (2)

Evanna was momentarily frozen in fear at this corpse that had tackled her to the ground. But what was horrific was the rotting flesh decaying away on its half skeletal and meaty face. Its nose was sunken in with magots crawling inside of it. The magots, the smell, and even having its cold, dirty body on her made her gag. This revenant started to reach for her hands, and as soon as it grabbed her wrist, Evanna snapped out of her frightened stupor.

The Princess twisted and started to wriggle out of its hold until she found herself shuffling to her feet and kicking its head until it snapped backwards. Her wrist became free, and she scrambled away, sickened at what she had done to a corpse but watching it reach for its deformed head and clicking it back into place made her turn and run. Her body was shivering now, and she couldn’t tell where they were coming from, only that those revenants were quick and catching up to her.

Evanna started towards one of the trees, believing it to be safer on higher ground, but she stopped in her tracks when another corpse appeared before her, then another to her side, and a walking skeleton behind her. More and more appeared and started to crowd her. All rotting corpses and skeletons with blank golden stares. She instantly grabbed her swords as they jumped toward her; she managed to rid a skeleton of its head before they swarmed her. A slash and a cut here and there didn’t make them flinch or pause; they continued to overpower her while she struggled to breathe with the stench of their rotting bodies.

"Conrad!" She screamed, knowing well that even while he fought Arawn, he was still watching through these things. "Conrad! Stop this!!" Her voice cracked as she felt their cold hands grabbing her. After an ongoing struggle of fighting them off, Evanna’s hands were suddenly held tightly behind her back, her swords sheathed once more, and at least three restrained her.

The undead started to march at once, pulling her along with them. Evanna glanced at their faces and looked ahead once more while continuing to struggle. There were at least ten of them surrounding her. They did nothing but restrain her and lead her back through the woods, where she could hear the clanging of swords in the distance.

SWISH

Arawn dove to the side, avoiding Conrad’s blazing sword by millimetres. He could still feel the slight heat above his head from where it nearly sliced him. It seems the Demon Prince didn’t care about Evanna’s anger and was set on killing his rival. Rival? He scoffed and flicked his hand in Conrad’s direction, shooting ice across the ground, making the Prince slip and hit his knee hard. His sword stabbed into the ice for stability, and already Arawn could see it starting to melt the ice into a puddle on the grass.

The elven Prince pushed off from the ground but stopped after something grabbed his wrist and tried to hold him in place. Arawn looked down and arched an eyebrow at the undead dwarf he cut in half mere moments before, along with his brethren. They were all dragging their bodies towards him, their legs separated from their bodies. Blood and flesh trailed behind them on the ground.

Arawn sighed and sliced his sword through the dead dwarf’s wrist, separating it from his body. He jumped up, stepping away from the undead creature and began to unwrap its fingers that still gripped his wrist tightly. As soon as he dropped the disfigured hand from his body, he flicked his wrist, and they were all thrown further into the forest and out of sight. The Prince then turned in time to block Conrad’s sword-swinging down on his head.

Arawn smirked as he pushed his sword back against the Demon Prince’s strength. Conrad growled his frustration as he pushed against his sword some more, the flames growing wilder.

"Does it annoy you, Prince? Seeing Evanna in the arms of another?" Arawn goaded him and chuckled quietly when Conrad’s eyes flashed with fury. The Prince used the distraction to slide his sword down and twist-free out of Conrad’s menacing hold. He simultaneously grabbed his other sword, turning back to face Conrad’s back to point at his side.

But Conrad was supernaturally quick; in one swift blur, he faced Arawn again and blocked both his swords. Again, they were face to face, two swords across one. "She may have been with you for a few moments, elf, but she will be with me for a lifetime," Conrad sneered.

"Uhuh," Arawn replied unconvincingly. "And what a dreary life that would be IF you were able to kill me." He used his gift to force him back and swung his swords one by one, smashing against Conrad’s blade.

The pair began a quick dance, each trying to find fault in the other. Conrad was more powerful in every sense, but Arawn was a more experienced fighter. Even with the Demon Prince’s extraordinary speed, the elven warrior agilely dodged blows and attacked swiftly, surprising Conrad and making his footwork clumsy.

"What would be so dreary once she’s mine?" Conrad grunted as he swung his sword, missing Arawn, who flipped backwards, landing on the branch of a tree behind him. Conrad, on the other hand, lodged his blade into the tree.

"Because she is in love with me," Arawn replied arrogantly from somewhere in the trees. Conrad had good eyesight, but the elven Prince was using the coverage of trees to hide. "You could never win her heart."

He scoffed at Arawn’s comment while trying to yank his sword out of the tree. He’d thrust it so hard; that the blade would be impossible for another man to pull out. "That’s if she does truly love you," he murmured while listening for the elf’s footsteps which was futile. "A kiss means nothing!" Conrad said louder before turning on the spot and shooting fireballs just as Arawn landed, trying to sneak up on him.

Conrad watched as the fire’s glow lit up the elven Prince’s face while a small triumphant smirk crawled up Conrad’s.