Heart Over Sword
Chapter 188: Bring Him Back

Chapter 188: Bring Him Back

A thick icy shield shot in front of Arawn just in time to block the fireballs hitting him. Conrad’s lips dropped, and he scowled. Ice will always melt under fire, though, with enough pressure..

Conrad lifted his hand, and shining red symbols floated across the air, landing on the ground. They sizzled into the earth and transformed into large flames. The fire quickly grew, sliding up and over the icy wall, but Arawn created a shell around him. The fire started to swallow the dome the elven Prince stood in but as soon as the ice began to melt, it kept refreezing against Conrad’s efforts.

The Demon Prince stepped forwards, increasing the power behind his flames, knowing well success was minutes away. Yet a rustling from the bushes made him glance to the side. There, a small group of the revenants he sent after Evanna appeared out of the bushes with the Princess struggling to escape. His lips twitched, and golden eyes glistened in amusement at the Princess’ apparent frustration.

Conrad walked towards them, ignoring Arawn while the flames still engulfed him; he stopped just before Evanna and gripped her chin. She tried to move out of his hold, but his grip tightened, holding her in place. "Now, where do you think you’re running off to, Princess?" Evanna glared back at him.

"Get these filthy things off of me," she warned before biting on Conrad’s thumb that had brushed against her bottom lip.

The Demon Prince winced and yanked his hand back. "Be a good girl and let them escort you back to the camp, and I’ll consider letting you walk freely. Guarded, of course," Conrad replied coolly.

Evanna stared back at her friend as shadows and orange, and golden light flickered across his handsome features. Her gaze followed behind him, and she inhaled sharply at what she was watching. A blizzard and smoky fire fought in a whirlwind around a large, glowing icy dome. She didn’t need to question Conrad to understand what was happening.

But he was wielding so much power without breaking a sweat.

The undead tugged on her upper arms again and started to march her away. Evanna began to struggle again, but the sight of Arawn inside that ghastly storm made her root her heels on the ground. Unfortunately, much like her struggles getting to this point, it did nothing to stop the living dead.

"Conrad!" Evanna looked over her shoulder as she called to the Prince. The revenant guards stopped on the spot, and Conrad casually strolled to stop in front of her like he was not controlling more than fifteen dead beings and wielding fire. "Don’t kill him," she urged; her hand moved forwards, but she was restrained.

Evanna frowned, glancing behind her until her wrists were suddenly free, and Conrad now stood right in front of her. She blinked up at him, her eyes wide as he brought his face close to hers. She held her breath and tried to refrain from flinching or leaning away. "Are you ordering me, Princess?" He asked quietly as he peered into her eyes.

The Princess held her tongue as she stared back at him. There was something different about him, and his tone of voice was slightly off. Instead of melting into his shimmering golden eyes, she watched as they burned like the flickering of golden flames.

They made her nervous. But Evanna pushed down these feelings and grabbed his thick arm gently. Conrad’s gaze followed her hand, then looked at her suspiciously, his eyes still aflame. "As my friend, I am asking you. Please," Evanna whispered and squeezed Conrad’s arm while holding his gaze. "This is not like you."

Conrad smirked and slid his other hand into her hair. "What makes you think that, Princess? I am a Demon Prince, after all." His grip on her hair tightened, holding her in place. A chill ran down her spine at the slight difference in his character.

"You do not kill innocents for your own gain," Evanna snapped before grabbing the knife on his belt and pressing the cool blade against his neck. It wasn’t hard to reach for him; he was already leaning over her.

Conrad smiled broadly, his eyes flashing wildly. "This is why I like you, Princess. You have a little fight in you." His hand remained on her scalp, his demeanour still nonchalant even with the knife against his throat. Evanna knew he let her wield it against him, she knew how quick he was, and this was something of an amusement to him.

The Princess glanced behind his head and watched as the black mist from before started to emerge from the ground surrounding the burning icy wall.

"Bring him back.." Evanna growled, pressing the blade harder against his neck, drawing a little blood.

"Who?" His eyes twinkled, and his hand slowly released her hair only to slide down her neck, stopping at her collarbones, his thumb caressing her neck where his gaze now lingered hungrily.

"Conrad. Come. Back!" His eyes flicked up to hers at his name, and his smile returned again. "Conrad.." she searched his gaze, her own worried as she watched the flames in his eyes beginning to simmer, and he rolled his eyes. "Conrad, if you kill Arawn, you will break the peace between the humans and elves. There will be war!"

Right now, though, it wasn’t a war she was thinking of. Her heart clenched at the idea of Arawn dying at Conrad’s hands. Or any hands of that matter.

"War? But I relish it-"

"Conrad," Evanna snapped sternly, raising her other hand gingerly to his face as she stared into his golden flame-like eyes.

"Princess." He lowered his face to hers, but she turned her face away, where his kiss landed softly on her cheek. Conrad, or well, this other side of Conrad, chuckled before pulling his head back.

Evanna looked back and watched as his eyes started to flicker back to normal of clear, golden liquid orbs. She released the knife’s pressure against his throat and dropped her hand as his large hand on the top part of her chest instantly returned to his side.

"Conrad, stop this, please," she pleaded, holding out the dagger for him.

Conrad snatched the dagger and glanced at her undead guards before turning away. She watched the back of his large form before the guards started to lead her away again. "Conrad!" She screamed in frustration but fell short as she watched the Demon Prince walk through the mist, tensing only for a moment as he inhaled the toxic vapour.

Evanna strained her neck to see what was happening with the Princes’, but the last she saw before the trees blocked her vision was the flame and icy dome dissipating and the black mist engulfing the pair of them.