Heart Over Sword-Chapter 251: The Challenge

Ice splintered and erupted behind Ger, throwing him forward. Evanna watched mouth agape at the enormous creature that flew into the white sky, camouflaging it and making it hard to see it. It was so quick; she didn’t see much of its form.

That wasn’t the only threat right now, either. The icy lake groaned, cracking in places and started separating. Evanna steadied herself, her hand clutching Arawn’s as they stared at each other for a moment. He squeezed her hand before nodding once and letting go.

Arawn called upon his gift and slammed his fist into the thick ice, shooting his own above the ground. Its effects dispersed, and everyone jumped upon seeing this new layer of ice. Ger managed to scramble up in time after struggling with the ice he was standing on that slowly tipped into the water where the creature dove out from.

Evanna’s gaze flicked between each person in their group, scanning them once before moving on. Everyone was okay, safe on Arawn’s icy makeshift ground. The elven prince slowly rose, seeming unbothered by the amount of power he exerted. Evanna palmed his cheek, the material of his mask under his eyes beneath her hand as she gazed at his startling blue eyes.

"*That was nothing, Evanna. Come, we need to get away from here,*" Arawn advised, his voice calm; it soothed Evanna’s racing heart, though she could not stop the fear vibrating through her being.

The icy shivers were stronger than ever before. Evanna’s body visibly shook, almost toppling her over. It was so sudden she didn’t have time to alert anybody.

"*We need to find cover!*" Garrett shouted to the others who were rushing towards them.

"*Evanna.. what is this sword?*" Fiza stepped up to Evanna, her demeanour calm even though her throwing stars were already twirling around her fingers skilfully at this new threat.

Evanna frowned, looking behind her before pulling it free from its sheath. Her eyes widened at seeing it glow a brilliant red. "It’s the dragon sword," she whispered before looking up to the skies as startling realisation hit her.

"No.. it can’t be.."

A loud screech from the skies caused birds from the closest trees to flee the area.

"Come on! We are dead if we stay here. It must be a water dragon of some kind," Garrett grabbed Fiza’s wrist, urging her to move, his eyes flicking to Arawn and then Evanna.

Arawn nudged Evanna forwards, and she didn’t need more encouragement to flee. She looked behind her as she and the others ran, noticing her friends were also racing towards them. It didn’t matter about crossing the lake now but getting to a stable surface they could hide.

Or so she assumed. This was the first time coming across a beast that she never expected in these parts!

A water dragon?!

"Hurry up!" She shouted back at Ger, Ronan and Axel. Her heart clenched at the sight of their slowness.

The sound of wings flapping languidly in the air grew louder, the creature hiding behind clouds, but it no doubt was getting closer the louder it sounded. "We aren’t going to make it. Arawn, Garrett!?"

At her alarmed tone, they all stopped and looked to the sky. "*I can push us forward with some of my powers, but there is no guarantee that it won’t see us by the time it returns.*"

"*Do it.. For the others to catch up to us at least,*" Evanna commanded, eyes flicking between the group of men and the sky. If they weren’t going to escape together, she knew the men would prefer to fight together. She suspected more men was better to fight a dragon with.

Arawn walked a few paces back and raised one hand. The men were lifted like something invisible, grabbed them, and moved them towards the others. Garrett’s towering form stepped beside her, his head tilting back to watch the sky.

"*Do not request too much, your highness. Arawn is powerful, but there are limits, especially when faced with such an opponent,*" Garrett said quietly. He spoke as though they had little chance.

She couldn’t think like that, even as the heavens gradually darkened by the shadow of the beast coming towards them at rapid speed. Evanna could see its wings behind the clouds, and the creature’s outline grew bigger and bigger.

"Balin told us to take this route," Evanna said through gritted teeth, her gloved hands tightening on the dragon sword. "Was this on purpose?" freeωebnovēl.c૦m

Garrett didn’t comment; he observed the growing wind from the dragon’s enormous wing span. "What would he gain trying to kill us?" Evanna pondered, trying to focus on the Lyvarian than the oncoming threat.

"What if it is not a threat but a challenge?" Fiza spoke up from her other side. There was no ounce of fear coming off the night fae. Instead, she looked ready, almost eager to take this beast on.

"But why? He knows of Arawn and-"

"The challenge is for you." Fiza turned to look at her. "Your mother was a great warrior well known and loved among the Lyvarians. She had the heart of the people and the people of surrounding kingdoms.."

"What does my mother have anything to do with this?" Evanna questioned. Was this really the right time to be discussing this? She initially used it as a distraction, but she did not mean to go into so much depth.

"Because Lyvarian’s cannot pass through the way we came. Unless the Queen makes it so. Only those of the Lyvarian royal bloodline can control those beasts," Fiza explained further. "Balin would know this too, especially as the gatekeeper."

"Well, shit." Ronan’s voice pulled Evanna’s attention from the face and to the man himself. Ronan, Ger and Axel were all there, eyes wide with excitement and a flurry of fear.

This challenge was a bit much. It could kill them all!

The terrifying screech of the dragon paused any other interaction as the ground shook, and their hands clasped at their ears, wincing in pain. Evanna kept her eyes above, and her mouth dropped open again.

A shimmering white dragon with one light blue stripe running through one wing, and its eyes burst through the clouds. Its wings folded behind its back, and it dove straight towards them! The mighty beast was half the size of the lake.

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