The Crown's Fire - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Desperate Screams
While watching from afar, Tarah let her hands fly, picking up where she left off in writing down everything she had previously seen in her dreams and visions.

“Charge!”

Ezekiel’s valiant growl echoed across the battlefield, his sword raised above him as his horse reared up at the ready.

Seeing the prince fearlessly charge headfirst into the enemy formation almost made Tarah want to join the battle and fight with him. He was mesmerizing, and his courage increased their side’s morale, giving their men and allies the strength they needed to stand tall.

“For Ebodia!”

“Ayye!!!”

As one, they charged forward. Their swords and spears aimed straight at the monsters and enemies in front of them, cutting deep into the enemy formation.

At the forefront, leading the charge, Ezekiel cut through body after body with ease, his formidable strength carrying them to victory. With the momentum the prince had created, the soldiers kept up the assault, leaving the enemy no chance to counterattack.

“Cover the flanks!”

“Protect the Prince!”

The shouts of the Ebodian soldiers reverberated across the battlefield.

Tarah watched as the men and soldiers all circled around Ezekiel, keeping him protected as he led the attack. The number of their enemies’ corpses gradually increased, piling up around them. Limbs and blood flew through the air with Ezekiel’s each attack as he broke through the enemy defenses.

“They’re doing it…” Tarah whispered, unable to help the smile forming on her face as Ezekiel’s sword swung through the air, the blood of their enemies clinging onto its steel as its wielder bravely ignored any and all attacks coming for him.

His men covered for his assault, and his horse pushed through the wall of meatshields made up of men and monsters alike, granting him a shot at the commander leading the enemies.

“They’re breaking the lines!”

“Stop them!”

The shouts of their enemies rang with desperation as Ezekiel’s army trampled over them with ease. There was no stopping their momentum now, and Tarah was sure that Ebodia’s side would win so long as they could keep up this pace.

However, that was exactly when things started going wrong.

***

“Advance!”

With a valiant cry, Ezekiel once again rallied his troops against the enemy. They were firmly ahead of the push, and there was nothing that could stop them now so long as things remained as they were.

However, it was at this moment that he felt something throbbing in his head. For a brief second, he did his best to ignore it, only for him to start screaming as a fiery pain began to bloom all over his body.

‘Surrender to me!’

The prince gritted his teeth in both pain and anger. That voice… That damn voice again!

‘Get out of my head!’ he growled at the dragon. ‘How many times do I have to kick you down!?’

‘For as long as you can resist,’ Vulcan growled back with malicious glee. ‘You can’t keep this up forever!’

Another healthy dose of pain shot down his back as Ezekiel did his best to remain conscious. The dragon was forcing him to go down again—to make him give up and force him to submit.

Well, too bad for the dragon, but he wasn’t out of the fight just yet.

“The Prince!”

“Is the Prince alright?!”

The cries of his men echoed in Ezekiel’s ears, and the pain Vulcan was causing him almost rendered him incapable of even addressing them. However, he forced himself back up.

“I said advance, dammit!” he shouted through the pain. “The enemy is right in front of us! Do not falter!”

For a brief second, his men remained silent as they watched him raise his head. Grinding his teeth, he then decapitated the closest Helion monster he could reach, its blood spraying up into the air as he screamed out once more.

“For Ebodia!”

“RAAAGHH!!”

The screams of his men filled the battlefield as they all followed him to victory.

Having won against the dragon for now, Ezekiel raged against the enemy, his strength seemingly multiplying tenfold as he jumped off his horse and dove deep into the midst of it. His sword sang through the air, body after body being cut apart as he made his way to his target.

Sibil… The enemy warlock in charge of this mess. As long as he died, the conclusion of this battle would be decided.

“You useless scum!” the warlock screamed in fury. “Do I have to do everything myself here!”

Ezekiel prepared himself as he saw the beginnings of a spell forming in front of the warlock. Moving to the side, he defended himself from his many enemies without his eyes leavinghis target. Sibil’s magic then condensed into a massive attack, and he was just about to hide when the attack suddenly dissipated.

“What the- My magic!”

“Keep going, Your Majesty! I can cover you!”

The addition of Wizard Lurio made Ezekiel grin as he moved with purpose, trusting the mage to keep Sibil in check as he made his way to the warlock. Every spell the Warlock made was countered and every attack denied, rather much easier than usual, for the wizard made use of Tarah’s knowledge, keeping the warlock from doing anything that could stop them.

“You… Stop him!”

Sibil’s desperate screams sounded like music in Ezekiel’s ears as he finally arrived. With his sword at the ready, he reared his sword arm and struck, not giving the warlock even a second to react as his weapon sheared through the man’s arm.

“AGGGHHHHH!!!”

Blood spattered across the air as Sibil’s arm flew lifelessly onto the ground. Moving quickly, Ezekiel prepared to finish the job, but he was forced to defend himself as more monsters began to pile on top of him.

“You… You will pay for this!” Sibil screamed as he clutched onto his bleeding stump. “You will pay!”

***

Tarah had seen what just happened, and she uncontrollably smirked in satisfaction. How she would love to see Sibil die in Ezekiel’s hand, but she knew that today was not yet the time for the warlock’s doom.

“Something is wrong with His Highness,” Elijah suddenly grunted. Tarah quickly darted her eyes to Ezekiel and gasped, “No.”