Winter's Child

Chapter Twenty-Five~The Fall

Elodie rode a snow-white horse beside North and the other leaders as they approached the East hill, where Darcelle and her six legions of dark spirits and Barafu awaited. Elodie, who had never ridden a horse before, now had something else to be wary of. Not falling off.

Darcelle looked upon her foes with a bloodthirsty glare in her wicked green eyes. She grinned venomously as her eyes fell upon Elodie, who returned her stare with one of equal intensity. Darcelle shifted her gaze briefly to North's but, she wasn't able to hold it for long. She quickly looked back at Elodie and then turned to her legions of dark creatures.

The Barafu were unlike many other creatures that Elodie had seen. They were massively tall. Taller even than the Felenin of Fonsia.

These creatures were towering and mighty in appearance. Elodie guessed that they had to be ten feet tall. Their skin was white as was their hair and eyes. Each tooth was sharp when they opened their mouths. Their colourless eyes were fierce and merciless as they beheld their enemies, barring their sharp teeth in hatred.

The only ones out of the armies on Elodie's side who weren't afraid were the Felenin. Their cat eyes focused in on the blank ones of the Barafu with determination. Not a hint of fear. Elodie was certainly glad they had them along.

"Look!" Darcelle cried from atop her black, red-eyed stallion. She gave a shriek of laughter as she beheld the legions before her. "They've all come out to play!" The dark spirits joined in on her wicked cackling. Elodie winced. What an awful sound. The laughing soon ceased. "And they brought their little stooge with them." Her wild gaze met Elodie's with amusement. "Their so-called heroine." Her voice grew thick and dark. Elodie didn't falter under Darcelle's steady, insane gaze. She pointed to Elodie and North with a sword. Her eyes glazed over as she focused in on them with nothing but bloodlust. "These two are mine," she uttered. The field was dead silent. "Kill the rest."

At the signal from their leader, the legions of dark spirits and Barafu charged the armies below the hill. Darcelle smiled wickedly as she waited atop the hill and her armies stormed down it at full speed.

The leaders of the four seasonal realms gave the orders for each of their legions to proceed. Elodie stayed with North, knowing that her only task throughout this battle would be to find and put an end to Darcelle. Before long, Elodie caught sight of Darcelle, slipping behind a tree and abandoning her stallion. Elodie couldn't help but smile as she turned to North, intending to let him know that she had found her.

"North," Elodie said, sending an arrow flying for a dark spirit who was getting a little too close for her liking. North turned to her after ridding himself of one of his own.

"Save your arrows, Ellie," he warned.

"North, I found Darcelle. I'm going after-"

"I can't risk you going off on your own." Elodie met North's gaze with certainty.

"I can get to her. I know it," Elodie said with wide eyes. "Just let me go. Please?" North smiled as he met her hopeful gaze.

"See, there it is. You did it."

"Did what?" Elodie asked, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"You believed in yourself, Elodie Claire. I knew it was in you. All this time." Elodie smiled and shook her head. "Go on." Elodie rode off into the woods, where she had seen Darcelle disappear.

Once submerged in the thick forest, the air around Elodie immediately silenced. She could barely even hear the battle that continued on beyond the trees. It sounded as if it were miles and miles away.