Crown of Souls

Chapters 6-7

Chapter 6

I finally pulled my off-hand out of my pocket and gripped my sword with both hands.

"You don't have to do this, Summerset," I warned.

"Oh, but I do," he said, "Destroy them!"

The gates opened as the Vampires and Demons charged, and I met Elanis in battle as the two armies collided.

The two of us were fast, our black coats both flapping and flowing with every dodge, every movement, every shockwave. The collisions of our blades were so powerful that no one could really get close. Elanis was powerful, but so was I.

Despite this, no matter how many times I thought I had gained the upper hand, I quickly found out that I hadn't.

Our swords rang out, to my ears, even over the sounds of battle, the war machines attempting to breach the walls of my home. I had been born a Tyris, the sole heir to a line of warriors who were responsible for the freedom and justice that the Kingdom of Humans offered, as the Tyris family went back generations upon generations, and it was my ancestor, Arthuros Tyris, who had convinced the King of Humans at the time to create the alliance with the Wolves and Elves that had lasted them through the war that saw the Conclave formed at the end of it. It was Arthuros' idea to create the Conclave in the first place, and now all five members were engaged in war, though it was a matter of us outnumbering Elanis.

My sword, one made of silver, had been hardened by ingots made of Soul Quartz, a mineral that glowed under the right circumstances, according to legend. It sure was glowing now because there were Demons about.

Given that every Race besides Humans had a big weakness in silver, however, I knew what I was doing when I had my sword made.

Despite that, Elanis wasn't going to just give me the opportunity to use it on him.

We finally ended up in a stalemate of sorts, our feet planted underneath the now ruined soil, the ash from the explosions and the war machines and the fire magic flying through the air like pollen in the spring.

He and I had cut each other a few times, nicks and scratches that weren't fatal by any means, but still stung like hell, especially with the dirt, dust, and ash that found their way into our wounds.

I took a moment to glance around me, between strikes, to see that we were winning, but only just. Jaxis and Seryn were fighting back-to-back, and Lucien was holding his own.

My Royal Court, however, was nowhere to be found.

That was until I saw Elizabeth on her knees, apparently crying over someone.

My heart sank.

Suddenly, time seemed to slow, the sounds became dull and faint as if I were in a dream.

Percy ran up behind Elizabeth, decapitating a Vampire that had attempted to attack her from behind, and Aurora was right there, back-to-back with Percy as they killed two more.

That's when I noticed Percy's mouth move, referring to the person lying there.

I kicked Elanis as soon as I had an opening and ran over to them.

"Troy!" I exclaimed, my heart sinking with every step.

When I finally reached the three of them, I fell to my knees at Troy's side.