The Inured Villainess

Chapter 41

Kyrell

Blood red and orange fills the sky above the armies. The atmosphere was dark and eerie.

The few trees that are around us are all dead. The soil is cracked and yearning for water. Its color matched the sky.

We've been in monster territory for no more than thirty minutes and it disgusted me to my core. I feel uneasy at the thought that anything could attack us.

I march by horseback alongside Caelus ahead of the armies.

Our armies knew the plan. Duke Mellon was hesitant at first but agreed to lead the armies along with other military nobles.

We would go ahead and locate Estella and Alastair while the armies attack the castle.

What matters most right now is that they are safe.

I grip the reins tighter at the thought of something happening to them.

"You'll suffocate your horse if you pull those any tighter," Caelus comments, noticing my action.

I loosen my hold and shoot him a glare.

"You don't have to be so uptight. We'll be there soon."

"We should have used a teleport orb." I mumble, fixing my eyes on the horizon.

A large palace stands in the distance, the dead trees becoming more dense the more we traveled towards it.

"We needed all of them to transport us here. There is no use in complaining now." Caelus narrows his eyes as we enter the thicker forest.

Large spider webs hang from some of the trees. I don't even want to imagine the size of the spider that made them.

We speed up the pace, pushing our horses into a run. There was no point on wasting more time in this region.

I take the lead before Caelus, weaving through the trees.

My shadows cut through the dead branches and webs that stand in the way.

Then a loud hiss echoes in the trees in front of me. I pull back my reins and Caelus slows, listening to my thoughts.

Blue flames had erupted all over the trees, spreading quickly.

I unsheathe my sword as I spot a large snake. Its scales as dark as coal. It is hissing at a barrage of spiders that are the size of cows.

"Caelus."

"I'll take the spiders. I don't do well with snakes." Caelus quickly leaves my side, his horse stomping over the small flames on the ground.

I march my horse towards the snake. It isn't moving, its body is curled around something.

I narrow my eyes at the sight. It looks as if it's protecting something.

I raise my sword about to strike its side when a large blue flame hits my side. My mare is spooked, throwing me off its side.

I groan as I hit the ground. The armor on my left side is now singed but I quickly recovered, lifting my head to see what had attacked me.