The Shadow Knight

Chapter 17

Panic shot through me when I saw him running at that Cronus. My heart leapt into my throat and before I knew it, I was running after him. My chest heaved up and down, and I was already out of breath, trying to keep up with Colin. For an egotistical Prince, that man ran awfully fast. What an idiot! He's untrained and completely unprepared to enter combat with such a strong monster.

Touch the orange rune with your right hand Elizabeth, it helps you run faster and not lose your breath! I hear Lillian yell to me, anxiety lining her voice. Being my Candere, Lillian had the same connections to the Prince as I did, for when the Bond took place, it was taken from my own power, which I received from Lillian. I paused and searched to find the rune on me. It took me a moment to find it, but ironically it was a beautiful pattern of a lightening bolt surrounded by other symbols I don't understand. I touch it with my right hand, making my purple rune in my palm, and the orange glow vibrantly.

And then I was off, running at full speed. Colin was out of eyesight by now, but that didn't stop me. I watched the footsteps in the dirt and followed them. I was moving at an unworldly speed, my body gliding easily on the ground, almost as if I was flying. I was breathing normally too, as if I was standing still. It was a magnificent feeling, and I felt as though I could stay like this forever, running to nowhere in particular, just feeling the world outside of my own head.

When Colin came into view, I began moving even faster, expecting him to need my help. "Lillian!" I shout raising my right palm. My beautiful black sword appeared as I was running, and just as I reached Colin and was prepared to fight, I stopped dead in my tracks.

I watched in awe as I watched Colin fight, a huge Cheshire Cat grin on his face. He held his silver bow, though at the end of each end it was sharpened into knives. The gems on the bow glistened in the sunlight as Colin leaped around the Cronus with ease. He stood at the edge of the creek it was in, and shoots an arrow straight into it's eye. The Cronus screeched an ear deafening noise and attempted to hit Colin with one of it's many tentacles. Colin leaped onto part of the island in the creek, adding in a backflip for extra measure. Laughing at his own skills, Colin then shot an arrow to a tree on the other side of the creek. He had attached a rope to that arrow, and using his remarkably strong bow, glided along the rope, snipping it at the perfect time to land on top of the Cronus.

He flipped his hair to the side, his eyes sparkling. I noticed his shirt was ripped, showing a lot of muscle and chest. I looked away, not wanted to see my Guardian nude like that. When I looked back I saw he had ripped the shirt of completely and when he caught me watching he winked at me, still atop the Cronus. My mouth dropped after the wink, and he says to no one in particular "Ladies and shifty looking creature thing! PREPARE FOR THE FINAL EVENT!"

As he says this, the Cronus growls, flailing everywhere to try to get him off of it's head. Colin then takes his bow, and removes one of the knives from one end. He strung the bow over his shoulder, it resting along his chest and back, highlighting his muscles even more. He then gripped the knife tightly in his left hand, and stabbed it into the Cronus, then jumped, holding the knife steadily and letting it run down the face of the Cronus, it making ungodly noises the entire way down. It was bleeding uncontrollably when Colin let go of the knife and landed directly in front of me "Perfect 10" he coos at me, as Cosmo sits on my shoulder and claps wildly.

The Cronus fell down into the creek, it's body falling limp. It bled out and died, though we stood and waited until we saw no more movement out of any of it's tentacles. Colin lifted his bow off of his chest and wrapped a rope around one arrow, and shot it to the top of the island. The woman then emerged, holding what seemed to be a piece of cloth. It wasn't until I realized it was Colin's shirt, tied up so that she could glide down the rope with ease.

When she landed Colin bowed, and says "Your majesty I'm at your service" I gawk at him, not understanding why he was bowing after himself being such a prestigious royal himself. Then I recognized her. It was Everest, the Queen of the North. She seemed to be oddly young, only about 25. When I realized who it was, I bowed as well.

"Now now, none of this cordiality! You two saved my life, I'm in your debt" she smiles. We both nod simultaneously and stand up. "Your highness, why are you in our country when yours itself is in so much war?" I ask, trying not to be rude, though curiosity took over me.

She frowns deeply and says "Well rather I need help, but I got lost"