THE PRICE OF WAR [Taka x Reader]

XIII. Face To Face

You closed your eyes and uttered a spell that shook the ground. Suddenly, a dozen wolves emerged out of nowhere, following the call of their mother.

"Follow me!" you screamed at Taka while you hold his hand.

Taka agreed and you both jumped on the back of one of the wolves as they all run towards the campsite. As soon as you arrived, the wolves pounced on the enemies and threw them off their horses. Several tents were on fire and there also were a large number of corpses on the ground, lightened by the flames and the soft dawn light.

"Yumiko!" Toru called you as he knocked down an enemy.

"What the hell is going on?!" Taka asked him.

"The goblins... They have followed our trail" he replied as he handed him a katana. "There she is, my lord! It's her!" a goblin screamed as he pointed you.

Before you could react, you felt the edge of a dagger around your neck and two arms that despite their small size held you tight. This made you lose focus and your spell ended. The wolves dissolved into the air like smoke and a hooded figure approached and watched you from his horse.

"Shit!" Toru cursed, turning around.

"Don't move!" the figure ordered "If you want to survive"

You looked up and the hooded figure revealed his face. You all turned pale.

"No ..." you murmured.

"My lord, it's her!" one of the goblins soldiers pointed "She is the woman who..."

And with a single blow, his head flew through the air. Dryon carefully wiped his sword with a light handkerchief and looked at you again.

"I hate being interrupted just when I'm just about to speak..." he protested "Anyway, I came all the way from Emmeldris to meet you, dear..."

He made a pause for you to introduce yourself, but he quickly changed his expression while staring at you.

"Yumiko?" he asked "No... That's not your real name"

His voice made you tremble with pure terror.

"You must be a Hayltelian then" he concluded "I never expected someone from such an insignificant hamlet to be the bearer of the Great Power! However, I'll be delighted to welcome you into my army and fight by your side"

He extended his hand waiting for you to accept the deal. You could notice the fear and tension with which everyone was looking at you at that time. Taka clenched his fists and you held his breath as Dryon smiled.

"You don't want me to kill your friends, right?" he mocked "Then accept my offer"

You closed your eyes and whispered the wolf spell again as quickly as you could.

"Excuse me?" Dryon asked, stepping closer.

"My lord!" a goblin yelled.

Dozens of wolves jumped over you and pounced over Dryon and his troop. Chaos came back to the campsite and finally Dryon left on his horse abandoning more than half of his troop to their fate. When all the enemies were finally gone, everybody began to put out the fires and looking after the soldiers, many of whom were seriously wounded.

"Kyria!" you called her and hugged her.

She was bleeding from the corner of her mouth and had her arm hurt.

"Where were you?" she asked "I couldn't find you!"

"Where is Yrion?" you asked.

"Over there" she pointed.

Yrion was kneeling down on the floor, closing a soldier's wound with his instant healing powers. You hugged him when he was over, thanking the gods he was alive.

"How is the rest?" you asked him.

Suddenly his face changed.

"Your horse..."

His reaction froze you.

"I left him grazing in the field..."

You looked at the direction he was looking at. Without thinking twice, you run as fast as you could towards the field. The sun had already came out and its light blinded you when you reached the hill before the field. Dozens of bodies laid on the ground covered in blood and flies. The air smelled of rot and the silence was deafening. However, the timid sun that loomed over the horizon enveloped the landscape in a magical light that gave it an idyllic appearance, as if it were a painting. It was absolutely unreal. But the magic turned into misery the instant you noticed the lifeless body of a white horse lying among all the other corpses.