Chapter 430 You Saved Us

Chapter 430 You Saved Us
A final, earth-shaking roar tore from the wolf’s throat. Then the crimson veins across its body began to crack and splinter. Darkness exploded outward in a violent wave, but Audrey’s light consumed it, burning it away into nothing. The wolf’s form shimmered, shrinking rapidly.

Audrey gasped as the transformation completed. Where the monstrous beast had stood now lay Darius, naked, bruised, and unconscious on the cold stone ground.

She dropped to her knees beside him, pulling his head into her lap. “Darius? Darius, please wake up.” Her hands trembled as she brushed matted hair from his face. Blood and dirt covered his body, but he was breathing was shallow, but steady.

Ryker limped over, collapsing beside them. “You did it,” he rasped, a weary smile breaking through the pain. “You actually did it.”

The Oracle approached slowly, leaning heavily on a knight’s arm. “The curse is broken. The Blood Moon has not yet reached its peak. He will need time to recover, but the darkness no longer controls him.”

Audrey bent down and pressed her forehead to Darius’s. “You came back,” she whispered, sobbing with relief. “You came back to us.”

Darius stirred weakly. His eyes fluttered open, dark and exhausted, but unmistakably his own. “Audrey…” His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. “You… should not be here. Too dangerous.”

A watery laugh escaped her. “I told you I would come if you needed me. And you did.”

He lifted a shaky hand to touch her cheek, his thumb brushing away her tears. “The babies… are they safe?”

“They are safe,” she assured him, holding his hand against her face. “Waiting for their father to come home.”

Ryker helped support Darius into a sitting position. The surviving knights gathered around, some injured, many bloodied, but all watching with awe.

The Oracle looked toward the sky. The Blood Moon hung low and full now, bathing everything in deep red light. “The worst has passed, but we must get him back to the palace quickly”

Darius leaned heavily against Audrey as they helped him to his feet. He looked at the destruction around them, fallen knights, cracked earth, the ruins of the sacred circle. Pain flashed across his face.

“So many lost,” he murmured.

Audrey squeezed his hand. “They fought for you. For all of us. And we won.”

Ryker mounted a horse with difficulty, wincing as he settled into the saddle. “We should move. The return journey will be slower, but we have enough men to guard us.”

The journey back from the Highlands began under a blood-red sky. The full moon hung heavy overhead, casting an eerie glow over the battered group. Darius rode slowly on a spare horse, leaning heavily against Audrey, his body still weak from the transformation. Ryker rode beside them, grimacing with every movement, his shoulder wound crudely bandaged.

The Oracle looked half-dead in her saddle, and the surviving knights, barely twenty now rode in exhausted silence. Their pace was painfully slow, the horses as drained as their riders.
They had covered only half a day’s distance when the ground beneath them began to rumble.

Without warning, the earth exploded upward in a violent surge. Lord Anthony rose from the soil like a demon from the underworld, his eyes glowing electric blue. The ground heaved violently, sending horses screaming and riders flying through the air.

Audrey cried out as she was thrown from her mount, landing hard on a cluster of jagged rocks. Pain shot through her side and leg. Darius tumbled nearby, too weak to catch himself properly.

Ryker hit the ground rolling, already trying to summon fire despite his exhaustion. “Anthony!” he roared, forcing himself to his feet.

Lord Anthony stood tall, dirt and power swirling around him. A cruel smile twisted his bruised face. “You thought it was over? I have waited too long for this moment. The king is broken. The queen is mine.”

Darius stirred weakly on the ground, half-awake, his eyes fluttering. “Audrey…” he rasped, trying to crawl toward her. His movements were sluggish, every inch costing him dearly.

Audrey struggled to push herself up, her white dress torn and dirty, blood trickling from a cut on her forehead. Her body screamed in protest, the three-day ride, the battle with the wolf, and now this. She had almost nothing left.

Ryker charged first, throwing a weak fireball. Anthony sidestepped it easily and slammed his fist into Ryker’s already injured shoulder. Ryker dropped like a stone, unconscious before he hit the ground.

The Oracle tried to chant a spell, but her voice faltered. She collapsed to her knees, completely spent.

Lord Anthony advanced on Audrey, his expression dark with obsession. “Come with me, my lady. I will keep you safe from all of this. Darius is finished. Your children will be mine to raise.”

Audrey staggered to her feet, breathing hard. “Never.” She raised her trembling hands. Golden light flickered weakly at her fingertips. Anthony laughed and stepped closer, reaching for her.

Darius groaned, trying desperately to reach her, his fingers digging into the dirt. “Don’t… touch her…”

Audrey’s eyes suddenly blazed with pure golden light. The crescent moon necklace flared hot against her skin. In one final, desperate surge, she unleashed everything she had left. A powerful beam of golden energy erupted from her palms and struck Lord Anthony square in the chest.

He had not expected it.

His eyes widened in shock. The golden rays burned through him, cutting through his earth magic like sunlight through mist. He screamed as the power consumed him, his body convulsing. Cracks of light spread across his skin before he exploded into dust and fading blue energy, scattered by the mountain wind.
Silence fell.

Audrey collapsed to her knees beside Darius, sobbing with exhaustion and relief. She cupped his face with shaking hands. “It’s over,” she whispered. “He’s gone.”

Darius managed a faint smile, his hand covering hers. “You… saved us.”

The Oracle crawled closer, voice hoarse. “The goddess worked through you, my queen. Rest now. We must keep moving.”

With great effort, the remaining knights helped the injured back onto horses. Ryker was lifted unconscious across a saddle. They continued south at a crawl, every rider pushing through pain and fatigue. Audrey rode with Darius, holding him upright, whispering words of love and encouragement whenever he drifted in and out of consciousness.

Two long, agonizing days later, the palace finally came into view. The golden protection dome the Oracle had cast still shimmered faintly over the walls, though parts of it flickered weakly. As they approached the gates, servants and guards rushed out to meet them.