Chapter 200 Chapter 0200

Chapter 200 Chapter 0200
Lucien's POV

"Let's fight till victory is ours." The roar tore out of my throat before I even realized I was screaming; my voice thundered across the battlefield. For one terrifying heartbeat, everything seemed to freeze. The kingdom answered; warriors surged forward with renewed fury, their weapons raised as they charged into the darkness, the ground shaken beneath their feet, fire climbed beyond the towering walls of Darkhold, painting the night orange and red, smoke swallowed the moon. In contrast, the screams of wounded warriors and clash of steel filled the air, and then I saw them, vampires, hundreds of them, they poured over the battlefield like a living wave, their crimson eyes blowing through the darkness, their fangs, flashed as they attacked, moving with a speed that would have terrified an ordinary soldier, but I wasn't ordinary, my dragon stirred violently inside me.

'Let me out,' I clenched my jaw.

'Not yet.' my eyes scanned the chaos, there was something wrong, the vampires weren't moving randomly, they were organized, disciplined, someone was commanding them, I raise my head above the soldiers then I saw him, a figure standing beyond the battlefield, watching the battle unfold, a familiar face, my lips curled into a cold smile, "Sebastian" the name left my lips, I had been right all along, he was part of this, "I know, it had to be you." I growled, then I charged towards him, the first vampire came at me with a roar, I ducked beneath his claws and drive my sword through his chest, he collapse, another lunged, I spun, slicing across his throat, a third attacked from behind, but I turned just in time, blocking his blade before driving my elbow into his face, his head snapped backward, but I didn't stop, I couldn't stop now, because I need to get this over with faster, so I could go be with Aerith.

Every vampire that dared stand between me and the enemy fell, as far as I am concerned Sebastian was my enemy, if I had let him go at the academy, the first time, this time, I wasn't going to let him go, it's either one of us drops to the ground today. I am sure it wasn't me because I wasn't ready to leave Aerith now. My sword became an extension of my arm: strike, block, kill; those three words were all I could think of. At this point, my strength was all I had, since the king had caged my magic. Blood soaked the ground beneath my boots, then a burst of fire exploded beside me. I jumped backwards; flames tore through the place where I had been standing a moment earlier. I turned slowly, and there he was: Lord Eldreth, Seraphina's father. What a weird way of announcing his presence. He stood several yards away, sword in his hand and his eyes burning with hatred. "What is this?" I demanded, his lips curled

"Revenge." I almost wanted to laugh.

"Revenge?" I asked without emotion.

"Revenge for my daughter's humiliation, for the pain you caused my daughter." He charged towards me; our swords collided with a deafening clang. The force of the impact traveled through my arms.

"And you think launching an attack on the Kingdom is a way of revenge?" He spat fire at me, and I dodged effortlessly.

"You should have thought of the kingdom when you decided to take sides with a Fae and betrayed your own." Eldreth snarled. He swung again, and I blocked. Then his dragon fire erupted from behind him. I twisted out of the way effortlessly for the second time. The flames roared past my shoulder and slammed into the stone wall behind me. I smirked.

"I never knew you were such a coward," his eyes narrowed  

"How dare you?" He roared.

"You hide behind the disguise of revenge for your daughter," I interrupted him, circling him, "but we both know the truth." his grip tightened around his sword. "You wanted power." I struck, he blocked, "You wanted the throne," Another strike, "You wanted this Kingdom bowing at your feet," Our blades crashed together, "And the only way you thought you could achieve that was by pushing your daughter into the life of a prince," Eldreth shoved me backwards,

"You know nothing."

"Oh, I know enough to know a power-hungry dragon." I lunged again; he barely blocked my sword. "And now that your plan isn't working, you decided to ally yourself with vampires."

"So what?" His roar went across the battlefield; he released another wave of dragon fire. I ducked beneath it and rolled across the ground before rising again. "After tonight," Eldreth shouted, "power will change hands, and I will become the king." he pointed his sword at me. "And your father will be history." I laughed, the sound came from somewhere deep inside me  

"Dead men don't become kings; look around and see who is winning?" Eldreth turned; his expression changed. He didn't need a seer to know that the royal warriors had the upper hand. I smiled enjoying his uneasiness.

"You think you have already won?" He snapped his fingers and my smile disappeared as I heard footsteps thunder behind me, I turned, more soldiers emerged from the darkness, dozens, nah, it was hundreds, and they surrounded me, my grip tightened around my sword, then the crowd parted, and Sebastian stepped through, like he was waiting for his turn, I stared at him. For a moment, the battlefield disappeared, and he was the only one I could see. He looked amused. I shook my head; he was trying to manipulate me. With my magic gone, I was vulnerable to everyone with magic.

"Wow!" My voice was cold. "You came for the throne too?" Sebastian's eyes remained fixed on me.

"No," he smiled, "I came here for my girl." My fist clenched around the hilt of my sword, my dragon roared inward.

'Mine!'

"You will not talk about my mate that way." Sebastian tilted his head, flicking his tongue around his lips.

"What if I do?" My blood burned at Sebastian's challenge.

"Then your blood will be painted around the throne room." I lunged at him; our swords collided, but before either of us could strike again, a vampire rushed between us, steel met fangs. I drove my elbow into the vampire, who stood between Sebastian and me. I sliced the throat of the vampire; blood sprayed across the stone. More vampires rushed toward me. I fought harder, faster, against Sebastian, Eldreth, and the soldiers. My sword cut through flesh; my sword became a blur. Every movement was deliberate, every strike killed, but Sebastian and Eldreth were still standing, and something was wrong. I noticed it after the sixth or seventh soldier fell by my sword, they weren't attacking other royal dragons', they were coming for me, every single one of them, all I wanted to was take down Sebastian, and Eldreth down, that way the war will end but the vampires weren't attacking the soldiers around me but just me, Making it difficult to reach them. "Dam it!" I turned just as three vampires attacked simultaneously. I blocked one, killed another, but the third one cut me across the ribs; pain burned through me.

'Lucien!' I heard Aerith's voice in my mind. She must have felt my pain. I staggered back, my hand instinctively pressed against my side. Blood filled my hand. I looked at it, then at them; they were too many.

'Used, your magic,' my dragon growled. I reached for it. It was still nothing. My heart slammed against my ribs. I tried again, but it was the same thing: silence.

"Fuck!" I cursed, as I remembered Father had caged my magic to prevent me from running away from the battlefield. I had entered this battle without access to the power that could have changed everything. Eldreth watched from a distance, his lips curved into a smile.

"Take him alive." My blood ran cold. Alive? He wanted me to be his weapon? Another vampire attacked, I blocked, but Sebastian came from the side and struck at me.

"Ah!" I screamed barely stopping his blade.

'Lucien!' Aerith's voice came again, and I pulled my walls up, blocking my pain from her.

'I am sorry, Aerith!'

"You should surrender," he said

"Go to hell." I pushed him back, raising my hand to strike him but before I could strike him, another vampire struck me from behind, I turned but it was too late, his claws tore across my armor, pain exploded through my back, I barked, my dragon roared so violently inside me that I nearly lost my balance.

'Let me out!'

'I can't,'

'You can,' he whimpered in my head. I tried again, but it was nothing. My veins burned, but no power came out. Sebastian laughed.

"Give up now, and I'll spare your life." I lifted my head, blood dropped from the corner of my mouth.

"Never!" Another sword slammed into my shoulder; a cry escaped me despite my attempt to swallow it,. My knees buckled, I caught myself with my sword, planting the blade into the ground. I breathed heavily, the battlefield spun around me, fire, blood screaming, steel, everything blurred, but I refused to fall, I forced myself upright, one foot then another, I was Lucien, the prince of Darkhold, son of the king, mate to the woman I would die protecting even if she is a fae. I would not kneel, not to Eldreth, not to Sebastian, not to anyone. I raised my sword up. Sebastian stared at me; for the first time, his smile disappeared.

"You are still fighting?" I wiped the blood from my lips,

"As long as I can stand." A soldier came from behind me, I didn't see him, a brutal kick slammed into my back, and my body flew forward, my sword slipped from my fingers, I hit the ground hard enough to knock the breath from my lungs, for a moment, I couldn't move, I heard footstep approaching, slow but heavy, my fingers clawed at the dirt, my sword lay just beyond my reach, I stretched toward it, closer, just a little closer, I reach more for it, my vision blurred.

"Finish him."