Chapter 437: Cornered
"Release my friend, or I will tear you away from him and burn your horns to ash!"
Ashlynn’s threat echoed across the mountainside, drawing all eyes, not only from the forces who had been fighting on the walls, but from those at the head of Nyrielle’s army as well. Now that the blizzard had cleared, Zedya moved quickly, leaving orders for Lennart to martial the remainder of their forces while she raced to Ignatious’s side.
"Ignatious, you," Zedya started in a whisper when she arrived at the fallen Inquisitor’s side. "What happened to you? And to little Heila?" she asked, hovering nervously near the slumbering witch cradled in Ignatious’s arms.
"I failed in my first attempt with the Holy Flame Blade," he said simply, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on Ashlynn who held the flaming sword like a lance, pointed directly at the young Frost Walker lord. "Heila healed me and... And she allowed me to feed on her," he said softly, hugging the sleeping witch tightly to his chest.
"I... see," Zedya said flatly. From the way Ignatious clung protectively to her diminutive protege she could tell there was more to it but now wasn’t the time to ask. She wanted to celebrate that stronger feelings seemed to have returned to the tortured priest, but seeing Heila’s sleeping figure, her heart couldn’t help but tremble with worry.
Without Heila’s help, who could heal Ashlynn’s wounds? Zedya didn’t know, but there was one thing that she was certain of. If Ashlynn died tonight because Heila couldn’t heal her, then the torture Ignatious had endured from Hamdi would pale in comparison to the fate that Mistress Nyrielle would sentence him to.
Zedya didn’t dare to contemplate further in that direction. If anything truly threatened Ashlynn’s life, she was resolved to do whatever it took to protect her until Mistress Nyrielle arrived, and she knew she wouldn’t be the only one. She only hoped that the stubborn young Frost Walker would see reason and surrender before they found out just how far Nyrielle’s forces would go to protect their lady and her lover.
Within Hauke’s mind, for the first time since this nightmare began, the towering figure of Ansgar appeared alongside the svelte figure of Ines. The former trembled with barely concealed rage, ready to lash out at the witch who dared to threaten their horns, while the latter wavered on her feet as she manifested within Hauke’s mind, clearly suffering the after effects of having her blizzard torn apart by Ashlynn’s display of power.
"Little to offer, have I," Eugen said, hopping off his platform and rushing to Ines side. "But what I have, yours to take is." As the childish Frost Walker spoke, a soft green aura surrounded him, gently soothing the pain that wracked Ines spirit and restoring a healthier glow to her horn.
"Please, let me free," Hauke begged, struggling against the reforged chains that Eraric had bound him with after his last attempt to disrupt the struggle. "Please, before anyone else is hurt, let me speak to her. I know she’ll listen to my words. We can still find a way to resolve this," he said with hot tears streaming from his eyes.
"Please," he added in a voice that cracked under the intensity of emotions coursing through his heart. "Before it’s too late for my father... please..."
"The witch is a spent arrow at the end of her flight," Eraric said, shaking his head at the young lord. "Her artifact is impressive, but I doubt she could repeat that display, much less fight with it. My runic blade won’t lose to her sword. We have no reason to back down."