CHAPTER 551: A KNIGHT’S STAND AGAINST THE DARKNESS

Anna cried out in pain as Brone dragged her by her bound wrists.

"Please! It hurts!" she pleaded.

"You’re too slow!" the Bargesian leader barked, his nostrils flaring as thin wisps of white vapour escaped his breath.

"Please, don’t be so rough! Lady Raychard is with child!" Helen begged.

She, too, was bound, hauled forward by Derek.

Brone stopped abruptly and turned, his hawk-like eyes locking onto her. The group froze at once.

"You think I’m an idiot that you need to remind me of that again and again?" he snarled.

Helen shrank back, trembling.

"I—I didn’t mean it!"

"Don’t test my patience!" Brone barked. "The only reason you’re still breathing and coming along at all is because she needs your care while carrying that child. One more word—"

"But it’s the truth!" Helen blurted out despite her fear. "Lady Raychard has nearly miscarried twice! If you handle her that roughly, you’ll put her and her child in danger!"

Brone scoffed, voice dripping with contempt. "I couldn’t care less about the baby."

"She has a point," Derek interjected, his tone measured. "If the princess miscarries, she could die as well. We need her alive."

Brone cursed under his breath and spat into the snow. Every delay risked them being caught, and he was aware of it. They had to reach the carriage before anyone discovered the abduction.

"I’ll carry her," Brone growled at last. "You take the other one."

"What? You want me to carry her?" Derek’s eyes widened, referring to Helen.

"You’re young now, aren’t you? Don’t tell me you only look so while your body’s still as weak as your wrinkled old self," Brone taunted.

"Watch your mouth," Derek snapped back. "If not for me, neither of us would have these powers," he said.

"And who planned and executed this entire operation, huh?" Brone shot back.

Derek hissed, glaring daggers at the Bargesian leader. The man’s arrogance burned his nerves, but this wasn’t the time to fight.

"Fine! I’ll carry her," he said, ending the argument as he yanked Helen closer.

She shrieked, but Derek cut her off with a hard bark.

"Quiet! Make another sound, and I’ll turn you into a ritual sacrifice!"

Helen clamped her lips shut, shaking uncontrollably.

"Please, don’t hurt her!" Anna begged. "You promised you wouldn’t harm anyone if I came with you!"

Tears glistened in Anna’s emerald eyes. Never had she imagined that such horror would befall her and Helen.

She recalled napping in the chamber and was jolted awake when a deafening blast shook the walls. Helen, startled from her seat by the bedside, rushed to the window to check the source of the noise.

She called out that thick black smoke was rising into the sky from the eastern tower. Anna hurried to her side, and both of them were in shock at what had just happened.

Fearing for their safety, Helen urged the princess to prepare to take shelter in the keep. They were still fastening the princess’s gown when the second and third explosions struck, sending them both sprawling to the floor.

The chamber trembled violently around them; furniture rattled, and hanging items swayed.

When the shaking ceased, they scrambled to their feet and hurried towards the hall of the master suite.

Just then, the door burst open and Scarlett rushed in, breathless, asking if they were all right. They were about to leave the master suite when the adjoining door to the private library suddenly slammed open.

Two shadowed figures stormed through—Brone and Derek—blocking their escape in a single swift movement. The chamber erupted into instant chaos as the struggle began.

Everything unfolded so quickly and was almost unbelievable until Anna, shaking and unable to withdraw mana from Kyren due to their distance, cried out for the Bargesian leader to cease beating Scarlett.

Her voice quivered with desperation as she surrendered, ready to sacrifice herself to save her attendant’s life.

When the Bargesians agreed, Helen begged to accompany Anna, insisting that the princess needed her care due to the pregnancy.

At last, the intruders tied and dragged the two ladies toward the open trap door, their shadows vanishing into the darkness, leaving Scarlett bloodied and motionless on the cold floor.

Tears streamed down the princess’s cheeks. She didn’t even know if the young maid was still alive after that brutal assault and could only pray.

Anna’s thoughts were cut short when Brone’s rough hand seized her by the waist.

She gasped, but quickly swallowed the sound, terrified that a single noise might make Helen his next target.

Just as the Bargesian leader bent to lift her, and Derek was about to do the same to Helen, he paused.

"Hold it," Brone growled, his sharp gaze flicking toward the assistant as he straightened his body.

Derek frowned. "What now?"

The Bargesian leader ignored him and stepped closer to Helen, his shadow looming over her.

"Where’s the pendant you were wearing?" he demanded.

Helen’s breath hitched.

’Did he notice? No—it can’t be!’

"I-I don’t know. It must’ve fallen," she stammered.

Brone’s eyes darkened. "And the rose pin in your hair? Did that ’fall’ too?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," she managed to say.

"Don’t lie to me!" he roared. "I saw them glinting in the dark when we came down those stairs. You think I wouldn’t notice?"

Helen’s throat tightened as she swallowed hard.

While the men weren’t looking, she had secretly dropped her ornaments, hoping the knights might find them and follow the trail.

"You treacherous w*nch!" Brone snarled.

He lunged forward and struck Helen across the face with a vicious blow.

"Helen!" Anna screamed, her voice breaking with horror.

The woman’s body slammed into the snow, the impact knocking the breath from her lungs. A sharp, blinding pain exploded across her face where Brone’s fist had landed.

Warm blood flowed from her nose and mouth, staining the clean white surface beneath her. The metallic taste filled her mouth, and her head spun, her vision blurred from the impact.

The icy ground pressed into her back, but the pain in her skull was much worse. Her trembling hands pressed feebly against the snow as she fought to breathe, choking back a sob that caught in her throat.

"You think you’re so smart, huh? You worthless id*ot!" Brone sneered, his voice piercing the cold air as his boot struck Helen’s side with a loud thud.

She gasped, curling instinctively, but his next kick drove into her ribs, forcing a cry from her lips.

"Stop it! Please, stop!" Anna screamed, thrashing against her restraints. "You’ll kill her! Stop it, I beg you!"

Her voice cracked with desperation, but Brone didn’t relent. His rage burned hotter than reason.

Helen coughed, blood splattering onto the snow. Her body trembled as she tried to shield herself with her bound arms. But the blows came too fast for her to plead, leaving her only soft whimpers of pain.

"Please! I’ll do anything! Please stop!" Anna cried, collapsing to her knees as she begged.

She knew there was nothing else she could do. Calling for help was futile; one wrong move could cost her not only her life but her child’s, and Helen’s as well.

Brone growled, the sound low and guttural. The princess’s pleas grated on his nerves. Had she not been carrying a child, he might have silenced her tears with his fists as well.

"That’s enough. We still have a long way to go," Derek interjected in irritation.

"Don’t you realise this woman has been leaving a trail?" Brone snapped. "Someone could follow us!"

"That won’t happen," the mage said confidently. "I cast a concealment spell right after we slipped into the tall bushes. Our footprints will vanish. It took me a moment since it was my first time using it, but it’ll hold. Even if she dropped something, two ornaments aren’t enough to track us here."

Brone narrowed his eyes.

"Are you sure about that? Can you guarantee the traces are gone?"

"What? You want to turn back and check? Be my guest," Derek shot back, his patience fraying.

Brone huffed in annoyance, glancing toward the mage who struggled to lift the weakened Helen.

"D*mn it! She’s too heavy," Derek complained.

"Can’t we just leave her?" said the Bargesian leader nonchalantly.

"Do you even know how to care for a pregnant woman?" the mage countered. "The road back to Barges will be long and treacherous. You want to risk losing the princess after all the hard work?"

Brone clicked his tongue but didn’t argue further. Instead, he shoved Anna toward Derek.

"Fine. You take the princess. She’s smaller. I’ll carry that w*nch," he decided.

Just as they were about to lift their captives, a sudden bark pierced the stillness.

From across the white-laden plain, a small blur of fur bounded toward them. Within moments, the little puppy, Rhen, emerged from the snow mist, barking and growling at Brone and Derek.

Anna’s breath caught in her throat. She almost cried out Rhen’s name in surprise, but stopped herself just in time, terrified that the Bargesian leader might harm the poor creature.

"Ha! What did I tell you?" Brone shouted. "Even a mutt can follow us! Some concealment magic you’ve got there!"

Derek only rolled his eyes, ignoring the sarcastic remarks.

Rhen continued barking, his tiny frame bristling with courage as he faced the towering strangers. The relentless noise grated on Brone’s ears.

"St*pid dog! You’re really asking to die today!" he snarled, his glare sharp enough to cut.

Anna’s emerald eyes widened in fear.

"Don’t!" she cried. "It’s just a dog! It’s not worth your energy! Please, let it be!"

Brone’s lips twisted into a sneer.

"That mutt’s yours, isn’t it? Your people are tracking you already! D*mn it!"

"No! I don’t know it! I don’t have a pet! Please, just ignore it!" Anna begged.

The Bargesian leader’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. Anna turned her gaze desperately toward the puppy. Helen, blood still trickling from her nose and lips, could only watch, her voice lost to pain and terror.

’Run, Rhen... please, run! Get help.’

Though her lips never moved, her eyes said everything.

As if trying to understand her unspoken plea, Rhen stopped barking, his small ears twitching when their eyes met.

Brone’s lip curled.

"Useless mutt!" he snarled, lifting his boot high. "Let’s see how far you can yelp when I crush your backbone!"

But before his strike could land, a mighty clang echoed through the snow. His kick met a solid block. A sharp gust burst from the impact, scattering frost into the air.

Brone staggered back, eyes flashing in fury as he looked up, only to see a tall, armoured figure standing between him and the puppy. The silver crest of Gerhard gleamed faintly through the snowfall.

"Don’t you dare!" Damon warned, his sword raised, his arrival so silent it seemed as though he’d materialised from the snow itself.

None of them had heard him approach—the Bargesians’ focus on the pup and the constant barking had obscured the sound of his steps.

Rhen was narrowly saved just in time before the kick. With a soft whine, he spun around and darted into the trees, his white fur vanishing into the falling snow.

Brone’s jaw tightened.

"A Knight of Gerhard? Perfect."

He shot a disdainful glance at Derek, who merely feigned ignorance.

To the mage, one lone knight posed no real threat. Brone’s new strength would handle the bulk of the bulwark work. That was, after all, the purpose of the power Derek had bestowed upon him.

"Finish him fast before the others get here!" Derek demanded.

Meanwhile, Damon was closing in. Amid the drifting snow, he saw Helen, lying on the ground, with her face blood-streaked and barely conscious. His heart nearly burst at the sight.

"Miss Reed!" he shouted in panic, taking a further step forward.

Helen heard his voice and turned slowly toward him, her vision blurring through the gore and tears. Strength flickered faintly back into her limbs at the sight of the knight — hope, fragile yet fierce, igniting in her chest.

Damon had come for them.

"Si–Sir Mc...Quinn..." she rasped, raising a trembling hand, but her body refused to lift from the snow.

The knight charged forward to reach her, but Brone intercepted him with a brutal kick that sent Damon sprawling into the snow.

The breath was knocked from his chest, yet he pushed himself back up, fury blazing in his eyes.

"How dare you hit a woman, you filthy b*stard!" he roared, brandishing his sword. "Let them go and fight like a man!"

Brone barked a laugh, and his expression turned into mockery.

"Hah! I do whatever I please! You want them? Then come and get them!"

The Bargesian leader threw his cloak on the ground and prepared for the fight.

"Sir McQuinn, no! He’s too powerful!" Anna cried, her voice quivering.

Even from where she knelt, she could sense it. That dark, unnatural energy was surging from Brone, thick and suffocating, feeding his monstrous strength.

But Damon didn’t falter. He couldn’t retreat... not when the woman he loved lay broken before him, nor when the lady he’d sworn to protect was in danger.

Whatever the challenge was, he would face it head-on, even if it meant laying down his life.

The knight leapt, his blade flashing as it struck against the corrupted flesh, ripping through the already-tattered sleeve and exposing the grotesque limb beneath.

Sparks spat from the impact; the knight’s eyes widened at the sight of the warped arm—veined, unnatural, no longer human.

Questions flared in his mind about how such a thing could have grown, but there was no time to wonder. Brone followed with another savage blow that sent him stumbling back.

The knight recovered fast and answered with a clean, precise riposte aimed at Brone’s ribs. The Bargesian leader twisted; his dark arm struck the sword.

’Clang!!’

A harsh, metallic sound emerged. The blade fractured, the tip snapping free, and it fell into the snow.

Damon stared, stunned.

"What the—" he gasped, his words catching in his throat at the horrifying sight.

Derek had stepped back during the clash with a tight expression. He wasn’t meant for the front line. His strength was in the weave of spells, but today his investment in Brone’s brawn was paying off.

Let the Bargesian leader take the glory; the mage would conserve his magic for when it truly mattered. He pulled the weeping Anna upright by her hair and dragged her near.

She yelped, breath snagging on a sound of pain, but the mage tightened his grip and hissed coldly, "Don’t try anything foolish. Move, and your assistant dies. Now watch my companion finish your precious knight with the power we gained from your blood!"

Derek laughed eerily.

Tears slipped down Anna’s cheeks as she was forced to watch the brutal duel.

Now she understood. The incredible strength the Bargesian leader showed and wielded against her knight came from her. It was her blood, as the mage had said.

She didn’t know how this had occurred, but one thing was sure: Damon wouldn’t stand a chance against such power. His life was at risk.