"EVERYBODY!" Lord Zealot called the attention of the crowd.
"PRINCE WILDER HAS CONNIVED WITH THE WITCHES AND IS TRYING TO PROTECT THEM. HE WILL BE ARRESTED FOR TREASON!" He declared.
Richard watched with wide eyes, realizing what Lord Zealot had done. Had he been played?
Wilder just smiled at Lord Zealot and shook his head. "That... won't be happening."
"Do you think you are getting better because a physician from the palace treated you?" He asked in amusement before laughing.
"You should cooperate with me if you want an antidote for the poison in your body. It may make you feel like you are strong. But it is sucking out all of your energy."
Richard felt even more stupid now. No wonder he hadn't seen the physician. Why did he think he could ever trust this dishonest man to act honestly?
Wilder ignored the man and gestured for the guards to come ahead. But not to arrest him. It was to fight.
"My... Lord. You cannot do this!" Richard cried out to Sir Zealot.
"I cannot? I can do anything." He said arrogantly and gestured with his hand for the men to attack.
Richard was about to join and fight beside Wilder, but Wilder sent him a warning glare for him to stay put. He didn't know whether it was because Wilder was really angry at his betrayal or because, by joining the fight, he was also going to be charged with treason.
He felt his emotions rising and tears in his eyes as he watched the sight from where he stood: several men attacking Wilder all at once, while others went to light the incense to break through whatever barrier was keeping them away. Richard could only watch helplessly as everything happened around him.
It was surprising how Wilder was still able to handle fighting with all of them despite how sick he was. But it wasn't possible for him to continue like that because his entire body seized and he spat out a mouthful of blood. With the distraction, he received several cuts on his body from the others. Both on his arms and legs, but he still stood, even as blood poured out from several parts of his body.
Richard began to panic and tried to move again, but Lord Zealot noticed and gestured with his head for him to be arrested. But just as they were about to get to him, they were distracted by flying arrows that came out of the incense smoke and hit two men, both on their legs. They let out a shout and suddenly went mute when two needles came flying out of the smoke and struck at some points in their bodies that made them still at once.
Everyone's direction went to the smoke, and much to their surprise, the silhouette of the person began to get closer while the men prepared to attack whoever was there.
But when the person came out, they were all surprised to find a boy--no, it was a girl. But she was dressed like a boy and had a bow and arrows in her back, held a sword in her hand, and had knives tucked in her brocade boots.
The things that gave her off as a girl were her long, wavy hair, feminine body, and swell of her chest.
She looked around, and as soon as her eyes found Wilder, they widened.
For the first time, Wilder's eyes also revealed emotion. They widened slightly. As though he hadn't expected her to be there. It was almost as if he was panicking.
Richard felt the same way. A part of him hoped that she really wasn't one and that this whole thing was just them wasting their time. He didn't want anything to happen to her either. Besides, she had saved their lives before. But she had shown up.
"THAT IS THE WITCH! CAPTURE HER!" Lord Zealot bellowed with excitement.
However, the girl was already hurrying towards Wilder.
"Don't!" Wilder said in a dark voice, but she ignored him as she said, "This is for me too."
She said this and used her sword to slice at the soldier who was about to attack her. One slice at his hand, two at both his legs, and one at this other hand. He fell to the floor in pain, as it was even too difficult to stand up.
When she was not using her sword, she was shooting an arrow or throwing needles. One thing they all noticed was that she wasn't killing anyone. She was only making them helpless.
While she was fighting off the people on her path to Wilder. Wilder was doing the same.
Richard watched.
Every one of them was more than surprised to find a girl fighting like that. They doubted that training could have made her this way. It looked like she was gifted. They doubted that other witches were like her. But again, was she truly a witch? If she was one, why wasn't she using any spells?
The men shamelessly began to attack her two at a time, and as much as Wilder looked like he wanted to go and kick her out of there, whatever poison he had in his system was beginning to kick in, coupled with the wound in his heart that had been rapidly spreading. He fell to the floor with a painful growl, and as Anne watched in distraction, she was cut deeply by the side of her stomach.
"NO!" Richard yelled just as she cried out in pain and dropped her sword to the ground.
Wilder raised his head and found her kneeling with her hand on the right side of her stomach, where she had been cut and was dropping blood.
Sir Zealot watched the two of them and suddenly let out a loud laugh.
"This is interesting." He muttered.
As another guard was about to stab her, Zealot yelled, "KEEP HER ALIVE, YOU FOOL!"
"She will lead us to the others." He instructed and added, "Arrest Prince Wilder immediately." He said smugly, seeing how the two were on the ground after rendering over half of his men handicapped.
But things were not bound to go smoothly for him.
With an angry look in his eyes, they watched Wilder as he pulled off his outer robe and began to transform into his wolf self.
"DON'T!" Richard cried out.
In that state, it was a bad idea for him to do that. He would die.
"You are going to kill yourself." Lord Zealot said to Wilder, whose blue eyes had already turned a darker, angrier shade. He ignored them and let out a loud, painful growl, with all of his bones breaking as he shifted from his human form right before Anne, who was watching with widened eyes.
The wolf was large and a mixture of black and brown, and the blue colour of his eyes was a lot darker.
When he stood to his full height, the men stepped back, pointing all their weapons as their keen eyes followed his whole movement.
But Wilder didn't fight. He took a big leap to where Anne was, and even though she was staring at him with wide eyes, she got up from the ground immediately and got on his back.
It all happened quickly. Before the others knew it, he was running off with her, but not before she reached to grab his robe from the ground.
"CATCH THEM!" Lord Zealot yelled.
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦