SPELLBOUND

When daylight came, everyone was already prepared. The archers were all lined up and occupying the top of the walls with their bows and ample supply of arrows in barrels stationed beside them and the soldiers were now positioned and fully armed for the upcoming battle.

Looking down from the window and seeing the countless soldiers below, Evie let out a deep breath. When she woke up, she did not waste any time in preparing herself. She had requested of Elias to bring her an appropriate outfit to wear, and she liked the outfit so far. She liked the feel of wearing pants and boots again. It gave her the feeling of freedom and the ease of movement that was afforded by it as opposed to dresses and their skirts.

However, since she woke up, she had yet to see Gavriel at all. Of course, she knew that he must be busy right at this moment, but she could not help but worry that he must have had already changed his mind and decided to keep her out of this. She waited, nonetheless, but daybreak came, and she still did not receive any word from him.

Evie huffed out a puff of air and tried to stay calm. She told herself again that her husband was extremely occupied right now so she could only be patient. She must believe in him no matter what happens. She could only cling on tightly to that.

Sitting down on a chair, Evie brought out the necklace that Gavriel had gotten for her from the town before and wore it. When it again emitted the glow against her skin, she quietly stared at it for a moment before wrapping the gem up with a small cloth and proceeded to hide it inside her clothes, securing it carefully so that it would not fall out even during a chase. Evie then stood and pulled the dagger from her hips. She slashed it through the air a couple of times, when suddenly, the vivid memory of when she slashed Lorcan's face.

Thinking back, what she had done was really surprising even to herself. She did not know how she managed to even successfully wound him. But somehow, what she did to Lorcan gave her some confidence. Now she felt as though she could at least do something to defend herself. She could do something against a vampire too despite being just a powerless human.

With renewed confidence breaming in her eyes, Evie slashed forward again, remembering the basic steps Gavriel had taught her before. She nodded in satisfaction after a few more slashes and then she grabbed her bow next. This was the bow and arrows Gavriel had bought for her that night they both went to the town to shop as well. A happy smile curved on her lips. But when she heard the turning of the doorknob, she quickly aimed at the door when it quickly opened.

Elias nearly stumbled in fright at the sight of a fully equipped Lady Evie aiming at him with her bow and arrow loaded in perfect form. "P-princess. Please put that down." He pleaded as he scrambled away from the general direction of the door.

A small laugh escaped Evie's throat as she lowered her bow and arrow down. "What… you think this princess has the guts to shoot her own butler?" she asked mischievously, and Elias scratched his hair.

"Well, err… I know, princess but what if you accidentally let go?"

Evie just chuckled again, before her gaze fell on a small black jar Elias was holding in his hands.

"What is that?" she asked curiously, and the butler approached her.

"Zolan gave this to me." He said and he opened it before her. "Please give me your arrows, Princess."

Evie's eyes circled wide. "Is this poison?"

"Yes. Zolan ordered me to put poison on all your arrowheads."

Immediately, Evie gave all her arrows to him, and Elias carefully dipped the arrowheads inside the jar one by one. Evie noticed he had ensured that every single arrowhead was fully submerged into the liquid poison before carefully lifting and blowing gently on it to dry before returning it inside the bag.

"These arrows are no longer ordinary arrows, Princess. So please make sure to only use it just when you are truly in dire straits." Elias said as he continued on with his task. "Otherwise, you can just use the ordinary arrows for normal attacks."

"Don't worry, Elias. I fully understand," Evie nodded, watching him intently.

When Elias was done, he held onto the bag of arrows. "Alright, please follow me, princess." He said and Evie felt a surge of thrill within her. Could this mean that Gavriel had not reneged on their agreement? Is he honouring his words in allowing her to come along with him to the battlefront? She was nervous but at the same time, relieved because she was finally leaving the quarters.

Luc and Levy were outside the door when she stepped out. She greeted them and the men bowed at her respectfully before they followed right behind Evie and Elias.

"Where are we going? Did His Highness call for me?" she asked as they leave from the inside of the walls.

"Apologies Your Highness but I haven't seen His Highness yet. It was Zolan who informed me to bring you to the watchtower." The butler replied. Evie blinked but she eventually nodded, telling herself that Gavriel must still be dealing with something important right now. A war was about to break out after all. She just wished that she could see him before the enemies arrive.

As they ascended the stairs to the watchtower, Evie's eyes caught sight of something, and she halted. She saw a man chained and bloodied beyond recognition. She could not help but swallow at what she saw and when she saw a huge bluish wound across his face, Evie instantly recognized that the man was Lorcan.

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A/N: Follow me on instagram @kazzenlx.x