The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 258: A heart-stirring shout (1)

Chapter 258: A heart-stirring shout (1)

"Where is this?"

"There is a hole in the wall!"

"Is–is that a river?"

Cella turned to the girl, pestering her with questions, and held her hand up. The girl held her questions. Cella knew she shouldn’t be irritated by her but she couldn’t help it. She had too many things on her mind to babysit. Heck, as the leader of this small team, she wasn’t even allowed to mourn. It would come, but later.

It had been just a few minutes since she woke up, but the little princess fired question after question at them.

It took Cella exactly a minute to explain to Elena how she was ordered to bring her to safety. She also explained the things happening in the Temple district.

She expected the girl to throw a tantrum or demand to be taken back to her parents. But she didn’t. She mumbled something about being free and wanting to see flowers and the sun. And then...the questions started.

At first, she felt annoyed and confused by her questions. They weren’t difficult. No, the opposite. They were mundane and almost trivial. Yet, the girl reacted to some common things as if she saw them for the first time. And then a horrible thought struck Cella. What if it was really the first time the girl saw all these things?

It couldn’t be. Right? But the following questions, the girl’s genuine awe at seeing vases with withered flowers, and the river, convinced Cella she was on the right track. And it pained her.

Cella stood with her team at the shore of the river. She eyed the boat held in place by a thick rope.

"It seems Mr. Silver didn’t lie to us. There is indeed a boat here. We will take this to reach further north. Our destination will be Grindeston."

...

"Open the gates!"

Gabriella pushed through the crowd and shouted. The sentries eyed her from above but no one moved. They didn’t attack her. Others might not know, but the captain manning the gates knew her real identity. He didn’t dare to injure a princess. Even if she ran away and lived on her own.

"I am sorry. We have our orders. Please take it up with the prince."

He didn’t say ’brother’ to remain as neutral as he could. Never meddle in the affairs of royals. That was something his former captain taught him. And he never forgot that lesson. Not even after he left him dying during a scouting mission.

"He isn’t here anymore. He fled. So, unless you wish to follow orders and die at our hands, I suggest you open these damn gates."

When the captain heard Grabriella’s shouts and saw the crowd stir once more, he struggled to decide. If she was speaking the truth then he was at risk of getting killed. And if she was lying, he would be beheaded or worse...stripped from his post.

Neither option appealed to him. As he struggled to decide, his trusted aide pointed at the officials gathering and joining the crowd. They tried to mix without attracting attention but the sentries knew the people by heart. The important ones, at least.

Seeing the officials ready to flee, the captain stopped hesitating. He ordered the guards to open the gates.

Usually, it took some time to open the heavy gates fully. But as soon as the gates creaked, the crowd helped push and almost dragged them open. Everyone filed out.

The chaos prevented the captain from leaving his post. There was no place to climb down. Looking at the swaying beam of golden light, unease filled the heart of the captain.

He tried to cheer himself up by thinking there would be enough time to escape. He always managed to do so, unless Fate had changed.

...

Hiss.

Hex stared at the broken monolith. The black tendrils coming out of it filled the air with a stifling pressure.

Hex’s peak knight-tier body creaked and spasmed under the pressure. His breath grew haggard. And the burning sensation in his chest increased.

Despite the pain, Hex continued to stare at the tendrils in silence. The tendrils flickered and licked. The blood dripping on it disappeared as soon as they fell. The drips turned into streams. And the tendrils grew.

To Hex they looked like starving snakes, wanting to devour all the blood and the source of it. The hiss intensified as they grew. Hex stood there, trying to grasp the sight before him.

But when the tendrils lapped onto the heart in the King’s hand, his heart, everything started to click. It should have been obvious when the King cut open his chest and yanked his heart out. Despite being bones and skin, the fire in the man’s eyes threatened to set the world ablaze. His mutterings didn’t make sense yet burnt the golden beam of light. Literally. The beam lost a thin sliver of its size when the King invoked some sort of entity.

Hex shuddered. His heart thumped in his chest. He knew he had to stop it. He tried to push himself up but the pressure pushed him down. His still recovering muscles tore down. Red spots appeared on his limbs. A sense of weakness filled him.

He gritted his teeth. He had to stop it. But it was too late. The tendrils had finished devouring the King’s heart.

Hex heard the King roar. His roar didn’t lose to the one of the Frost Dragon. He watched the King change. His limbs elongated, and his fingers turned into talons. The sharpness of which sent sparks and parted the wind. His legs turned into the hind legs of a canine with dark flames wrapped around them. The ice melted under its heat. And his face changed. The eyes hollowed out, the ears increased in size, the nose flattened, and the mouth turned into a maw. Sharp, razor-like teeth glistened. The roar turned into a screech. A screech that blasted the air caused the beam to sway and the snow to melt.

Hex met the hollow eyes of the King. Only, it wasn’t the King anymore. It was a Heartless Sinner.

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