159 The Traitor Elf 1

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~ELVEN FOREST~

The moment Astrid, Jareth and Little White-Fire came out, the forest midday sun, shone brightly on their faces, illuminating them.

Astrid blinked several times, adjusting her eyes to the foreign light when all of a sudden she heard a shout, not too far from where they stood.

"Attack!!"

"Here comes trouble," she whispered to Jareth.

Jareth quickly wore his hood on, perfectly covering his face from everyone's view. "Get ready Astrid, we have to fight them and escape through the tunnel that Glacier mentioned."

As he spoke, his ears twitched and he paused for some seconds. 

"What? What is it?" Astrid asked.

"Damn it. Astrid fight with all that you have got and perhaps we would be gone before the next batch of soldiers get here."

"What?"

"Reinforcements are on their way here, Astrid, more Elven soldiers."

Jareth took some steps forward and removed his bow from his shoulder. With his eyes fixated ahead, he picked four arrows from his quilt.

With each step he took forward, the soldiers came closer. He strung his bow and arrows and shot at the first four soldiers running at an alarming speed.

All four arrows made their target. Two of his arrows hit two of the soldiers on their shoulders and the other two arrows met the last soldiers on their legs. 

The other soldiers reduced their pace but still advanced. Avery saw this and yelled out her command. "Archers!"

Some of the soldiers took out their bows and arrows and strung them. She raised her right hand and they readied their arrows. She dropped her hand swiftly and they released the arrows right at Jareth.

Astrid who was behind ran in front of Jareth with her hands stretched out in front of her. As the arrows came flooding in and were about hitting their target, a force field was erected.

The moment it landed on the force field, it turned to dust immediately. Jareth was about calling out her name when she rushed in front of him but stopped as he noticed what she was about to do.

What got him stunned was the arrows disintegrating the moment they made home with her force field. That had never happened before. True to what the White Tiger-Phoenix beasts said, their powers were strengthened at the Wellspring of the forest.

Astrid retracted her hands backwards a little and pushed forward. The wind pushed forward and swept the five soldiers that made their way to her on the floor.

Seeing this, Avery got angry. She turned towards the sunlight and controlled its rays, directing it at them. The light was blinding, distracting Astrid and Jareth.

In that moment of distraction, Avery, Callum and the other soldiers closed in, covering the remaining distance between them.

He kicked with his might at the soldier's stomach and hand, causing him to lose his sword. He quickly picked it up and parried the next attack, letting go of her hand.

SWOOSH!

An arrow was shot right at Astrid, Jareth panicked and yelled her name, to warn her in time. 

"ASTRID!"

White-Fire rushed forward, opened its mouth and used blew some air at the incoming arrow, flinging it off course. Astrid finally opened her eyes, she could see better now, although it still felt blurred. 

Quickly, she formed two ice daggers. They were shining with brilliance and were extremely sharp. She took a second to admire her creation and said inwardly, 'Yes, it really did amplify my powers a bit.' 

She turned her gaze to the incoming soldiers. 'Who wants a taste of my blade?'

So far, Jareth and little White-Fire did their best to fight off the more than twenty soldiers and the annoying Princess.

Avery tried her best to pass Jareth and head for Astrid, but he did his best to prevent that while still blocking and dodging the attacks from the other soldiers.

White-Fire didn't waste time as well. It readily spat fire out of its mouth at any one who tried venturing near it and Astrid.

Astrid ran past Little White-Fire and faced off the first soldier. He threw a punch at her and she barely dodged it and reacted quickly against his next blow. She had got to admit, this man really was fast. Faster, than she anyone she had fought with before.

Seeing her fighting and barely being able to dodge the soldier's attack, three other soldiers successfully escaped Jareth and went for her.

He wanted to pursue after them, but he knew right his main focus was the princess and her Lieutenant and so, he gave his utmost attention to them along side some soldiers.

Jareth had taught her well, she was now better in close combat than before. She moved forward and threw her right hand with the dagger at the soldier by her right. He moved his head back, but unknown to him the sly Astrid had other plans.

As soon as he moved his head backward, she used the dagger on her left to stab at his right chest.

"Ahh!" The man screamed in pain.

She twisted the dagger and was about pulling it out when a sword was swung right next to her neck from behind. Astrid quickly, moved to her left and kicked at the man's hand holding the sword with all the energy she could muster.

His sword fell from his hand and he looked at her with alarmed eyes as he noticed she was already pointing a dagger to his neck.

She kicked him hard in his knee and shifted back to her next target. She did not want to use her powers yet. She was being careful lest she killed anyone. If she wanted to forge a path to peace, she couldn't start by continuing the circle of endless murder and revenge.

As the minute went by, more and more Elves left Jareth to the Princess and Lieutenant and closed in on her. 

Little White-Fire did its best to fight off the three soldiers cornering it. It spat fire and wind at them, but they were faster than it and successfully dodged all its attack. One of the men rushed behind it and held one of its wings. 

"Ahh!"

It cried out at the sudden pain it got from its wings being dragged with force. Its cry alerted and distracted Astrid. She turned her head at once towards its direction and saw the soldier still bolding its wings.

In anger, she directed a ball of magic at the soldier. The ball of magic blasted the soldier away from the Little White Tiger-Phoenix beast. She was done playing nice. She wouldn't let anyone hurt her beast companion, let alone Jareth.

For an unknown reason, she felt the pain the little cub felt. It was as though her invincible wing was being pulled on and that got her angry and made her use magic. With her attention divided, she didn't notice when an arrow came flying her way. Well, honestly no one noticed, they were all being carried away by the fight.

SWOOSH!

"Ahh!"

Her mouth hung agape at the impact felt by the poisonous arrow. She stopped moving and slowly blinked. Another soldier took hold of the golden opportunity and stabbed at her side. 

"AHHH!" she cried out as the sharp pain coursed through her.

Astrid turned her head to look at the daring soldier, by now her eyes were a complete change of colours. It shone a crystal ocean blue in one eye and a bright orange sapphire in the other.

Little White-Fire and Jareth saw what had happened. Initially at her cry the first time, everyone had turned their gaze at her, and then at the direction the arrow came from.

Right before their eyes, more than two hundred Elven warriors stood close by a tree not so far from them.

Avery's lips curved up into a triumphant cheeky smile at the sight.

The soldiers didn't waste any more time and ran forward to join the fight. Astrid quickly retreated some steps backward. She pointed her dagger at them, threatening them not to come close.

She knew she wouldn't be able to fight with them anymore with just that. She was already at a disadvantage. An idea popped up into her mind and she did what Jareth taught her. She withdrew and sucked them in.

She winced at the seething pain and dropped her dagger in the process. Seeing their only obstacle gone, they moved closer to her. When she was sure they were close enough, she stretched forth her hand again and the air obeyed her command.

The force accompanying the wind scattered them far from her, giving her a little breathing space. She used this opportunity to pull the arrow out.

'Damn it! How did I not notice their arrival? Astrid is hurt now. I need to hurry to her side.' Jareth scolded himself inwardly.

'Good. Now we have gotten you injured hybrid. And this traitor, it looks like he likes her. Perfect I can use this to my advantage, now that he is distracted.'

Avery took two steps forward and slashed at Jareth's neck. Coming around, he quickly bent his head backwards and escaped her attack. Unfortunately for him, that simple move caused his hood to fall.

The moment he stood straight, his face was revealed to everyone.

"Brother?!"