I am entrusting you with Princess Aislinn’s life. Do not fail me.

Rowan forced his body to move through the fear and shock he felt after ending a person’s life. That numb feeling wouldn’t go away, but he fought through it as he blocked a heavy strike from an imposing axe wielder.

He struggled against the mighty axe that would cleave him in two if given the chance. Rowan knew he wouldn’t win in a direct contest of strength, so he angled his blade to the side and used his opponent’s strength against him.

The soldier lost his balance and stepped forward. Rowan kicked his foot beneath him, tripping the larger enemy. He carried his momentum and impaled the Leòideach soldier from behind. As before, he watched his defeated foe crumble to the ground.

“Well done, boy,” Ceallach gently praised him. “It will never get easier. Ending a life is not something to be celebrated, but it is sometimes necessary to preserve the lives of your friends and family.” The master swordsman patted his shoulder. “The day you feel nothing on the battlefield is the day you should truly be concerned, because it means your soul has dimmed.”

“Thanks,” Rowan replied in a quiet voice. He felt the wind rip by him as Isolde ran past him. She grinned as she cleaved a soldier in twain with her axe. With her axe planted in one soldier, she spun around on the handle and kicked another hard to the ground. She pulled her axe free and impaled the downed soldier with the narrow pommel.

Rowan gripped the handle of his sword harder, steeling himself for battle. “I came here to fight, didn’t I? That’s what I’ll do.” He rushed the nearest soldier and let his instincts guide him. He engaged with another swordsman and pressed forward. His adrenaline and reckless style caught the soldier off guard. He avoided a horizontal slash and followed up with one of his own, beheading his opponent and watching the man fall with his head less than a foot from him.

He heard something heavy drop behind him. Rowan turned and saw Aislinn give him a playful wink as she aimed her bow in his direction. He looked down and saw a soldier with three arrows in his back.

Isolde appeared and took a firm hold of Rowan’s forearm. “Don’t get distracted in battle!” She warned him, a clever grin showing how much she enjoyed fighting. “Aim true!” She commanded seconds before she threw him into an enemy. A confused Rowan could only hold his sword out and manage to stab through the soldier’s armor and pierce his chest.

Rowan landed on top of the enemy with a thud. He desperately scrambled to his feet and pulled his sword free as the soldier beneath him stopped moving. Guirmean ran past him, drawing his attention. He watched the royal knights fight in complete sync. They supported and covered for one another as they bested a large group with relative ease.

Battle horns rang through the area, and with them, a new wave of enemies flooded from the encampment. Rowan held his sword ready and braced himself as three soldiers charged him at once.

A bright light shone from behind him. He turned and saw Aislinn cloaked in a bright aura. She fired a glowing arrow into the air and compelled it to divide as it arched downward. A rain of arrows descended upon the Leòideach soldiers as they charged into the fray. The soldiers fell one after another. Isolde cut down the three that charged Rowan while they were distracted.

Domhnall laughed in triumph. He hid behind his largest guards, but he remained on the battlefield despite not being a warrior.

“Why are you laughing? Aislinn just mowed down like half of your guys, gramps.” Rowan asked him while aiming the tip of his blade at his ancestor.

Domhnall ended his laugh with a vile smirk. “I just needed the princess to use her magic on my men. Any one of them would have done,” he spoke ominously. “A bit of the Danans’ light magic as a catalyst and the sacrifice of so many of my men to weaken the seal Mairwen placed on Aonghas and his demons.”

Aislinn narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on her bow. “You forged a pact with Aonghas and tied yourselves to the seal.”

“You sold yourselves to the god of demons! He will bring death to this entire world!” Sèitheach roared. He readied himself to advance on Domhnall and cut him down.

Domhnall didn’t say a word to confirm her suspicions. A dark beam erupted from a nearby lake and pierced the sky. A wave of corrupting energy rippled outward at incredible speeds.

“Get close to me!” Aislinn ordered. Rowan and the others gathered around her while Aislinn cast a protective spell. A barrier of light formed, protecting them from Aonghas’s dark influence. Domhnall and his soldiers had no such fears. They merely stood there and let the darkness wash over them. The fallen soldiers rose once more, a dim glow in their eyes. Their bodies morphed into the same type of demons Rowan saw attack his home. Jet-black skin, claws, fangs, and a visible desire to kill.

Domhnall’s laughter bellowed across the battlefield once again. The darkness dissipated and left a deadened forest in its wake. “I will sit upon the throne of Corbenic! I will become its eternal king!”

“And what price have you paid?! Your very soul?!” Aislinn raged.

“Hah. No. Aonghas desired proper demons to release him, beings who possessed their own magic. The first beings created by Mairwen,” Domhnall replied. “He wants the Danans of Annfayn to serve him. They know how the seal was made, and they know exactly how to release it.”

Pure anger and hatred burned within Aislinn. She aimed her bow at Domhnall, determined to strike his blackened heart with one single arrow. Rowan stood beside her as the dark soldiers and demons marched towards them.

A large wall of flames erupted from the ground, halting both sides. “Return to Annfayn and warn the king and queen!” Bríd commanded Rowan, Aislann, and Isolde.

“What? We can’t leave you to take them all on!” Rowan barked.

Ceallach chuckled. “A warrior’s voice and sentiment. I believe I shall train you myself when all of this is over,” he decided. “Go, now. We will hold them off until reinforcements arrive or until we are forced to retreat ourselves.” He turned to Rowan. “I am entrusting you with Princess Aislinn’s life. Do not fail me.”

“Just make sure you and your friends make it out alive. Don’t make us bury you.” Rowan told him. Ceallach grinned and nodded a promise to meet again.

Rowan sheathed his sword and grabbed both Aislinn’s and Isolde’s wrists. He pulled them away from Ceallach’s party. They offered no resistance and followed him at his pace. Aislinn whistled and summoned three horses to them.

Rowan hurried the girls onto their horses. “Go!” He barked as soon as he had seated Aislinn. Rowan pushed Isolde onto her horse, but before he could issue the same order, Isolde pulled him up, sat him behind her, and rode off right behind Aislinn.

“Don’t be afraid to hold me close,” Isolde almost purred as she held one of his arms around her waist. “I would have put you in front of me, but you’re not a strong rider. Yet. I’ll give you plenty of lessons later.”

Rowan would have been happy to see a cute girl flirt with him, but the timing seemed off. “Is now the best time for this?”

Isolde chuckled. “Your book exists. We know this battle ends in our victory,” she answered. “The Danans aren’t so weak as to be caught unaware by a surprise attack, and Annfayn is heavily fortified. A great barrier surrounds the city. Not even flying demons can pass overhead. They’ll be fine.”