Here is the second part of the war.

Enjoy

Chapter Twenty-One

Heart of Courage

Alice starred at the blood in her hand in confusion and shock. It was almost as if she was seeing blood for the first time in her life, half fascinated and half mortified, but all and all she was confused. Why should she bleeding when she is a vampire?

It was almost too impossible to think about that blood was coming from her…her own blood. When was the last time she saw her own blood. But the main question that was running through her mind was…

How was she able to bleed, when she was a vampire?

Then, she raised her head to see her enemy standing across her, her hands straight for the skies which rumbled beneath her commands. Then, the ball of black flames started to come down on the Castle, smashing against the walls as the fires spread through the many homes. The screams of pain and terror echoed around and Alice saw a Sorcerer get caught in flames and in second the black flames consumed him until he was simply a carcasses of burning flesh, and it made her want to thrown up.

Natia launched herself into the sky, and Alice saw the Shadowens had taken over the first wall, since she couldn't see any of the Autelas soldiers except for the dead ones. Swallowing heavily, she stood up, drawing her sword with her. Pain was taking all over her body, but she couldn't let it out now for she had to get to the gates where the men and Sorcerers were running to.

"RETREAT," a soldier was yelling, while he holds a bloody sword in his hand.

Then at that moment a large crash drew Alice's attention seeing a section of a wall, the one that was leading toward the Entrance Gates to see an large creature that resemble an overgrown lizard, but the strange thing was the man on top of the lizard…

She blinked.

It was Samuel.

He was holding on a sword that was shining bright gold in the air before he stabbed in straight into the creature's head. The said creature let out a wail of pain, snarling as Samuel jumped off, did a back flip in midair and landing on his feet.

He was breathing heavily, and had a wound on his arm.

"SAMUEL," she yelled.

The later looked up at the call, surprised.

"What are you still doing here?"

"We have to retreat," Alice told him, "They've taken over the wall…and I wasn't about to leave you here."

"Okay, c'mon let's go," Samuel said running toward the large Gate that separated the first level with the second level.

As they neared, they noticed that they were some soldiers still running through and the Sorcerers were putting a strong defense against the oncoming wave of enemy, as they let the two enter before slamming and barricading the door behind them.

"Quickly, quickly," a soldier was saying to the men whom were putting the barricades up.

They can hear the Shadowen snarling and roaring on the other side as they scratched against the wood of the Gate, but they weren't getting through…at least, not for a while.

"What your name and rank soldier?" Samuel asked him.

"I'm Bohlen my Lord, and my rank is Lieutenant," the man, Bohlen told him.

"Do you know how many soldiers we've lost?" Samuel asked him.

"A great numbers I'm afraid," Bohlen said, his eyes shadowed, "The Elves have been a great hand but, we might not survive the war."

Samuel's eyes were grave as he clenches his hands into fist, blood dripping from his wounded arm. Bohlen may have noticed this and said, "My Lord, Why not visit the House of Healing for this wound. We will need you on the battlefield when it restarts."

Samuel nodded to him.

"I will, meanwhile, you supervise what's going on here and take commands if you have to when it restarts," he told the soldier.

The man gives him a nod.

Samuel walked off, with Alice following him and she winced a little feeling the pain in her side.

"Are you alright Alice?"

"I'm feeling pain all over my body," Alice answered him; "I didn't think that was going to be possible."

Samuel turned toward her, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"You're feeling…pain? Is that normal for your vampire race?"

Alice frowned.

"I…I don't think so," she answered him, "Unless, we got our body ripen apart, other than that," She shrugged her shoulders, "But, the strange thing is…I was bleeding…"

"You've bleed?"

"Yeah, and I know vampires don't bleed…so what's happening to me?"

Samuel shook his head.

"I have no idea,"

They arrived in the House of Healing. It was a large and beautifully designed building that had miraculously hadn't been damaged during the attack upon Autelas. As they arrived a woman, dressed in blue robes noticed them coming and quickly approached.

"My dear Elf, you are wounded," she said, noticing the wound, "Here let me take care of it."

She led Samuel into the building which was filled with people whom were being treated for their wounds. They were mostly soldiers with bandages on their wounded parts and Alice noticed, to her horror, they were a few that had lost limbs.

"We had to cut them off, for the Black Flames doesn't consume their entire body," the woman said noticing Alice's face, "Those are the purest dark arts I have ever seen in my life before…whoever is using them is a master at it…Here we are."

She put Samuel to seat on a chair as she removed his sleeves, taking a look at the nasty gash that was on his arm.

"Were you bitten?" the Healer asked him curious, "This is not a sword mark."

"Yeah…A Warhen," Samuel told her.

The Healer looked at him, stricken.

"A Warhen…Dear me, you're still alive?" she said, "Master Elf, you have quite luck on your side."

She started the Healing treatment on the wounds as her hand started to glow a deep blue color.

"This will only take a few minutes," she told him.

The Darkness was seating by the large column of reddish light as she watched. She didn't bother entering the battle after all; this war is as good as won for if Autelas fall, the rest of the world will follow, since Autelas is the largest and most powerful force that will stand against her campaign. Grinning darkly, she wished she could see the look on Jasmine's face if she could see her home burning into the ground.

Thinking of the Princess, it was a real shame that she had rejected the offering of power. But that was what makes it more interesting, a challenge. Natia was a jealous fool had given in too easily into her power, but the girl was quite adept into Dark magic, and she had done a beautiful job with it.

If only Jasmine had given unto my Power, she thought wistfully, She could have become the Queen of Darkness, a name that would had brought fear many generations after her death. She would have been the One.

The Darkness thoughts were interrupted by the sound of wings batting, making her glance up seeing Natia arriving and landing before her, getting on her knee.

"Update on how the battle is progressing?"

"We have minor casualties," Natia said, "Their numbers have dwindled with my Devastator spell. Autelas will fall before midday."

The Darkness grinned wickedly.

"Who is leading the Army?"

"An Elven warrior," Natia told her.

The Darkness frowned, glancing toward Natia.

"Not Scorpio?"

Natia shook her head.

The Darkness stood up, her eyes narrowing in anger. It was supposed to be Scorpio leading the Army against her. She is supposed to enjoy watching the look on his face when he will be defeated and enjoys his suffering, not some random Elf.

"Scorpio Salvatore is cunning enough to overthrown his own Father, but is cowardly against me," she said, "I will make him pay for this, making an Elf do the job for him. I will enter the battle myself, and murder everyone that stand against me to him, and I will find him…make him suffer, torture him while his world go up in flames."

She picked up her Scythe as the two raven black wings grew out of her back.

"Time to bring fear into the hearts of men," she said, a dark look taking over her face.

Samuel heard the boom-boom of the enemy against the Gate as he seated down. The battle wasn't going well. They had lost quite a good number of their troops, and the enemy was still much stronger and more vicious than they are. He knew they were a good chance that they will not survive this war.

Not unless they bring outside help…

David had been gone for almost two days now, and he was seriously worried that the blonde man won't be arriving in time, only finding the ruins and the dead bodies around what was once Autelas…

Samuel suddenly shook those thoughts from his head.

It wasn't good getting such thoughts in his head when he was fighting. He loved his world, and he was going to fight for it. If The Darkness wants this world, it's going to have to take them from their cold, dead hands.

With a new vigor running through him, Samuel pulled out his sword, drawing the attention of the nearby soldiers, and he climbed on top of a broken wall, looking at the soldiers who were looking at him.

"Soldier of Autelas, hear me," he called.

The group of soldiers rallied around him, all of them wanting to hear what he had to say.

"We have faced many trials in the long history of our world," he said, looking around at them all, "Many dark figures have come to try to destroy us but we have pushed them back with our blood, sweats and tears. We have showed them that they are nothing compared to us. My fellow soldiers, I have seen in your eyes the look that will take the heart of me, and hear me when I say that today is not the day to give up."

A thunderous boom echoed from the gates behind him.

"This Darkness had come to show us that it can destroy us because it wields magic," Samuel said, looking around at them, a new fire burning in his eyes, "But it forgets that we also have something that is stronger within us. Something stronger than any spells or incantations could give. Stronger than the enemy at our doors, stronger than it's wicked and foul spells,"

During his speech, many soldiers were standing up, taking hold of their weapons as Sorcerers took hold of their staffs, and the fire that was showing within Samuel's speech was giving them new strength.

Another thunderous boom as the door shook behind him.

"We wield the Heart of Courage," Samuel yelled, raising his sword into the air.

A loud roar echoed around the many soldiers as many of them were shaking their head in agreement to what he was saying. It was like his words were giving them new hope in their hearts.

"With the Heart of Courage at our possession, no enemy army can withstand our might," Samuel told him, "With this Heart of Courage, we will be victorious."

An thunderous boom and with a loud creaking sound, the Gates gives way from where they were standing and in slow motion they fall into the ground, raising a little dust from beneath them.

Samuel jumped from where he was standing, landing down facing the opened now gateway which showed nothing but Shadowen from beyond it, snarling as their yellowish eyes watched them, but to the Shadowen surprise, the people instead of running, they were now standing fast against them, making them wonder what changed.

But Samuel didn't give them time to wonder for the moment the Shadowen had come into view he raised his palm toward them and yelled,

"Bombardus,"

A large explosion threw the Shadowen backward as they let out squeals of pains and anger, and then Samuel yelled,

"CHARRRRRGE."

With Samuel at the head of the Autelas Army, they charged into the group, all of the soldiers fueled with the power behind Samuel's words, they didn't wonder nor fear anymore. It was as if his words had brought up an old pride of the old days to life, that was making the soldiers fight with a new vigor like nothing the world have ever seen.

For they carries within themselves the Heart of Courage.

Samuel himself was taking down enemies after enemies. It was like he was on a rampage, swinging his sword and magic around, cutting them down like they were nothing. The soldiers around him were fighting hard too, and he let a grin work on his face.

His words have given those brave soldiers something to fight for, and a new courage against an enemy that was said to be terrifying, but with their new strength, this enemy was just another invading army.

The Elf let out a yell as he slashes oncoming Shadowens, before he heard a shluck sound, and turning seeing the dead Shadowen falls down.

"You really need to watch your back," Alice told him, pulling out her sword from the dead monster.

"Thanks for the save," he said, smiling at her.

"Let's take them down," Alice said, "Those things have defiled Jasmine's home for too long."

"Yeah," Samuel said, before the two charged forward.

It was like watching a well choreographed deadly dance of swordplay as the two fought and took down enemies around them. But the battle was growing tiredly hard as more soldiers fell from the Shadowen swords. It was frustrating seeing brave men meet their ends at the hands of such monsters.

Then that was then they heard it.

The sound of a horn ringing loud in the air, reverberating across them

"What is that?" Alice asked, curious.

"The Horn of the Shrine," Samuel whispered, a smile growing on his face.

The Shrine had arrived.

David had come.

Anyone feeling inspired with Samuel's speech? if you really want to, go listen to Two Steps from Hell heart of Courage while reading that part. I did so and it sounded so freaking epic. like something out of Lord of the Rings, but anyway hope you have enjoyed this so far.

Jacques0 out.

R&R.