Mated To The Cruel Prince-Chapter 902: Failure Was Not An Option

The battle was far more brutal than Aldric had anticipated. His face, arms, and armor were soaked with blood with some of it his own, and most of it his enemies’.

The monstrous horde, which had been waiting for them, was better prepared than they had expected. Clearly, their element of surprise from yesterday had tipped off the monsters, who now seemed almost tactical in their onslaught.

Maxi as expected was with him. They fought like they shared one mind; their movements were perfectly attuned to each other. Where he struck, she guarded; where she advanced, he cleared the path.

Though the soldiers fought bravely, it was Maxi’s fierce instincts and experience that turned the tide, even if only slightly. She knew his every gesture and could read his movements as naturally as her own. Without her presence, Aldric would have been forced to fight with much less coordination and precision.

As he fought, Aldric took a grim look at the battlefield around him. The general had severely underestimated the enemy’s numbers. They were overwhelmed, and any semblance of order between the offensive and defensive teams had dissolved; everyone was fighting to survive. What had begun as an organized sweep had devolved into a brutal struggle to hold their ground. Even so, Aldric and Maxi pressed forward, leading the charge to protect those fae who remained.

Yet, his heart grew heavier with each fae they failed to rescue. Just as he’d feared, there were fewer and fewer survivors. Most were dead, and many were simply gone, likely taken hostage. Aldric knew that, even before the barrier’s final collapse that the monsters occasionally slipped through small gaps, raiding nearby villages and towns.

However, those smaller attacks had been manageable, the monsters quickly dispatched by him whenever he was available or fae soldiers. But this... this was different. There were more of them, and they were organized, even strategic, as if they were following orders.

The realization crept over Aldric with a chill: these monsters were no longer just mindless beasts. They were moving like soldiers, executing strategies, and rallying under some unifying force. It was as if they had a leader, a king.

The possibility unsettled Aldric to his core. A king meant intelligence, ambition, a single purpose uniting all these creatures in a shared cause. A true king would only conquer or die trying. If these monsters were being led by such a figure, there would be no easy end to this war.

Thanks to that realization, Aldric felt an uneasy pang gnaw at him, growing with each passing moment. He scanned the battlefield, heart hammering as he searched for Islinda. She was somewhere up ahead, buried in the thick of the fight.

As the general wanted, he confronted the monsters head-on. While he admired her strength and courage, right now, Aldric longed to have her close, where he could protect her. Unfortunately, the chaos swirling around him made it impossible to watch her so he had to keep fighting, even as dread clawed at his insides.

Suddenly, a shout rang through the din, and he saw the witch Ava raise her hand, murmuring an incantation. The air thickened with shimmering, blue magic as she began to open a portal. Ava poured all her energy into maintaining the gateway, and the strain was visible on her face as the portal grew wide enough for escape.

"Go! Go! Go!" Maxi shouted, her voice cutting through the clash of steel and snarls of the monsters.

She waved at the huddled fae who had been freed from the monsters’ grasp, urging them to move. The survivors, many of them bleeding and exhausted, didn’t wait for further encouragement. They staggered, limped, and crawled toward the portal with desperate urgency, clutching wounds and supporting one another. freewebnøvel.coɱ

For someone who was not supposed to care,

Aldric was relieved when he saw the fae pouring through it. But then, something happened.

Just as the last few stragglers neared the portal, a sudden scream echoed from Ava and she stumbled back, clutching her shoulder where a monster’s magic had struck. Blood seeped between her fingers, and her concentration wavered.

In that split second, the portal began to waver, its edges sizzling and contracting erratically. The last fae, caught halfway through, froze in terror. There was a sizzling sound, then a brutal, sickening snap.

The portal shut, severing the unlucky fae in half. The upper part of his body disappeared safely into the other side, while the remaining half collapsed to the ground, blood pooling in an expanding red stain.

The faeries nearby recoiled, horrified screams rising from their ranks as the gruesome scene unfolded before them. It dawned on them the battlefield struck harder than any weapon, survival was merciless, and even the smallest misstep could mean death.

Aldric’s face contorted with fury and raw grief, his jaw clenched so tightly it ached. His spear trembled in his hand as he spotted the monster that had wounded the witch.

With a savage precision, he drove the spear straight through the creature’s chest, the force of the strike pinning it to the wall behind. Its hideous scream was cut short, leaving an eerie silence around him as he turned to face the witch.

Aldric turned immediately, his dark eyes locking onto the injured witch.

"Raise the portal now!" He commanded her.

Ava hesitated, clutching her injured shoulder, her face paling as she glanced at him.

A young fae soldier at her side bristled, stepping forward in her defense. "But she’s injured and might not be able to—"

Aldric’s gaze whipped toward the soldier, and the deadly intensity in his eyes silenced him immediately.

He shifted his gaze back to Ava, a hardened determination in his tone as he spoke. "Listen to me carefully, raise that portal and hold it steady. If one more fae life is lost because of your mistake, you’ll have me to answer to."

The battlefield had stripped everyone of luxury, even of compassion. However, Ava knew Aldric was right even though his words stung. Mistakes on this battlefield meant death, and though exhaustion clung to her bones, she had no choice but to obey. She was responsible for the lives on her end.

Her hands shook as she began summoning energy. Ava extended her good arm, channeling magic that sparked and hummed as it materialized.

Gritting her teeth, Ava poured her remaining strength into the portal, willing it to grow stable, to hold fast this time. The portal shimmered again into existence, though the edges flickered from her fatigue. It was imperfect, but it was there.

Failure was not an option; she had just lost one life and knew the dark Fae prince would tolerate no more.