Chapter Thirteen

Gasping, when one brown beast had dropped into the air, Angelique summoned a root, but Carlotta’s reflexes were much quicker, as she quickly intercepted the beast with twin silver whips appearing from her side.

It bawled as its body went flying into a tree, and it never got back up. The remaining Lycans snarled, their red eyes turning black with sadistic revenge.

"Go now, your highness!"

Barking, Carlotta beat her whips against the ground in front of the growling beasts.

With a small nod, she turned Diana to face the Dark Forest. Feeling the soft tap on her side, Diana rushed away from the commotion, her legs splashing in the shallow water as she ran across it towards the eerie environment.

Two Lycans that had managed to evade Carlotta's slashing whips rushed behind them with lightning speed.

When they had gotten a bit too close for comfort, Angelique summoned tree roots to slap against their chest and face. The power of the slaps sent them flying towards a canopy of trees.

Whimpering, they quickly jumped to their feet and resumed the chase.

Angelique gritted her teeth in her mouth and gripped the reign tighter in her hand when one of the Lycan beasts had slammed into Diana's side. It sent them both falling, but before they could touch the ground, she summoned a bed of soft grass to break their fall.

Gathering to her feet, she whispered for her roots to form a barrier to barricade them from the impact of the two Lycan beasts. Pushing it against them with all her might, she sent them flying back to where Carlotta was victoriously fighting against the other two Lycan beasts.

That gave Diana ample time to climb to her foot. Saddling her once again, Angelique frowned when the two Lycan beasts had evaded Carlotta's attacks.

They began to run towards her, their intention: rip her skin from her bones. Now she faced four angry Lycans, but Carlotta was too far to assist.

They are persistent creatures.

Wordlessly agreeing with Diana's thought, Angelique whispered for her trustworthy vines and formed them into a long whip. Controlling such a strong technique with haggard breathing, she slashed against the beasts as soon as they jumped into the air until their blood painted the ground red.

Barely missing two, which went flying through two large trees, she dismissed her vines, for the trees had tumbled over them. A great cloud of dust uprooted in the air from the falling trees. Hearing the Lycans' loud whimpers, Angelique and Diana were relieved. Soon the dust cleared, the Lycans dead, but there was no sign of Carlotta.

A little disoriented, she gazed at the forest that had seemed to creak and groan with the heavy and cold draft blowing from it. She could sense the darkness.

She was afraid, but she needed to leave.

Edging warry Diana on, she raced through the forest in a straight path. The darkness instantly followed. It made her ability to see impossible, but she did waver. Diana increased her speed when she felt the darkness shift. Soon, they arrived in an area where the sun was high up in the sky. The swirling darkness hissed, for it could go no further. It remained on the edge of the forest like a cloak.

Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, Angelique brought Diana to a soft trot as they tread through the unfamiliar area.

Suddenly, a loud and vengeful howl pierced the air. Angelique grew rigid. Increasing Diana's speed, her breath hitched in her throat when a chorus of paws slapping the ground echoed around her. She gasped when six larger and stronger Lycan beasts quickly jumped from tall shrubs and encircled them.

Diana's loudly neighed, her front legs slightly leaving the ground, for her run was interrupted.

Angelique felt her blood turn cold when they slowly drew closer to her. Cornered like a caged animal, she gripped onto the rein until her hands turned white. However, she did not feel helpless. Whispering, she used a technique that her dead mother had taught her. It was something she was both afraid and confident about using.

Called Flower Shower, a disastrous and powerful technique that could even kill the user if not performed well, she summoned a gust of wind to blow through the bright forest. It returned with an array of vibrant, dark, and multicolored petaled flowers. The Lycans were irritated by the wooshing sounds and tried to step closer, but Angelique had formed an invincible shield around them.

Slowly the petals surrounded her, and she closed her eyes in adamant concentration.

Sweat broke on her skin; the technique demanding too much of her manna.

Sensing the familiar technique, since she had witnessed the damage it could cause two centuries ago, Diana suddenly lifted her rump and hind legs into the air, causing Angelique to lose focus and fly into the air with a scream. With fast reflex, she grabbed onto the sturdy branch of a tree above her.

The flower petals fell like rain around both Diana and the snarling beasts.

Upon seeing her dangling like an easy prey from the tree, the Lycans attacked, but a shock wave from Diana's elongated horn sent them flying away.

Releasing the branch to jump near Diana, Angelique was livid.

Diana?! Why did you do that?!

Backing her to the tree, Diana blocked off the link.

Dragging her hoofs against the ground, she bared her teeth with a dark and twisted neigh that had the recovered beasts’ blood boiling with excitement. Unicorn's blood tasted delicious.

Fatigue gripped Angelique, and she sagged against the tree. At that moment, the first beast attacked, and Diana quickly sent him flying with a large gash in his leg towards a tree with her horns. Kicking, biting, puncturing, Diana was fearsome, but she was not invincible.

Suddenly, she fell to her side, when the beasts all at once jumped onto her. Fighting like a wild animal against the fiends, she ignored the many claw strikes and bites.

“Diana, stop this! Release this wall in front of me! You cannot fight them all on your own!"

Banging against the invincible wall that only Diana could create, Angelique's eyes widened with fear, for Diana was slowly losing the unfair fight.

My pet, you must run. I will stall the beasts.

Hearing the faint voice of Diana in her head, Angelique was disobedient, as she shook her head in denial. Her banging increased on the invincible wall with her roots and vines, but it quickly repaired.

“I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO DIE HERE, DIANA! LET ME THROUGH!”

Growling with tears raining down her cheeks, when Diana’s loud and painful neighs were becoming far too aggravating; Angelique screamed when one beast had slashed her twice across her stomach. Summoning water from the suddenly forming rain clouds, she unleashed heavy rain and lightning to strike the ground. That was a technique she had learned from the now-dead elder of the Water Kingdom. It was the resounding technique to create storms.

She called on lightning and struck between the beasts and Diana, who was heavily bleeding.

As soon as the beasts went rushing back every time the lightning stroke, Angelique sensed the invincible wall had crumbled to pieces, indicating Diana was far too weak to uphold the technique.

Falling onto her knees near her bounded pet, whose pain had replaced her adrenaline, Angelique began to cry as she passed her hands over the numerous gashes.

“Why are you so foolish, Diana?! Do you not know what would happen to me if you died?! The invincible wall protecting me would have vanished! You stupid, stupid Unicorn!”

Whining, when the realization of her actions had finally sunk into her skull, Diana’s eyes dilated. Pink blood was flowing from her wounds like a river, while her breathing was irregular. With shaking hands, Angelique pleaded, her voice breaking into uncontrollable sobs.

“No. No. You cannot die! I will not let you! No, Diana, please!"

Screaming, as she tried her best to close the wounds by producing numerous white substances in her hands, Angelique wailed.

“You were a gift mama gave to me. We bonded on the same day, under the same moon. You are my precious Familiar--my Guardian! I... I cannot lose you like my mother, like Caspian, and the others. I do not even know where my father is! Please, do not go!"

Sensing her skin was turning cold, Angelique screamed.

"IF YOU DIE, THE MEMORIES OF MY MOTHER WILL FADE WITH YOU!”

The lighting constantly flashing turned larger with her pain. It was threatening to light the ground on fire, but the pouring rain decreased such potency.

"DIANA? DIANA? DIANA! DIANA!”

Bending her head over shallowly breathing Diana, Angelique’s tears fell like pure white crystals onto the opened wounds.

They rapidly began to close, but it was not enough.

Diana was dying.