Reborn To Change My Fate-Chapter 329 - Three Hundred And Twenty Eight

The forty royal guards rallied instantly. They raised their sharp swords and charged forward across the snowy courtyard, yelling battle cries.

But Derek’s delay had worked perfectly. He had bought enough time. The Elite shadows had eliminated the archers that were positioned for emergency attacks.

Suddenly, from the high stone walls of the courtyard and the dark roofs of the manor, black shapes dropped down into the falling snow. They moved faster than the eye could follow.

The Elite Shadows had finally arrived.

They landed gracefully between Derek and the charging royal guards. They were dressed entirely in black leather, their faces hidden behind dark masks. They drew their curved, deadly blades in unison, swinging it and took their stance.

"Protect His Grace and Her Grace!" the leader of the Shadows shouted, his voice piercing through the chaos.

A brutal bloodbath immediately occurred in the courtyard.

The royal guards swung their heavy swords, but the Shadows were elite assassins. They moved like dark water, dodging the heavy strikes and countering with lightning-fast slashes. Blood sprayed brightly across the pristine white snow. Men screamed in pain as swords pierced armor and flesh. The sound of clashing steel rang out into the winter night.

Limbs were severed. Bodies fell heavily onto the cold stones. The white snow quickly turned into a slippery, dark red mud.

Prince Liam stood on the steps, watching his men die. He was boiling with madness.

"Archers!" Liam screamed toward the upper balconies of the manor.

For a while there was silence. Then the sounds of heavy boots rushed in, distributing themselves evenly.

From the second-floor balcony, a new line of royal archers had appeared from the shadows. They raised their wooden bows, pulled the strings back tightly, and aimed directly at the gates where Derek and Marissa were.

They fired. A deadly volley of arrows hissed through the air.

Derek reacted instantly. He pushed Marissa behind his broad back, shielding her completely with his own body. He raised his heavy longsword. His arm was a blur of motion.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Derek expertly blocked the incoming arrows with the flat blade of his sword, deflecting them away into the snow.

In the middle of the chaotic courtyard, Ashlyn was frozen in terror.

She was caught right in the crossfire between the royal guards and the Elite Shadows. The fighting was happening all around her. Swords swung inches from her face. Blood splashed onto her torn dress.

An arrow shot down from the balcony. It missed Derek and flew straight toward Ashlyn’s face.

Ashlyn widened her eyes in pure fear. She could not move her feet. She just stared at the sharp metal arrowhead flying toward her.

Marissa saw her. Despite all the hatred, despite the betrayal, Marissa’s basic human instinct took over.

Marissa darted out from behind Derek’s back. She reached out and pushed Ashlyn hard by the shoulder.

She pushed Ashlyn away in the nick of time. The deadly arrow flew right past Ashlyn’s ear and buried itself deep into the wooden door of a nearby carriage.

Before another arrow could be fired at Marissa, a tall Shadow stepped firmly in front of her and Derek. The Shadow raised a thick, round metal shield, protecting them both from the deadly rain of arrows.

Derek grabbed Marissa tightly by the waist, pulling her back against his chest. His heart was hammering.

"The Shadows will take care of matters here," Derek said loudly over the sounds of the dying men. "I need to get you to safety right now."

He began to pull her backward through the large iron gates.

Ashlyn, however, was not so lucky.

When Marissa pushed her, Ashlyn stumbled backward right into the very center of the brutal melee fight. She lost her balance and fell to her knees in the red, slippery snow.

A royal guard, blinded by the falling snow and panicking as a Shadow attacked him, swung his heavy sword wildly behind him.

The sharp steel blade caught Ashlyn perfectly across her stomach.

It was a deep, terrible slash. Ashlyn let out a high, piercing scream of pure agony. She dropped to the ground, her hands clutching her bleeding stomach, trying to hold herself together. The pain was beyond anything she had ever felt.

Liam, standing safely on the high steps, saw the Grand Duke slipping away. He did not care about Ashlyn bleeding on the ground.

"Kill them!!!" Liam shouted frantically to his archers. "Do not let them escape!"

Another set of archers fired a second, massive volley of arrows blindly into the fighting crowd in the courtyard.

Ashlyn tried to crawl away, leaving a thick trail of blood in the snow. She looked up at the sky.

Three stray arrows plunged forcefully downward. They hit her all at once. One arrow buried itself deep into her chest, piercing her lung. Another struck her collarbone. The third arrow plunged straight into her throat.

Ashlyn’s scream was cut off instantly. Her body jerked violently on the ground. She fell backward into the bloody snow. She gasped for air, but only blood filled her mouth. Her pale eyes stared blankly up at the dark, snowy sky. She died right there in the snow, forgotten and trampled by the boots of fighting men.

Marissa and Derek had already reached the safety of the dark street just outside the iron gates. The Elite Shadows held a firm defensive line, blocking anyone from following them out.

Prince Liam watched his enemies slipping into the dark night. His trap had completely failed. His royal guards were being slaughtered in his own courtyard.

He slammed his fist furiously against the stone pillar of the stairs. His red eyes burned with a murderous, obsessive light. He was not going to let them win. He was not going to let Derek walk away with his life.

Liam turned to the terrified servant standing near the doorway.

"Get me my bow and coated arrows," Liam commanded. His voice was cold, deadly, and entirely serious.