Scarlett (Second Edition) by Karima Saad Usman novel Chapter 214

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Bound to the Ruthless Elven Prince

Chapter 66 Chapter 66: Specters and arrows

Prince River

I had lost track of how long I had been running. The belladonna lingered thick in my blood, dulling my senses and smothering the sweef power that had always answered my will. I reflexively tried to summon it, as if reaching for a sword that was no longer there, but found nothing. The emptiness was more devastating than fear; it was humiliating. Without my sword or my power, I was little more than human, running from figures that did not belong in this world. I had spent days trying to understand those figures, but I never gained any knowledge. Judging by how things were going, that knowledge would come far too late.

I could not see them, but I could feel them. They were a constant presence, like a breath that was not my own.

I was afraid to eat anything in this forest where these creatures breathed and moved. I found no water, only anguish, loneliness, and urgency. I ran, searching for a place to hide. After a few moments, I found peace, my body already accustomed to sensing the specters. I moved an inch and could tell if they were far or near. They were looking for me.

Branches tore at my skin, and the pain came late, delayed by the poison. When it arrived, it burned with a sickening intensity. Dawn brought no relief. It was a gray, diseased light that only exposed me. I hid in a low, damp cave, my chest tight, telling myself that a prince does not tremble, though my body refused to listen. I had never imagined myself so vulnerable. At times, I wondered if anything of me would remain after seventy-two hours. Whether I would even make it a few hours more.

I moved from shelter to shelter, unable to stay in one place. Time lost its shape. Days dissolved into a succession of escapes, and my mind fractured

alongside them.

I ventured deeper into the forest, knowing every step was a mistake. When the white flowers first appeared, I knew the corruption had likely already spread too far. The trees were withered and twisted, as if standing by spite rather than by life. Some bore patches of white bark.

Perhaps by moving farther away, I could find a way out or draw them away from me. But more importantly, I had to start finding my way back to the castle. If I survived, time would pass and I had to return. I had to return, if not for my own will to live, then for hers.

Though I was not particularly religious, I deeply trusted my prophecy. Still, in a moment of desperation when the distant whispers ceased, and the sighs calling my name faded, I knelt and begged the Light of the Forest for mercy.

“Let me at least leave this place. Let me see her one last time. I would just take her out of the castle. I could ensure her safety. That was all I asked

If anything happened to me, I was certain Briar would help her. Yet even my sister was in danger. I had brought them both into terrible per imminent and real, all because I had dared to defy my brothers and believed I could forge a better future for my people. But the world itself seemed to resist. Perhaps I was just a foolish dreamer.

Then I heard a sound. It was not the specters, but something more natural. When I found it, it was a cruel Husion: a small stream, likely branching off from the main one that led to the castle. The water was clear and icy, and I clung to it as if it were absolution. I took off my boots. I drank until I felt dizzy. I submerged myself, ignoring the cold and silently begging the water to let me forget. He was alive; there was still hope. I had to do it.

I swam to the other side, but the white stones dragged me back to reality. A completely white fish swam near me, and something inside my chest shattered.

The figures began to take shape among the trees, translucent and weightless, and I understood then that I had never been alone. I searched for a sharp stone, knowing how useless the gesture was, but needing to feel something solid in my hand that would obey me.

“The elves know,” the voice said again.

still wondered how Moss had managed to escape this.

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Chapter 66 Chapter 66: Specters and arrows

I burled stones at them as I fled I screamed nonsense words; nly throat was raw and torn. I left the stream without my boots, my feet bleeding, my body hurning with fever. Then the voices came again, closer now.

‘He has royal blood.”

“The elves know.”

Desperate, I kept moving, constantly glancing over my shoulder. I followed the stream, knowing it would lead me to the castle, my only chance of finding the right path. Enough time had already passed. This could not be my end. But fate has strange ways of proving that reality is not always what we believe.

That was when I heard it, the whistle of air being sliced.

I dodged on pure instinct, yet the arrow still struck my shoulder. The impact knocked the breath from my lungs. Others whistled past my ears; one grazed my ribs. Another embedded itself in my leg, causing me to stumble. I fell to my knees and rolled through leaves and roots. I ended up near the stream, my mind racing with dreadful thoughts about who my tormentor might be.

I tore the arrow from my shoulder with a muffled groan. Blood poured out immediately, soaking my fingers. The shaft was crude and poorly made. It was not

a spectral weapon. It bore no white stains. It was real.

“There he is!” I heard. I heard men’s voices.

Another arrow skimmed past my face. This time, it nearly struck my feet. I dragged my body through roots, branches, and thorns, driven by sheer, desperate

stubbornness.

“Don’t let him live!”

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