CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The sun was starting to set beneath the horizon. Sir Fellis ran through the streets knowing that Jorus had a head-start as well as a horse. If he was going after Blanche then he would already have been at his home. Sir Fellis panicked. His heart raced and pounded in his chest. He was fearful for his wife. Sir Fellis could see his house ahead. He started to relax but then he saw the horse of a royal guard tied off on the side of his home. Sir Fellis drew his sword and picked up his pace. He saw the front door was kicked open as he approached the front porch. Jorus came strolling into the doorway as he came to the stairs of his porch.

"Where is my wife Jorus?" Sir Fellis asked through clenched teeth. Jorus appeared to be wiping something from his sword blade just out of view inside the doorway.

"Blanche is a beautiful maiden, Fellis." Jorus taunted. Sir Fellis lunged forward only to meet the blade of Jorus with his own. Jorus pushed him back and the fight moved out of the house and into the yard. Every strike that Sir Fellis through was easily slapped away. Jorus was an amazing swordsman. Jorus kicked Sir Fellis in the chest of his breastplate armor and sent him flying backwards. Sir Fellis swung his sword wildly at Jorus but he slapped the wild swing aside with ease and thrust his sword forward. Sir Fellis side-stepped but the blade still found his side and cut him deep. Sir Fellis staggered as he clutched his wound.

"I have been waiting for this day since your father dishonored mine publicly all those years ago." Jorus growled as he swung a powerful blow that was meant to sever the Sir Fellis' head from his body. Sir Fellis ducked and rolled backwards. He came up to his feet with his sword held aloft with one hand and his other hand over his wound.

"Your father dishonored himself after you were scolded for bullying me in school. We were children!" Sir Fellis barked as he stabbed his sword at Jorus. Jorus smacked the blade aside. Eleanor, Dog and the others were coming up the street.

"Your friends are next after I'm done with you." Jorus threatened and then cut at the side of Sir Fellis. Sir Fellis roared and charged forward accepting the wound. He drove his sword with both hands through the heavy armor of the former captain of the royal guard and out his back.

"You should not have threatened the life of the princess," Sir Fellis growled through clenched teeth. Jorus looked up to the sky as his heart stopped beating and fell to the ground lifeless. Sir Fellis collapsed beside him with a sword deep within his side and stuck in his armor. Sir Fellis struggled to remain conscious and started crawling towards his home. Eleanor could barely hold his eyes open.

"Blanche," he gasped before he faded away. Eleanor held his head in her lap and Dog stood by her side. Sir Sendrick and the others came running up.

"Check the house," Eleanor instructed them. Sir Sendrick nodded and ran inside. Eleanor chanted a minor healing spell but it was not enough to stem the wounds Sir Fellis had received. Annalisa knelt beside Eleanor and yanked the sword free of the armor and the flesh of Sir Fellis. She tossed it aside and tried to remove the breast-plate. It was not an easy feat but she managed and tossed it aside as well.

"Your spells should wok now," Annalisa said.

"I only had one prepared," Eleanor gasped. Sir Sendrick came back out of the house shaking his head.

"Where is Blanche?" Eleanor asked.

"I don't know. She wasn't inside." Sir Sendrick replied.

"Use your power of healing on Sir Fellis, quickly." Annalisa barked. Sir Sendrick knelt and focused. He prayed and positive energies flowed from his hand into Sir Fellis closing the wounds slightly.

"I am still growing in power. I can do nothing more." Sir Sendrick said sadly. The sun finally set below the horizon and King Solaris arrived in a blinding blur. Eleanor watched fearfully as her father pushed in by Sir Sendrick. The wound was still very deep and the bleeding had not yet stopped. Eleanor knew that her father could not use magic to heal him or else he could die.

"There is no one in the city that can heal this," King Solaris said after inspecting the wound.

"Is he dying?" Eleanor asked. King Solaris looked his daughter in her eyes.

"Not today," he replied and began praying. He summoned the positive healing power through his negative energy-powered body.

"No father?" Eleanor gasped. The healing power of positive energy flowed through his negative energy powered body and into the wounded and motionless body of Sir Fellis. King Solaris turned gray and crumbled into ashes. Eleanor watched helplessly as the remains of her father blew away on the gentle breeze. She cried.