บท 57: Saved

Amanda was gasping for air. She was taking slow steps backward with her hands up. She gulped upon seeing the deviled look on the faces of Plethoran men determined to get her.

"Hyah!" One man swung its blade and Amanda ducked, missing her by a few inches.

Seeing the other, already holding up the blade above his head, Amanda purposely slid herself under, in between the feet of her earlier assailant, getting past them again in seconds.

She promptly got up and swiveled her body, throwing a kick against one man.

Her opponent lost his balance and fell to the floor, but the other continued to strike against Amanda.

It was because Amanda was used to commanding her fire out, forming into a blade that she unconsciously ordered the same.

Just as the Plethoran's blade was about ten inches away, she acted to hold a sword like she used to back when her powers were in full strength.

"Hyyyaaaahhh!" She screamed while moving her hands forward.

In a fraction of a second, a yellow light sprung out of her wrist and she was suddenly holding up a golden sword.

A loud crashing sound of two blades echoed through the large underground halls of the castle and another sound of heavy metal followed, falling against the stone floor.

The Plethoran's mouth hung open. His eyes enlarged in horror. His blade was cut through by the sudden emergence of a golden sword in Amanda's hand. He had never seen anything like it. No blade with such strength could easily cut through pure metal such as the weapon they held.

Amanda was equally dumbfounded. For a second she was left dumbstruck by the beautiful sword in her hand. She could not help but remark, "Ohhhh... Cool."

She was saved by the golden blade that she knew nothing about. Nor did she realize it had been hiding inside her all along.

"You - you are a witch!" Told her adversary.

The other Plethoran, who was earlier down on the floor, also saw the sudden appearance of Amanda's sword. He echoed the same, "She has black magic! We should kill her now!"

Amanda knew there was no way around it. It was her life or theirs. She had to take theirs.

While the man before her was still calling her a witch, she struck him with the blade, leaving the Plethoran groaning in pain.

Yet again, Amanda was left in astonishment at the strength of the golden sword. While it was heavy, it efficiently penetrated through her opponent's armor and chest.

"Ahhhhhh!" Screamed her other adversary, raising up a sword above him and preparing to hit Amanda.

Getting ready, Amanda took a full turn before equally giving it all her stretch, striking back with the weapon in her hand.

Like what happened earlier, the Plethoran's sword was cut it half, and it fell to the floor, sliding inches away from them.

Right at that very moment, while the adversary was still in shock, he saw her earlier tightened eyes growing wide.

"Hyaaaaah!" With one thrust against his chest, the man's armor fell off him, a wide cut against his torso left him bleeding and falling to the floor.

For seconds Amanda stood above the fallen men. She panted as she clenched her other hand into a fist. She watched as their life was taken away by the golden sword.

Her eyes flickered, realizing Christopher's men may still be in a fight, but just as she looked back, she heard her name being called.

"Miss Amanda! Miss Amanda!" It would seem to her that two soldiers took care of Diana's men.

Her heart suddenly raced. She perceived she would need to explain the presence of the golden sword.

While she was thinking this, the yellow light reappeared, once again, binding into her wrist, and gradually, the golden blade disappeared in her hand. She covered her mouth and remarked, "Damn, that was really cool. What in the world was that sword?"

"Miss Amanda!" Called again one of Christopher's soldiers.

Thinking of how to make out of what happened, she frantically took the broken swords and struck it against her adversaries. Only then did she call out to them. "I'm here!"

"Miss Amanda!"

She rolled her eyes as to how they addressed her as a miss. It was Christopher's orders. It was either a "Miss" or a "Lady." She preferred the less formal.

"I'm here! I'm here!" She repeated out, leaning against the wall and holding her wounded arm.

When the two of them found Amanda, they were relieved, but when they saw the two fallen Plethoran men, they were in utter disbelief. They heard her say, "They were - attacking me then - then one hit the other by accident!"

She pointed from one Plethoran to the other and said, "He struck back! They were - they were forcefully letting out their swords that it - it broke in the end!"

Amanda looked at the two soldiers and rotated her finger at the side of her head and said, "They -they went crazy."

"Crazy?" Asked one soldier.

"Ummm... Insane! Foolish! Mad! Crazy," she explained further.

The two soldiers were in total shock. Still, what mattered most was how Amanda was alive, and they promptly brought her to the courtyard where the rest of the guards continue to stand behind their lady Cassy.

In the middle of the castle grounds, Cassy and Diana continued to raise voices at each other. Their screams were so loud, they all missed hearing the flapping wings of Aeros' men, returning from the north.

"You have gone too far, Daina!" Screamed Cassy. Pointing at the servant, she added, "let go of her now! She would never steal anything!"

"You would believe the word of a servant!" Diana retorted. "She a mere pest!"

"She is a trusted servant of Aeros' castle, Diana! What kind of accusation is this?!" Everyone turned to find their Master Theo, descending from the sky, slowly waggling his wings.

Theo's eyes became enraged, seeing the daughter of his trusted servant being pulled by the hair by Diana. It was his first time to witness the ruthlessness of Plethora's successor. He never expected the tales of his son and daughter were true.

Frightened of having been found out, Diana quickly let go of the girl's hair, pushing her down to the ground. The girl cried even harder as Cassy walked towards her.

Diana reasoned, "It's - it's not what you think, Master Theo. This girl - this girl stole from me - "

"She is no thief. She is the daughter of my most trusted servant. Her father has served me many years and so did her forefathers!" Revealed Theo.

Before Diana could make up another excuse, they heard men call out to their ruler, "Master Theo! Master Theo!"

Two of Christopher's men came rushing to the courtyard, with cuts on their arms. They announced, "Diana's men had attacked us suddenly!"

Behind them was Amanda, also wounded in her arm.

"Let's not jump into a conclusion here!" Said Diana. "There must be a perfect explanation!"

"There is no better explanation!" It was Christopher, also flying down from the sky. He saw Amanda holding her wounded arm and said, "This must be all an act so she can go after Amanda."

"As I told you, father. Diana is a scheming person who cares not for the consequences of her actions! She dared to attack our men!"

After landing his feet, he kneeled down before his father and said, "Father, allow me to start a war against Plethora. We need not bow down before them! We can take their water and not be at the mercy of them!"