Heart of Dorkness

Terror Twenty-One - Angel

The wyvern dives, gaining speed even as it veers away from the road and starts to fly off towards the east, away from the angel.

I glance over my shoulder, eyes squinting as I take in the angel hovering closer and closer, moving slowly, but without any motion. Its like a brick, floating there in a way it shouldnt be able to.

I inspect it.

My hand comes up, slapping me in the forehead even as I let out a cry.

Miss? Felix asks.

I shake my head, hand waving her away. Tried to inspect ithurt.

What? Felix asks. I... I cant see, miss. I cant see, Valeria.

We need to land, I say, both to Felix and to the wyvern.

The angel screams.

I wince, then look up as a shadow falls above me. Its one of the other wyverns, and its moving in close, almost as if its trying to land on us, but that...

The scream hits, and the wyvern bursts apart.

I scream as I feel stinging pinches across my body, and the wyvern beneath me twists around before screeching. Were falling faster, a lot faster.

The angel follows. Slow, and huge, and unstoppable.

All across the forest, monsters are moving, running away, taking flighttrying to escape. The angel screams, and the largest groups are torn apart, and still it follows us.

I turn back so Im not looking at it anymore. Its not like seeing it will help any.

What can I do?

I have magic, but nothing that would bother an angel. I couldnt even scratch it if it was standing still next to me. Even Mom would need to do more than sniff haughtily to kill something like that.

The wyvern starts flapping, and I see the others swooping over us. A few turn around, squawking as they fly towards the angel.

They wont be hurting it, but maybe, just maybe, theyll manage to distract it for a moment.

At least, I hope.

We sweep lower, trees skimming just beneath us.

A scream hits us, like a giant flyswatter.

I join in as I see the head of the wyvern burst apart just before me, and our smooth flight turns into a wild tumble through the air.

We shoot past the edge of the forest and over rocky shore.

I have a moment to gasp before a wall of water is suddenly right there.

Everything twists and turns, and I feel myself being thrown off the wyverns remains.

Im under water.

I choke, water pushing into my throat before everything stops spinning and my thoughts catch up. My lungs burn, but I know I cant cough, cant try to breathe.

The wyverns corpse sinks down, and thats enough to tell me which way is up.

I kick, arms swinging out in the worst, most ungainly attempt at a swim Ive ever managed, but I break the surface.

I suck in air, then retch burning water and bile as I try to catch my breath. My heart is a hammer in my chest, and my clothes are making it hard to tread water.

Felix is calling for help, wild splashing sounding out behind me.

I turn, taking in the shore just a couple of dozen metres away. Felix is in the other direction, arms flailing.

She cant see.

I hesitate for a moment before doggy paddling closer, still choking on a lung-full of water. St I try, then retch. I cant. So I grab Felixs shirt and pull her closer.

She kicks me, hands grabbing at my shoulders and pushing me down under before I have a chance to take in more air.

Water slips up my nose, and I shove Felix away before resurfacing. Fe-Felix! Stop! Stop, I cant!

Shes flailing.

So I grab her again and pull her close, hugging her to my chest so that her arms cant hit me or grab me. I cough over her shoulder even as I kick out even harder. Kick! You need to move your legs, like youre running.

I-I cant! Felix cries.

Just do it! I shout.

She calms, just a little, her legs swinging this way and that in some ungainly facsimile of swimming, but its enough to keep us afloat.

Okay, okay, stay close, dont dont let go, I say. Water laps at my face, but I think were both light enough that we can float.

I tear my goggles off and toss them aside, then I regret it when water splashes my eyes.

I start dragging us back, one arm swinging in wide arcs. We dont move fast, but we are moving closer to the shore.

Its a beach. Not a nice sandy one, but one covered in jaggedy rocks. But its land.

I hiss as the back of my foot hits something under the water, but I can ignore the pain. Its a rock! Were closer. I start swimming faster, heedless of saving energy, then I find another stone underfoot, and I shove off of it and towards the nearing shore.

Soon, were close enough that I can stand.

Felix and I bob, half in, half out of the water. Were hugging each other. The wind is cold, and my clothes are wet and clingy. I should have tossed off my cloak, and Felix probably doesnt need her scarf.

Felix pulls me closer, quiet, uncertain sobs pushing against my neck. Were okay? she asks.

I swallow when a shadow brings a deeper chill over me.

I look up, and the angel is there, hovering a hundred metres above. Its looking at us with its one, reddened eye.

Yeah, I say as I hug Felix closer. Yeah, were safe, were okay.

She doesnt need to know.

I stare at the angel, waiting.

I hope Mom wont be too sad.

The angel stares for a moment later, then hovers off.

I pull Felix in close and start crying too.

***

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