Fallen Angel

Chapter 9.2

The sound of clashing swords resonated through the night. Thomas fought against Gilles De Rais whilst Anne engaged Cesare Borgia. He sliced at De Rais's arm, making his opponent draw back, and quickly glanced at the others. Juan had somehow subdued his attacker after being left with no weapon and limped toward Richard. As Thomas watched, they disarmed and knocked out the dark-haired warrior, then rallied to Thomas's aid. 

"Need a hand?" asked Richard.

"Not at all," answered Thomas merrily as he danced out of De Rais's way, neatly avoiding the tip of his opponent's sword. "Go help Anne and make sure Joan is okay."

From the brief second he'd managed to check on his wife, Thomas noted she was clearly struggling to keep up with the Borgia Bastard, even though he was already wounded. He battled with his rage, which often numbed fighters to any pain. Juan was hurt too badly to go up against such a man, so that left Richard to assist the brave Nephilim leader. The former King and Queen of England always made a formidable pair when fighting together.
Growing tired of his own fight, Thomas disarmed De Rais and punched him so hard in his face that the Frenchman fell unconscious with a broken nose. He found the other two men were still knocked out and hurried to join Juan, who'd limped toward Joan. She sat on the ground staring blankly at the leaves, Anne's gyrfalcon beside her. Juan dropped to the ground in front of her, blood dripping slowly from his leg. He touched Joan's hand lightly, but the Fallen Angel seemed aloof to Juan's presence. He threw Thomas a worried look when she didn't react.

"We need to get her out of here," said Thomas.

He held out his hands and mumbled the portal spell. The air before him sparked until it was torn apart by a bright light. Every time Thomas opened such a rift, it made him remember the first time he'd seen the Heavens. This time, though, he couldn't waste even a second to appreciate its comforting beauty.

"Anne! Richard! Time to go!" he yelled. "Juan, take Joan. We'll follow you."

"I think not, little magician."

The light before them disappeared. Thomas spun around. Suddenly, he felt like someone had taken hold of his heart, squeezing harder and harder. He fell to his knees. His eyes widened when they found Erzsebet Bathory advancing on him, veil discarded, eyes blazing red in madness.

"Well done, Englishman. Few people can take me by surprise like that. But you hurt me. And for that, you will pay dearly."

Thomas doubled over as she twisted her stretched-out hand. He clawed at his chest, gasping for breath. His vision blurred as the witch used her black magic to summon his heart to her, making it thump erratically inside of him. 

"¡Demonio! Release him!"

Juan threw his dagger, but the Countess easily deflected it with a wave of her other hand. The blade struck a tree a few feet away. 

"Bathory, finish them! It's time we take our prize!" Borgia yelled from across the field.

The Countess grinned maliciously and raised her hand toward Juan. Thomas tried to use his magic, but he couldn't fight the witch's invisible grip on his heart. He sank deeper into the siren call of death, when suddenly, a blazing light illuminated the darkness.
Before anyone had time to act, the demons were thrown away from the Nephilim. Thomas gasped as Bathory's hold on his heart released, taking in every bit of air he could. He struggled to raise himself up, looking for their saviour as Hypatia stepped out of the light, arms outstretched to keep the demons down.

At once, Anne was at Thomas's side. She pulled him along, but he could barely stand. She swung his arm around her shoulders and dragged him to the portal. Richard had already carried Joan through, and Juan limped after them. As soon as Anne and Thomas were in the clear, Hypatia followed and closed the portal behind her.
Thomas slumped in his wife's arms, panting and groaning in pain. He barely discerned her concerned voice. His mind was reeling. It should have been easy. In and out. Just get the Fallen Angel and return to the Sanctum, like they'd done many times before. So how the hell had he almost died?