Up and Down

Offence and Defence

The slice of the wand in what appears to be the oldest brother's hand creates a pressure wave that pushes, hard.

But it isn't pointed at her.

Too late she realises that his target is Ominis, still frozen in the memory of phantom pain. He is knocked to his knees, his wand spinning out of his hand and into the darkness.

"Ominis!"

Just as she is watching that, a burst of fire singes her hair. She barely has time to throw out a shield before the flames kiss her skin. The bubble pushes away the scorching, malicious heat.

"Eyes up here, darling," the other brother smirks at her and sour bile rises in her throat at his sticky gaze.

She puts herself between Ominis and his brothers, wand raised.

Confringo.

Her Blasting curse explodes all over their cloaks, the shards of fire catching even the thick wool.

She reaches for the power within-

Her wand lurches, and only with a counter that came barely in time she managed to keep a hold of the handle, her concentration broken.

The Gaunts split up, with one attacking from the front, the other flanking her. She is torn, attention divided, and spells catch her clothing, smoulder her hair, singe her skin. But she stands her ground against both Dark wizards.

More curses. Flames and ice and stunning spells. She doesn't have time to focus her might as she blocks and parries, keeping herself in between the attackers and Ominis. Pinned down, like a pawn in a deadly game of chess. Unable to move, lest she exposes the downed man behind her.

"Ominis! Get up!"

They are toying with her. Whilst protecting Ominis she cannot move and weave and dodge and dance around them as she is wont to do. As would give her an advantage against larger, physically stronger yet slower foes.

It's their rules.

"Good reflexes... but I'm getting bored. Time for games is over, little bird..."

She knows what's coming next.

Red lightning surges down the arm of the middle brother, down his wand and into her. She cannot block this, and doesn't dare dodge - it would hit Ominis and she cannot let that happen.

She makes the earth liquefy and splash up, blocking the spell. The fatigue she feels is almost instantaneous, but not as staggering as it would have been before the few purified shreds of power she absorbed.

The dirt rains back down in a curtain of debris.

"Oh-ho, so that's what they were talking about..."

Nowhere close to it.

Those pigs... if she can turn them into that... her magic bubbles and surges, and she raises her wand to unleash-

The slice of the oldest brother's wand is so swift this time she can't even see it.

The Severing charm lives up to its name, cutting right through her skirts, her cloak and her flesh.

It doesn't stop there.

A gash is cut across Ominis' back, blooming red as her lover screams.

She wobbles, the cut to her leg rushing hot blood down her thigh, but she fires a silent Expelliarmus which the Gaunt lazily blocks. She parries a few more curses, but she can't hold on forever, she has to get them both away.