When Angels Fall In Love

Chapter 13: Angelic Intervention

The second the scream left Erelah's mouth the shadow dove for her.  It wrapped around her neck and choked her of breath.  It clawed its way up her face and sunk its way into her mouth.  It clogged her nose and pulled at the corners of her eyes...She could feel it, feel the shadow creeping down the inside of her throat and it hurt...its hurt so badly as tears rolled endlessly down her face and neck.

It felt like it was exploring her insides as it continued to plunge itself deep...With her head thrown back and towards the sky it was the only comfort she had.  The pain was so immeasurable that she almost wished for death in those moments as the blue expanse above quietly stared back.  It wasn't until the tendrils had begun to darken the corners of her eyes didn't she feel her body giving out.  It crept in so slowly, limiting her eye movement before finally collapsing and darkness took away the world she loved so dearly to look at.

There was no struggle left in her, this is how Erelah was to die.  She could feel her heart slowing, hardening over as the shadow took hold of it...

Then she saw his face, funny how his image always appeared to her in such desperate moments.  Erelah could only guess it was her minds last ditch effort to save itself.  It had worked the first time those few months ago, it would take a miracle to save her now...

Erelah watched and studied Samuel's face in her mind, it felt and looked so real even as he smiled at her..."You have to fight Erelah."  It was his voice, clear as if he was standing right in front of her.  "Fight...for me."  The smallest flame alighted in her, like a burning candle with the tiniest plume of warmth lighted at the wick.  It burned so bright for being so small, a single breath would wipe it from existence.  It invited her in like a welcome embrace and she found curling around it like a cat.  She refused to let it be snuffed out as she held it close.  She held it even as she lay dying and it everything was beyond hope.  She still had this little light to hold on to.

The flame flickered...Samuel's face has disappeared.  Erelah's body went deathly still.  The light went out...all was lost, she could die now...

Something warm pressed against her.  Its heat creeping and searching in the dark.  It grew and grew, until...there it was again.  The little bud of flame...this time though it grew, it burned hotter, shined brighter.  Its light grew until Samuel's face reappeared out of the depths of shadow.  "You can't die yet." 

The flame exploded. 

Sound flooded back to Erelah, nothing then all at once as a deep demonic screech shook the world around her.  Something was being drawn out from her insides as the scream continued, the heat harbored throughout her body seeming to burn away the invasive presence until it was no more. 

She could see, could breathe even as her eyes watered and she coughed with each gasping breath.  The world around was an explosion of color as her eyes took in the battle around her.  Michael and two other angelic brothers fought in a world wind of flame and speed as her strength flowed back and she noticed the appearance of several other demons.  Erelah was still clutched in the Ancients mighty grasp but she could wiggle now, noticing multiple sustained injuries on the demons weathered gray skin.  The second she managed to get her arm out, Erelah called out for her sword.  Cold metal met her hand and she wasted no time plunging the blade swiftly into the hand that held her.

The Ancient dropped her but not before its jagged fingernails slashed across her arm and side.  Erelah screamed out for Michael as she hit the ground in a heap.  The Ancient's uninjured hand began to reach for her, Erelah desperately kicking its fingers as she backed away.  Her body was screaming in pain but the need to escape overwhelmed any semblance of control the pain had on her.  The flash of a blade had Erelah flinching away as Michael's mighty form shielded Erelah from the Ancient. 

There was a spray of black blood, Michael's blade slicing three of the Ancient's fingers clean off as the arm recoiled back into the portal, leaving just the other arm and the escapee demons to deal with.  Michael's body was splattered with gore and ichor when he finally turned to her.  "Fight or flee, Erelah."  It was all he said to her, his hand held out in expectancy as she took all of a moment to debate it.

"Fight."  Erelah took Michael's hand, holding on to it dearly as he hauled Erelah to her feet.  It took every last bit of her strength as she fought alongside her brothers.  They made quick work of the stray demons that had managed to slip through the open portal but the longer it stayed open the more likely others would come flooding out as they focused their attentions on the Ancient.  Even for its injuries it was ungodly fast, its mighty hand reaching and grasping as Erelah and her brothers dodged but were unable to get close enough for any serious blows.  Finally, a window presented itself, Erelah immediately taking the chance even as Michael screamed at her.

She launched herself into the air, sword raised in a mighty ark of power before diving.  Erelah used her wings to glide forward at insane speed, her blade sinking into flesh and dragging all the way up the Ancient demons arm and fileting it half.  Ichor rained from the sky as the demon gave one last ear piercing shriek and pulled its ruined arm back into the portal.  Just not before Erelah managed to cleave its hand almost completely from its gnarled wrist.  It took everything she had to remain upright, her lungs heaving with gasping breaths as her legs shook.

Erelah watched as the portal stitched itself back together.  Then it was gone, like nothing had ever happened but so much had, too much as she finally crumpled to the ground.  She heard her brother's cry out to her, Michael's face the last thing she saw before the world went blissfully dark.