Faerie Faerie

10-Blasphemous

Phoenix stood beside Wolfe. The gashes in her arms were seeping through the bandages, and crimson was dripping down her fingers. She eyed the men surrounding them. Her brow furrowed, the entire situation tense. Lyle looked from her face to her tunic.

"You're hurt. Let us help you." Lyle said, removing his helmet and lowering the chain male hood. "Call off your... Monster."

Phoenix scoffed at him. "You wouldn't know a monster if you saw it."

The man frowned further at her. He raised a hand and the sounds of his men readying to shoot filled the air. "Please." he said, "I insist."

Wolfe snarled and crouched to attack. He tried to be her shield, but there were six of them and only two of them. Phoenix changed her footing some, stumbling a bit.

"We've already killed the archer." someone spoke up.

Her head jerked in his direction. Phoenix's eyes narrowed, then she let out a mean spirited laugh at him. "Lying piece of shat!" she spat. "Like your men c-could keep par with Snow!"

She reached out and balanced herself on Wolfe's arm. They began encroaching on them, Wolfe snarled and bared his fangs viciously at them.

"D-don't." she stammered. Her head was spinning, and she was teetering dangerously close to the edge of exhaustion. Phoenix felt the fire start to eat away at her.

"Come quietly, and it'll be easy for everyone." Lyle said. "No more blood needs to be spilled tonight, Phinny."

When one of the men tried to go in close, Wolfe turned on him. His claws raked through the flimsy metal and leather hitting flesh and bone easily. He went down choking on his own blood. The others took that as their cue to go in for the kill.

Arrows were flying, and a flurry of others hit the mercenaries. The men retreated back some, another man falling as an arrow went straight through his neck. Snow jumped down from her perch in a tree.

"I leave for ten minutes, and the party is in full swing?" she snickered, bow knocked with three arrows. Her brown boots were dirty with mud and blood. "Lyle Trent, captain of the SoutherLand special forces."

"Snow White-Rose. Stepdaughter to Lucciana, Heir to Gregory." Lyle growled, hand resting on a scimitar he had strapped to his belt.

"Phinny, speak to me." Snow said, her tone pleading. Phoenix staggered, Wolfe moved closer so she could lean on him. Her fingers disappeared in his mane, attempting to grip his fur as a handle. Her arms felt numb, and the linen bandages were soaked and leaking.

"I-I'm good." she forced the words out, her breath shallow gasps.

The men still had cross bows, armed, and ready to strike them dead. Snow had three arrows knock in her bow. "Think really hard Lyly." she snarled. "you let them kill us, I'll drag you to Hell with us."

Lyle's hand rested on the scimitar sword strapped to his hip. "That is the last thing we all want, Miss Rose." he said coolly. "Surrender and we'll see that you..." his eyes drifted to Wolfe, Wolfe and Lyle made eye contact, "Party, retrieve proper medical attention."

Snow still held her bow. Lyle let out a whistle and something was tossed to him. It was Snow's saddle bag. She cringed, then glanced at Wolfe and Phoenix. Wolfe growled lowly, the noise reverberating through everyone's chests.

Lyle rifled through the contents by firelight. He found was he was looking for, and frowned. He pulled out the small bottle and held it out for them to see.

"...I'll smash this, and gladly leave you to die." he said, holding up a small bottle. It was four inches tall, and looking like it could hold a few ounces of medicine. The contents of the jar swirled and moved like it was alive. "But we actually have bounties... On both of your heads. And you're worth more to us alive, then dead."