Fallen Angel

Defense

It was as if time had nearly stopped. The ballroom was silent. The orchestra was no longer playing; the instrumentalists stared at each other with confused expressions. Bows to cellos were frozen in place, the hands gripping them eager to continue. The musicians’ confusion was due to the fact that they were unable to see what was happening in front of the king and queen’s thrones.

 A wounded soldier knelt before the throne, his blood spilling onto the floor. The blue uniform he wore was tattered and covered in dirt.  His breaths came in heavy gasps as he fought to stay conscious. Every person in the room had stopped what they were doing to stare at the poor man before them. Noble women cringed at the sight of him and pretended to ignore what was going on. The noble men fought to get a good look at him, their curiosity sparked.

 Leira, Marissa, and Kyle stood in the back of the room, pushing through the crowd to get a good look. They were forced to remain where they were, as members of the crowd refused to budge from their positions. The queen’s hands covered her mouth to hide her shock from the injured soldier. The king stepped down from his throne and stood before the man. He bent down and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Leira spotted Will at the base of the short staircase leading to the thrones. His expression was solemn, making her feel almost guilty.

 “Tell me what has happened to you,” the king spoke; his voice echoed throughout the room. He wanted the soldier to speak as loud as he could to inform the people around him.

 “M-monsters, in the city, sire! We don’t know what they are or where they came from! They can’t be defeated! They’re slaughtering everyo---“his voice cut off as he went into a fit of coughing.

 “Would someone get this man to a healer?” the king shouted, the order directed at his servants. A few maids leaped into action, rushing to his side and helping him walk towards the guest rooms.

 “Sounds like that’s our cue,” Leira whispered, pointing to the front door of the castle.

 “Wait, where’s Cora?” Kyle replied, his eyes scanning the room for her. Leira could tell he was generally worried. His eyes landed on Will, and waved him over. Will nodded and slowly walked over to them, looking crestfallen.

 Cora had abandoned her post in the ballroom. She was not in this room that was for sure.  Cora had survived on her own before, why should now be any different? She knew how to defend herself from the Relinquo.

 “I don’t think we should wait for an invitation, Kyle. Tons of people are getting killed by the minute; shouldn’t we do something about that?” It was their duty as soldiers to protect the people—even if they were selfish and greedy.

 Will finally made it over to them. “What’s the plan?” he murmured.

 “We get the heck out of this place. I think it’s driving us all mad,” Leira commented. They all stared at her blankly, but it felt as though they agreed with her. They quickly paced out of the castle. As soon as they moved through the exit, a smile formed on Leira’s face.  She never wanted to enter that building again.

 The wounded soldier had spoken the truth; Relinquo were running rampant through the streets of the Capitol. Several corpses lay on the curbside, their glassy eyes staring up at the sky. A look of genuine shock and horror still showed on their pale faces.

 A woman was being chased by one wielding a sharp sword. It was gaining on her and would soon spill her blood if no one did something. In an instant, Leira ran forward, sword pointed at the abominable creature. She sliced it in two, sending its torso flying towards the castle while the other half crashed on to the ground.

 “Leira!” Marissa called. She tossed her a small box which she caught with ease. It had a strange material on the side with the word “matches” written on the front. Inside were small sticks which Leira assumed was the matches. More Incendian technology…she thought. They used flint and tinder to light fires back in Fortis.

 She struck one and tossed it onto the fallen Relinquo before it could put itself back together again. The noble woman look at her, frightened.

 “Well don’t just stand there! Go tell everyone in that castle to get yourselves to safety!” The woman nodded and scurried off to the castle.

 Several other Relinquo ran about the streets, terrorizing anyone they encountered. Is this what that Minerva person does? Sends these abominations to kill, just for mere enjoyment?

 The monsters spotted them instantly and moved to attack them. Leira felt a burst of confidence. There was no chance of them defeating her! She knew their weakness and was prepared to exploit it.

 Marissa notched an arrow, set it aflame, and fired it straight into the face of a Relinquo, who promptly began to scream as the flames consumed it. Kyle dodged a blow from a mace, the weapon missing his head by an inch. He countered by slicing at its wielder with his sword, then kicking him into the fire. Will’s blade was pressed against that of another. His teeth were gritted and his eyes glistened with determination. He managed to push it back away from him, sending it staggering towards Leira. She promptly launched it into its flaming grave.

 A mob of Relinquo surrounded them now, unfazed by the flames. They bore evil, skeletal grins and a strong desire to kill; a hunger that only blood could satisfy. It seemed they were hopelessly outnumbered. That was until castle soldiers came to their aid. The monsters were to not enter the castle, no matter the cost.

 Blue-clad soldiers battle fiercely against their undead enemies. The clang of metal against metal could be heard through the streets of the Capitol. Fires started in sections of the city giving the soldiers an advantage. Countless amounts of Relinquo were shoved into the conflagrations, their screams echoing above the sounds of battle. Leira felt as though they had a chance of winning.

 She did a somersault to avoid getting hit by multiple swords. She forced her legs upward, amused, as they slammed into the chest of a monster, sending it flying into its comrades. Two castle guards then shoved the majority of them into their rightful place.

 The battle raged on for a while, the soldiers gaining the upper hand. The amount of Relinquo was drastically decreased in the last half-hour. Marissa fired off arrows with practiced skill, each one hitting its mark perfectly. Kyle’s well timed blows took out several of their enemies. Will was even fighting better than he ever had before.

 The battle would end with their victory…

 The sound of wings beating steadily sounded above Leira. Her eyes stared skyward at the figure silhouetted in the moon. It was the form of a woman with large feathery wings… She drew closer to the battleground until her violet eyes were clearly visible.

 “You!” Leira said, pointing her sword at Minerva.

 “Is that any way to treat me after I let you live?” she replied, her wicked grin never leaving her face,” Oh, I suppose it does not matter now. My mercy is finished; now you shall perish.”

 Before Leira could do anything, a flaming arrow embedded itself in Minerva’s side. Marissa stood a few feet away from Leira, her bow in her hand.

 Minerva pulled the arrow out of her side and threw it on the ground. Instead of counterattacking, the woman seemed frozen with shock. “It’s you…”

 Marissa lowered her weapon. Confusion was working its way onto her face. “How do you know me?”

 “I guess I cannot kill you then,” Minerva responded, flicking her eyes back to Leira. “Master would have my head if he knew who I had eliminated.”

 Instead, she snapped her fingers and hundreds of Relinquo surrounded them. Several latched on to Leira, forcing her hands behind her. The same was done to her other companions, Marissa included. Suddenly, Leira felt weak and powerless, and it infuriated her. She hated being weak. Being weak meant you couldn’t protect what mattered to you.

 Before she could formulate an escape plan, something slammed forcefully into the back of her head, sending her falling into darkness…

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A/N: As always, please leave a comment and all that jazz.