Following the River Styx

Chapter Seven

 A dazed Cordelia rolled with the impact as she struck the stone ground and landed flat on her back. "Misty," she panted, one hand grappling for the other witch. She turned her head. Where did she go? Just moments ago, she had felt Misty holding onto her. With a shriek, the nearest harpy descended upon her, and she curled up as much as she could manage. "No!" Flames fired from her palms. "Nan! Misty!" She flopped onto her stomach and dragged herself around on her forearms. "Nan!" 

"No! Get off! Get off!" Nan protested. Cordelia's dizzy vision focused on the small witch batting two of the vulture-like women away from Misty's still body. "Leave her alone!" A sharp wing caught the clairvoyant witch over the head and sent her sprawling away. "Cordelia!" she yelped as talons seized her around the wrists and began to drag her away.

The Supreme extended one arm. "Stop!" With her telekinesis, she plucked one of the women away and slammed her against the ground, but more of the flock descended to replace it. Her vision danced with light spots and crooked waves, and she knew that she could not possibly burn the harpies—not without hurting Nan. Lunging, she grabbed Nan's ankles, but the powerful flock continued to drag them way.

Meaty hands wrapped around one of the hungry faces and wrung the neck. "Stupid birds," cursed Marie Laveau. Cordelia and Nan dropped back down to the stone street. The Supreme hissed as she struck the ground roughly once again. Queenie and Delphine hovered behind her, all eyes skyward where the wings blotted out the gray light. "Can't fight all them. Well? Let's go."

Cordelia staggered to her feet and rounded back to Misty. "Someone help me!" she puffed. Another harpy dove upon her, and she flung her arms up over her face to protect it. The talons gashed into her arm, but before it could do deeper damage, the bird-woman vanished into flames courtesy of Queenie, who followed. Cordelia hauled the unconscious witch up by one arm. Queenie took the other shoulder.

Misty's head lolled over her neck, and she uttered a low groan. "Her arm's been broke," Queenie reported. Cordelia blinked dumbly, unable to consider the reality of those words with blood running between her eyes and all of the figures around her moving in ocean-like waves. "What're you doin' here? Where's Zoe? Fiona?"

Sharply battering wings struck the stumbling witches so that Cordelia couldn't manage a response, and Marie Laveau rounded behind them with several sharply tossed stones. "Go back inside!" she shouted. "We're not safe out here! Delphine, would you help that poor girl?"

Delphine ushered Nan along back into a tall unmarked building. When talons flicked at the back of Cordelia's shirt once again, she held one proffered hand and shot flames once again. They entered a wide lobby with white tile floors. "There, set her down on the floor," Delphine said, gesturing with one hand. "We were finishing up in here when we heard you screaming, saw those great unholy creatures." Her chubby hands rolled in front of her; she sent an uncertain look back to Queenie and Nan. "I'm starting to think that I was a lot safer before you busted me out of that cage," she observed in a quiet voice.

Smoothing Misty's curls out of her face, Cordelia lowered her to the floor. "She hit her head. I fell, she was trying to hold onto me, I landed on her." Misty's forearm had an unnatural kink in it; already, bruises began to discolor her pale skin. The swamp witch turned her head with another low grunt. "Dear god, can this get any worse?" Cordelia breathed, shaking her head.

Delphine dropped down beside her and plucked the shawl off of Misty's head. "We can make her a sling outta this." She folded the cloth and looped it around Misty's neck with a perplexed purse to her small lips.

Hands on her hips, Queenie challenged, "Where are Zoe and Fiona? How did you get here? How did you find us?"

The Supreme wanted to snarl a retort in return, but she bit her tongue, both eyes fixed upon Misty's slowly waking face. "You weren't hard to find," she muttered. "Kyle is a terrible liar." She watched the fluttering eyelashes and pressed the back of her hand to Misty's warm cheek. "We were together until the Minotaurs found us. Misty transmuted us to safety. That was where we found Nan, but we haven't seen Fiona or Zoe since."