The Earthly Queen: The Woman of Worlds Apart

Chapter 17: (Caine)

From the corner of my eye I can see Eris escaping.

She races through the yard as fast as possible and doing a fair job of not getting shot ot tackled.

Glimmers throw themselves at her and she blasts them right out of the air. I grin, proud of her.

Opal throws one of her hands out and tries deconstructing my weapons and finds she cant. With each attempt the protective runes flair up and deflect her powers.

Random objects in the vicinity take the waves of magic instead. Beauros, couches, the TV and picture frames all fall to pieces and scatter across the floor.

Seeing she is ineffective and that her blasts won't get past my shield she curses and pulls the bike away and flies off, probably to go after Eris.

As soon as she's gone the hole in the wall is filled by five C-Splices. The misshapen animal-men grin and cackle at me. They seem to find it funny one of their own looks like the human being who own them.

I draw my gun and shrink my shield down to a size I can fight with.

I grin and raise my hands. "Come and get it, boys!"

My blood is pumping, my fighting instincts are rushing back to me and I am itching to rumble.

My excitement dies instantly as, unexpectedly, the ceiling above me explodes inwards, debris raining down on me and dust blinding me. Two huge meaty hands, one completely human in appearance and the other hairy and padded and clawed, grab me by the shoulders and haul me up through the hole to the second floor.

I'm held like a toddler up to a familiar mawed and drooling face. My senses overload as the creature's scent fills my nostrils. I break into a cold sweat as terror courses through every inch of me.

The monster breathes in deep and savors the smell of fear and giggles.

His voice swings back and forth between deep and booming and high pitched, like he's a teen going through puberty.

"Hello, Pretty Wings!" Gideon says.

I can't say a word; my voice is caught in my throat. My lungs scream for air but it's as though I've simply forgotten how to breathe.

Gideon glances at my back and his eyes widen he starts full on laughing. "Pretty Wings don't got no wings anymore!" he holds me up even closer to his face so our eyes meet. "Where'd the wingies go? Did ya lose 'em?" he laughs madly at his own lame dialogue. "Let's see you fly without 'em!"

I am thrown backwards with extreme force and crash through the picture window at the far end of the hall we're in.

I can't help but think how I promised I wouldn't go through another window. Guess she might have to play nurse again.

The window shatters and glass falls. I'm able to keep my balance and don't fall and don't receive anything more than surface scratches.

I race away as fast as possible.

The whole second floor of the house explodes outwards as Gideon flies towards me on ratty black wings.

"You can fly still?" He bellows in confusion. He roars. "I HATE YOU PRETTY WINGS! WHY DO YOU GET TO FLY STILL? WHY DO YOU GET THE GOOD STUFF!"

The angry face he's making and the way his arms are outstretched menacingly as the brute races towards me makes me freeze.

Suddenly, I'm no longer a grown man on a mission to save another. I'm now a scrawny boy whose only goal is to save himself day in and day out - not an easy task.