Strange Aeons [Book 1]

19. A Hairy Situation [part III]

Chico had gotten caught in the mass of people running from the school. He had been pushed back to the other side of the road and was trying to make out what was happening. The school was completely quiet one moment and then raging with running people the other. He was trying to get in when his mind was shot with something, like a shockwave.

Help! Irissa's out o' control and werepeople are there!

Brief. Clear. Terrible Irish accent.

Not stopping to ask himself since when Banshee had learned to send telepathic messages, he ran to the fence.

The courtyard was a mess. The snow was already knee-tall, and you had to squint through the wispy cloud screen to see the figures moving around. The werepeople and Eva had finally formed a pentacle around Irissa, but any time they tried to use Dispel, Irissa shot icy crystals around, forcing them to dodge, rolling in the snow. Not so far from this scene, Banshee was teleporting here and there, escaping the roaring fury of a lioness even larger than she was. Chico saw her teleport four times in a minute. She couldn't keep that pace for long

Muttering curses under his breath, Chico started concentrating.

The instant he jumped over the fence, free-falling towards the snowy courtyard, a dark creature spread its wings and helped him float harmlessly to the ground. The werepeople turned towards them.

The creature was a crooked being, with a pointy head and two, small, yellow eyes without pupils on the side of his head. His whole body looked like molten lava constantly melting and reforming in a thin, skeletal form, with long talons, bat-wings and what resembled a beak. It was almost humanoid, standing on two boney legs and the snow was turning into water all around it. It shrieked threateningly and even Irissa turned her attention towards the monster.

In the meantime, Eva had called even more reinforcements, and six werepeople were surrounding Irissa's ice wind barrier.

The demon let go of another screech and started moving towards her.

«Not her! The werepeople!» Chico ordered, controlling his summoning's movements. The beast seemed to resist at first, but then bent its will to its summoner and moved, fast as lightning in that slowing wind, towards Eva and the others.

Chico darted towards Banshee and her pursuer, meat cleaver in.

The werepeople tried to attack the demon. The monster, apparently indifferent to the attacks, grabbed one of them mid-jump, and violently thrust her on the ground, with a nasty sound of broken bones.

Meanwhile, Banshee was starting to feel fatigued. Teleporting wasn't a trip to the lake, and she had been doing it incessantly for five, eternal minutes. She couldn't surely keep it up for long.

Chico was halfway when Banshee felt the iron hand of the lioness grabbing her arm, one second before she could teleport again. She fell down in the snow, with rivers of pain running up her arm from her broken hands.

Banshee wriggled enough to be able to sit-up and thrust an elbow sideways to her face. Caught by surprise, the lioness felt her head turn with violence to the side, right some moments before Chico appeared with his meat cleaver in hand. The wereperson rolled away and took a menacing stance, trying to choose her target wisely.

Then, she charged.

Banshee could just push Chico out of the way to endure the full power of the lioness charge. She could feel her ribs crackle under the impact that dragged her for some feet, wrapped in the beast's grip. She planted her feet on the ground and summoned all of her strength, trying to gain a stand. Chico came and slashed at the Lioness, wounding her left leg pretty bad. She let go of one of Banshee's arms, and aimed her talons at Chico, missing him by a hair.