Demon Heart

Chapter 12.1~The Beast

EVABELLE

Falling from a dangerous height was something Evabelle was not unfamiliar with.  Falling off the roadside in a suburban van into a pit of werewolves, falling in the arms of an angel off the cliff-side.  Falling into petrifying oblivion after hitting a magical barrier.  Nearly falling into madness in the actual place, Oblivion.  (Maybe that one wasn't so much like the others, but it had still been terrifying.)  The point was: falling was not a foreign thing to the girl clinging to the golden shield screaming her freaking lungs out.  The thing that was horrifying her more at that moment was the realization that she was responsible for the other two people falling with her.

    Faux's fingers tightened around Evabelle's shirt and he buried his face into her shoulder.  "I hate fire,"  A whimper, making him sound like a small terrified child, that could break the coldest heart formed a lump in Evabelle's throat.

    She herself, wasn't a particular fan of it at the moment either.  The three of them were getting the undesired experience of being cooked alive while falling from a collapsing cave into the hands of the same people who had imprisoned them. 

    I make the best freaking plans.  Evabelle thought.  Her eyes were rammed shut.

    The fall itself was fast, but time seemed to slow as Evabelle processed how she was supposed to save her friends.  Her grip on the shield was so tight, the metal bit into her skin, keeping her focused.  Her forced her eyes open. 

    They were not directly over the fire as she had predicted.  Large boulders and rocks littered the ground.  The elves had scattered at the sudden cave in.  Though Evabelle did not have her wings she found herself trying to find her center gravity to balance out the saucer.  It was hard to tell if it worked with the other two riding behind her.

    Before much else could run through the girl's mind, the shield slammed against one of the big rocks, sending a shockwave up Evabelle's tailbone, and Faux to grunt and nearly slide off.  "Hold on!"  Evabelle yelled, leaning to the side as the shield slid off the boulder and the rim hit the stone ground, tipping the shield vertical, dumping all three of them off and sending them rolling across the floor hard.     Somehow, the training that Evabelle had been learning from Del kicked in and she managed to control her own fall so that it didn't jar her shoulder too much and she was quickly able to bound up her feet.  Her eyes instantly searched for her Duren-dal.  The golden metal disc glinted not far from her, concave side up.  She dashed over, rolling again, slinging her arm through the strap that appeared as she reached for it and coming back to her feet, holding it up against any attackers that might run at her.  It was light and perfect in her grasp and she couldn't help but grin.

    Taking a deep breath, she gave one glance behind her to check on the boys.  Just as she'd hoped, Jamie had gotten to Faux, but unfortunately, the Anahalian man was looking worse than ever now out in the light.  Jamie had slung injured man's arm over his shoulder and was doing his best to walk Faux to one of the caves leading out, but the Anahalian man was extremely shaky, his head bowed, his feet barely managing to put one in front of the other, but at least he was moving.  Evabelle would get him help as soon as she could, but now, she had to keep any elves that came for them, back.

    She turned her back on Faux and Jamie, heart jack-hammering in her chest, and raised her shield just in time to see a wide-eyed elf man darting toward her.  Evabelle swung out and bashed the shield into his head, without thinking, sending him sprawling.  "Sorry!"  She cried and then she shook her head.  "No, I mean I'm not sorry.  You conspired and helped to kidnap me."

    "Woot! Woot!"  A shockingly familiar voice rang out, making Evabelle's head snap up to see her best friend across the cavern wrangling an elf in a choke hold, grinning wildly at Evabelle.  "You go, Captain America!"