Blue Moon| Book 1 | An Avengers fan fiction series| *under editing*

61- "Her" Last Fight (*)

TA DA!!

Chapter Sixty

~Thea's POV~

"Please tell me you're going to let me fight, and there aren't going to be any negotiations about it." I say, my voice still trembling from my raucous tears. I'm eying the Imeldi, but their gaze is only for the Mantra. 

"Unfortunately, Thea, you succeeded in breaking my hold on you, so I don't have a choice but to agree with you." says Loki, picking his scepter up from the ground. 

"Okay," says Steve in a low voice as we back up, away from the Imeldi. "This is going to take some effort."

"We have ten minutes until the Mantra is in full force." says Tony, who is busy analyzing every inch of the cave. "And we're going to need every bit of time. We're slightly outnumbered." 

"Thea and Jack, I want you both back against the wall." orders Max, pointing behind him. "And stay there."

Jack (who is still slightly confused) and I look at each other, then begin laughing. "You're hilarious, cuz," says Jack, taking a pistol from his belt. "You really are."

Max glares. "Both of you. Back. N-"

"Let them be," says Thor. "We need-"

"Absolutely not. They're not-"

"Guys, we don't have time for this!" exclaims Natasha as an arrow goes hissing past her face. "Just let them fight for goodness' sake!" 

Max looks mutinous, but doesn't have time to protest, because Steve is speaking up loudly, over the growling sounds of the Imeldi. "Split up. We have a small space. Those in hand combat- Nat, Clint, Thea, Max, and I are going up at the front. Peter, those columns behind us- use them to your advantage. The rest of you, gun down, beam down, hammer down, what have you, the ones that get away from us. Bruce, I would stay out of it unless it's absolutely necessary." His face is glowing in the light of the Mantra as it shimmers down, ghost-like. "Move!" 

"You are going to need this." says Loki, pressing the emerald dagger into my hand. Clutching his scepter, he turns away, joining Thor at the back. 

I'm happy that Steve has enough confidence to put me in the front line, but all the sharpened teeth and claws in front of me are making me slightly nervous. Taking a deep breath, I focus all of my energy on fury, directing it at the Imeldi. 

There's a relatively larger one that is circling my left shoulder and another creeping around my right. I leap up, flipping, so that I land on top of the left one. He snarls, but with a thrust of Loki's dagger, he falls to the ground, screeching. His companion, a smaller, more newt-like creature, cocks his head and latches its teeth onto my bare, dirt-covered leg. I cry out in pain and try to rid myself of this pest.

Meanwhile, an Imeldi with a long snout and protruding eyes and a rabid expression pounces on me from one of the walls "shelf", tearing at my hair. I screech and flip around, slamming the it into the wall. It scrambles madly, but loses its grip, falling into the water with a splash. I use my dagger to take out the creature at my leg and then throw it into the body of the one that had attacked my hair. 

"DUCK!" 

I listen to Steve's shout automatically, flinging myself to the ground, landing at the edge of one of the "puddles". I'm just in time, because his shield rips over my head, knocking out an Imeldi that had been stumbling over towards Max. 

Standing, I grab the dagger and look around the cave. We might be brilliant fighters, the lot of us, but we are grievously outnumbered, and the Imeldi are quickly advancing towards the Mantra.