Gargoyle Saga: In The Beginning

Chapter Twenty-nine

"We need to get her out of here," Rowan whispered urgently. He fumbled in his pockets. "Willow, take Verity back to the bus, I'll get the others and meet you there." Pulling out his keys with shaking hands, he dropped them, the clank of metal on gravel sounded as loud as a bag of crisps being popped in a library. Then we all heard a deep guttural shriek from the other side of the fountain. It was then I knew this mission had turned bad.

Before I knew it, Rowan had jumped up and started casting magic, while Willow grabbed my hand and dragged me along the drive back to the bus. "Come on, run!" she shouted but as I stood I felt dizzy. Unable to get my balance, I pitched forward and brought her with me, crashing into the muddy ground. A loud thud sounded in front of me as I slipped trying to stand. "VERITY!" Willow screamed just as I saw a clawed hand slash towards me. Two thick curved nails caught me just under my right eye. The pain was intense. Yelling in agony, I fell back, clutching my bleeding face.

"DEAN! ROWAN!" Willow shouted as she bent her head down and with her horns, charged at the demon in front of us. She caught the creature in its stomach and sent it backwards. Without a second thought, she took hold of me and slung me over her back. "Hold on Verity!" With a bloody hand, I gripped onto Willow's shirt as she ran as fast as she was able, back down the track. Immediately after, I heard the familiar shriek of a demon heading towards us. Some moments later, I saw a car drive past us, we were nearing the bus. Willow then suddenly threw me to the ground without warning, winding me and sending me rolling along an embankment. I came to a stop just by the bus, but I knew we weren't out of the woods yet.

Feeling my cheek, I cringed as my fingertips gently brushed over two deep cuts. The wounds were still bleeding. "S-suo." The sticky sensation of blood stopped rolling down my cheeks and strange pins and needles formed around the gashes. Smacking my right hand over my throbbing cheek, I felt the wound stitched up. "Willow?" Standing, I wanted to find out what had happened to Willow. I heard a scream from above and a body fell, smashing heavily on top of the bus. The force blew out the front and side windows, showering me in glass. Brushing the fragments out of my clothes and hair, I suddenly saw a bloody human hand shakily reach up into the sky. Sensing it first before I saw it, the demon flew down towards Willow. Its grotesque wings flapped awkwardly and with razor-sharp talons, extended them to sink into its pray. But unexpectedly a bright bolt of white lightning shot out of Willow's hand and sliced the creature in half, leaving charred bits of festering flesh.

"Willow!" I cried. Hastening to the bonnet, I clambered onto the bus and saw Willow's broken body spread-eagled on the roof. "Oh my God, Willow." She shook from pain and tried to speak, but all that was coming out was a trickle of blood. But that wasn't the only place she was bleeding from, her head, nose and ears were covered in the sticky life-preserving solution. "Suo," I cast over her bleeding. The cuts were stitching up slowly, but Willow's heartbeat was becoming faint. "Someone help!" I screamed. I tried to think of some useful spells I had practised with the girls, but nothing could prepare me for this. There wasn't a spell to instantly revive a gargoyle, not in the condition Willow's body was in. She was dying.

"Ve-ri-ty," Willow gasped. "W-weapons... in the bus." She tried to move but spluttered as blood began to choke her to death.

"Oh my God, Willow. I- I don't know what to do." Kneeling down beside her, I made sure not to step on her. "What can I do? I don't know anything about mending broken bones. I can only stitch up the wounds to stop you from bleeding, but not internally."

A tear fell softly down her cheek and she gave a feeble smile. "T-take the keys." Willow made a great effort to swallow and clear her throat but a few seconds later started spluttering blood again.

I carefully dug into her right jeans pocket and pulled out blood-covered keys. "I'm going to get the others," I told her, though I was unsure if I really believed that I could. "Hold on Willow."