Guarding the Angel

Chapter 4

"I won't hide from you, hag," Cloud's voice calls down.

I sit up and turn around to see the stairs. Cloud is standing at the top of them. All of his clothing is soaking wet, but no longer covered in flour and most of the dried blood is gone. Of course he would shower with his clothes on. "There you are," the old woman says sweetly, "Give yourself up to me. It will only hurt for an eternity. No use struggling."

After those words, the old lady barrels up the stairs. Her cane morphs into a sword. She lunges at Cloud. He side-steps her and her sword goes a foot into the wall at the top of the stairs. Cloud hurries down the stairs and stops at my side. He pulls me to my feet. At first I think he's trying to protect me from the old lady, but then he holds me in front of him as some kind of human shield.

"She is not your Protector." The old lady lets out a cackle. "Only a fool would become your Protector in this moment. From the looks of things, she doesn't even know what a Protector is."

The old lady lunges at us. Cloud steps aside, careful to keep me positioned in front of him. "Why am I a meat shield?" I demand. 

"You're protecting something much bigger than me," Cloud answer cryptically, "Please say the following words 'I accept the oath of a sworn Protector.'"

"Why would I say that?" Based on how things are going, saying such a thing will only make my odds of living worse. 

He dodges another slice of the sword. The quick movement makes my stomach lurch a little bit. "If you say those words, then you will hold my life-force. Once you hold my life-force, she won't be able to kill me without first killing you," Cloud explains.

"That sounds like a terrible idea! Right now, she has no reason to kill me. Throwing myself into danger will only buy you about three seconds before she tears through me to get to you."

Cloud lets out an exasperated sigh, as if I'm spouting nonsense. When I had the chance, I should've hit him more than one time with the empty flour bag. "Inside all mortals like you, there is untapped power. When you team up with an..." he hesitates, "...an angel like me, then that power is unlocked. As soon as you swear the oath, an immense amount of power will flow through you. It will be easy to defeat the hag." 

"And what if I don't have any untapped power?" I ask.

"That's impossible. Every mortal has immense power when paired with... one such as I," he explains.

The old lady swipes at us again. Since she is probably going to kill us whether I utter the phrase or not, I suppose I don't have much to lose. "I promise to be a sworn Protector." I say.

Nothing happens. "You didn't say it right," Cloud says, practically bending me in half as we duck under another swipe of the sword. 

Before either of us can say something else, the world around us freezes. Large purple streaks swirl around Cloud and I. Cloud lets out a laugh as the light intensifies until it hurts my eyes. When the light fades away, I have the edge of a headache. Other than that, nothing much has changed. 

"Now, destroy her," Cloud whispers in my ear, pushing me forward and stepping backwards.

If I'm suddenly supposed to become a killing machine or something, it doesn't happen. My heart is racing from adrenaline, but other than that I feel as I always have. The hag takes a step back from me, uncertainty flickering in her eyes. 

"What are you waiting for?" Cloud asks. His voice comes out low and lilting. 

It makes me want to punch him. Instead, I narrow my eyes on the hag and take a step forward. She takes a step backwards. Her hands shake on the sword hilt and it flickers back into a cane. I glance around the kitchen and spot the metal stool we keep by the stove. I move towards it. This proves to be a mistake. All uncertainty leaves the hag and her cane turns back into a sword. 

"I knew neither of you were powerful, but this has got to be an ultimate low." She bursts out laughing. 

As I pick up the stool, I catch a look at Cloud's startled expression. "Are you still acting under your free will?" Cloud asks me.

I freeze in place and then slowly turn to face him. I move my head to look at him slowly. "Is there a reason I shouldn't be?" I ask, tone taking on a dangerous quality.

"Just my luck," he curses, "Out of all of the mortals, I had to find the only one with zero potential at all."

If it weren't for the old lady lunging at me, Cloud would be the stool's target right now. Instead, I use the stool to block the sword. The sword slices clean through one of the stool legs. I block it again and it slices through another stool leg. I've just lost the final stool leg when someone clears their throat at the door. 

The lady and I pause mid-battle and both look over at the door. Pat is standing in the doorway. His curly brown hair is sticking up funny, held back by a bright purple bandanna. In his hands, he is holding a large tank of bug-spray. "Harimanne, why are you using a stool to fight an old lady?"