Guarding the Angel

Chapter 8

"Harimanne!" Pat says, alarmed. He bends down next to me and props my shoulders up. I keep my eyes mostly closed. 

"She resisted?"Mohawk guy says incredulously, "This mortal must be more powerful than any other. If I stick around, then she might actually kill me!" Mohawk guy has got to stop voicing his every thought out loud. It's never going to serve him well --- not to mention it's annoying.

"Give her to me," Cloud says roughly, coming over to Pat.

Pat tries to resist, tugging me back towards him. Cloud gets a hold of my ankles and then both proceed to play tug-of-war, with me as the rope! "Stop that," I say, popping my eyes open immediately.

Both guys are too dedicated to their game of tug-of-war to pay any attention to the fact that I'm "awake" again. If I had foreseen this consequence to my fainting act, I wouldn't have acted on my impulse and annoyance. Cloud gives an extra hard tug and Pat loses his grip on my arms. For  a moment, my head is headed straight for the ground at a scary velocity. By some miracle, Cloud manages to toss me into the air and catch me before that happens. 

His face is momentarily triumphant as he looks over at Pat. Pat scowls at him and looks like he's preparing for round two. I try to squirm out of Cloud's arms and get my own feet under me again. Cloud doesn't loosen his hold on me.

"Please put me down," I say as calmly as I can. 

I don't usually get worn down, but the events of the past two days are starting to weigh on my nerves. The last time I was under so much stress was years ago --- before I learned how to interact with those around me in a fashion which doesn't draw attention to myself. Bringing Cloud home has resulted in a whole lot of attention. Unfortunately, I can't regret my decision. Given the circumstances, I couldn't have left him behind. 

Cloud continues to ignore me. He turns away from Pat and starts walking down the street. "Stop!" Pat calls after us, "Where are you taking her?"

"Away. If we stay here longer, Latif will come back with reinforcements."

"Too late!" Mohawk guy shouts, hurrying towards us.

An entire flock of pelicans fly behind him. Each one has angry red eyes. Luckily, it doesn't look like the eyes can shoot laser beams. If they could, that would be truly terrifying. Cloud sets me down at last. "Sorry to force you under my influence so soon," Cloud says, sounding smug rather than sorry, "Now, destroy them all."

I roll my eyes and whisper-hiss, "I was never under your influence. Last time I was bluffing to buy us time. This time, it's up to you to get us out of here."

Cloud's expression of satisfaction dissolves into a mixture of surprise and annoyance. I roll my eyes and then the pelicans swoop down in one swift motion. They surround me and all of the sudden I am flying. Wind rushes through my lungs and for a moment, everything feels amazing. It's like all the worries of life are gone, replaced by a feeling of breathless wonder. I spread my arms out and wonder if this is what it is like to fly on an airplane. Somehow I doubt it.

I only get to enjoy flight for a few moments before it is ruined by pelican beaks pinching at me. Now, I'm sailing through the air, being repeatedly bitten by pelicans. I grab one of the pelicans by the beak before it can bite me. Next, I use the pelican as a weapon against the other pelicans, whacking at them. The pelican lets out an angry hissing noise as its legs smack away an arc of its friends. 

The pelicans that I hit float to the ground, glaring up at me. As fewer pelicans surround me, I feel as if my strategy is working. Then, I realize if I hit any more pelicans down, there won't be enough of them to keep me in the air. I release the weapon pelican. Its fervor at biting me is much greater than that of its companions. As it goes for my ear, I pull off one of my shoes and bat at it.

It flies away from the group. The other pelicans start to head towards the ground, burdened by my weight. All of the sudden, they seem to realize that if they disperse in all directions, gravity will inflict pain upon me. I plummet towards the ground, sure to prove them right. What did I do to deserve this?