02. In the heat of battle

Shandra and Eluna freeze in place, staring at Desmon with expressions of shock and concern. The tall, very strong, imposing-looking angel with gold-colored skin and gray eyes blinks, looking from one to the other.

It looked as if it had found a valuable treasure.

 

"Desmon...," mutters Eluna, her voice shaky.

 

Desmon slowly moves toward them, his heavy footsteps echoing in the shed. He watches the keys in Shandra's hands with a look of disdain.

 

"Did you think it would be that easy, my dear?" he laughs, a sound that echoes in the room and sends shivers down the spines of the two young women. "From the moment I looked into your little face, I knew you were nothing like you said. Your strange smell caught my attention too, you know?"

 

Shandra tightly clenches the keys in her hand, her expression determined.

 

"No matter what you do, we will not allow you to stop us," she declares, raising her head bravely.

 

Eluna, despite the fear visible in her eyes, also stands firm.

 

"You cannot and will not keep me here. Even you are not as powerful as those who came to save me."

 

Desmon lets out a cruel laugh and moves even closer.

 

"Oh, dear Eluna, you really don't understand, do you?" He smiles mischievously. "Do you think you can trust them? In Julian, in Sam.... Even Shandra? They're playing a dangerous game, and you're being used as a pawn.

 

This was bad... very bad. At that very moment, all the discretion needed for the rescue was severely

compromised. Were the brothers okay? Or fighting against almost a whole legion of fallen angels?

 

The girl tries to remain optimistic and raises her chin. After all, as far as she knew, only Desmon knew the truth. Which meant that they had to eliminate him before he could turn his tongue.

 

However, Desmon's words cause a wave of confusion and doubt in Eluna. She looks at Shandra and then at the keys in her hand.

 

"Do you think we'll be okay? Isn't it too dangerous?", whispers Eluna to Shandra.

 

Shandra swallows dryly, but maintains her resolve.

 

"I believe in Julian. And I believe we can fight Desmon together. But the decision is yours, Eluna. If you want to go back to your cell and wait for another chance, I'll understand."

 

Eluna looks at Desmon, whose smile widens even more, as if she knew that doubt was taking over her mind.

 

"No," she murmurs, her eyes meeting Shandra's. "I'm not going back to that cell. I'm not giving up. We're going to fight."

 

Shandra smiles, relieved by Eluna's determination.

 

"Then let's face it together," she says, holding the keys firmly.

 

Desmon watches the interaction between the two, a disdainful expression on his face.

 

"Well, well, well. Looks like we have a bit of resistance here." He moves even closer, his presence oppressive.

 

"But no matter. In the end, you will remember my words."

 

In one swift, agile movement, Shandra unlocks the shackles that immobilized the hands of Sam's betrothed.

 

She sighs as she feels the steady weightlessness of the iron, but has no time to feel glimpsed.

 

Desmon attacks.

 

Shandra and Eluna automatically take their defensive positions. Shandra holds her sword firmly, ready to

face the fallen angel, while Eluna summons her magical powers, ready to defend herself and fight.

 

A white beam shoots out of the girl's hands, and Shandra's eyes widen. That magic, that flow of energy... It looked a lot like hers.

 

Desmon moves forward with surprising speed, his movements fluid and precise. He launches powerful blows towards Shandra with his huge axe, who dodges nimbly, blocking and counterattacking with her magic sword.

 

Eluna closes her eyes, cold and implacable, and uses her powers to conjure an energy barrier around them, protecting them from Desmon's attacks. She casts spells of fire and lightning towards the fallen angel, seeking to weaken him.

 

Powerful. Too powerful.

 

As powerful as Shandra herself. Maybe even more.

 

The young woman tries to concentrate only on her attacks, preventing the blade of her adversary's weapon from tearing her skin, but her mind is boiling. At no time did Sam or Julian say that Eluna had practically the same powers as the young woman. And several times they had the opportunity to do so.

 

They were keeping secrets from her. As always.

 

"I'll finish you both off, you bastards," he grumbles, sounding quite confident despite the fact that he clearly wasn't getting ahead of the battle and the numerical disadvantage.

 

"Shut your mouth, you dumb angel," Eluna shouts, firing a combination of ice and fire spells.

Shandra is dumbfounded to see the perfection of the spell, the way she conjures two such distinct elements and used them beautifully.

"Stop standing there staring at me and help me," she grumbles, casting more fireballs and ice stars.

A little bewildered by the scolding, Shandra obeys the implicit order, despite not liking that at all, and the two join in a final attack.

In the middle of the heat of the coordinated and too fast attacks, the young woman ends up receiving a superficial cut from Desmon's axe blade. She screams.

 

Eluna, seeing the wound, feels a mixture of anger and concern. She concentrates her magic, increasing the intensity of the spells cast against Desmon.

 

"I won't let you hurt anyone else!", Eluna shouts, her voice charged with determination.

 

With a burst of energy, Eluna casts a powerful spell that hits Desmon squarely. The fallen angel is thrown backwards, hitting a wall hard.

 

He slowly gets up, looking weakened, but not yet defeated.

 

"Damn it," he grumbles, wiping the sweat from his face as he gasps heavily.

 

Shandra holds his neck, where he was hit. She looks at her own blood and begins to invoke the healing properties, of which she was still learning.

 

"Wait."

 

It is Eluna's voice. She sounds shocked.

 

And then, frowning and tilting her head slightly to the left, as if about to ask a particularly difficult question, she sniffles. Twice.

 

No.

 

She was... sniffing.

 

Shandra stands unresponsive.

 

Too late. Eluna would find out what Sam and she had done... What her blood revealed to enemies and allies alike...

 

Shandra swallowed, staring at the woman.

 

"Why your blood smells like-?"

 

Eluna cannot complete the sentence.

 

For Desmon, taking advantage of the fatal distraction of the love of Julian's life, attacks with everything, driving his axe deep into her flank.