This time I was certain “faggot” was in the stream of curses.
Closing my eyes, I cupped my hands, one over the other, forming an empty circle with my palms. Focusing on the molecules needed that were floating in the air around us and on the surface of the items in the room, I pulled them into the space created by my hands. Then I concentrated on multiplying and manipulating them.
After a couple of minutes, I opened my hands and held out the object to Schwint.
He snatched it out of my hands and held it up to his face. He burst out laughing. He laughed so hard that several moments passed before he could speak. “You captured her expression perfectly! She looks like she can’t decide if she’s constipated or pissed.” He pointed to the tiny figurine in his hands. “I love that you even got Bertha’s white sandals and orange socks.”
I grinned at him, happy to hear him laugh.
He sighed. “I haven’t morphed into her since I met your folks.” He waggled his brow at me suggestively. “I asked you to make me something in payment for last night. Is this your way of telling me you’d like to spend an evening with Bertha?”
I shuddered and didn’t have to fake the gagging sensation that rose in my throat. “Ugh. I’m pretty sure that would be a deal breaker. Don’t you dare spring her on me when I’m not prepared for it, especially at a time like that.”
He smiled. “No promises.”
A breeze wafted through the window. Even Omar sighed in relief.
Schwint pocketed the figure of Bertha and stretched out his hand. “Make me something else.”
I thought for a moment, then shut my eyes and repeated the process of drawing the molecules to me.
For some reason, this time took a bit longer than the likeness of Bertha. Probably because the heavyset woman was scarred into my psyche. Finally, I unfolded my hands and held out another figurine to him. “I wish I could make something bigger than three inches tall. Or make something alive.”
“You’ll get there.” He held the small statue up for inspection, narrowing his eyes at the likeness of a fairy riding a unicorn. “This looks familiar for some reason.”
“Yeah. It was in that crazy bitch Hazel’s store.”
I heard Omar scream, and before I could turn in his direction, something heavy bashed into the side of my head. The force whipped my skull around so the other side collided with the stonelike bark of the wall.
Before I could even begin to understand what had happened, another blow struck. From between fingers I raised to block my face from whatever was hitting me, I saw Schwint rise in the air. Before he could make any other move, he was jerked upward. Craning my head, I saw him near the ceiling of the room, which was completely comprised of branches and tree limbs, any of which could skewer his body if he went any farther.
Schwint’s wings beat furiously, and his face was a mask of fury. “Put me down, you fucking crazy old man!”
Turning toward Omar, I saw that he wasn’t looking at Schwint—all of his attention was on me. He didn’t even have a hand raised holding Schwint in place. “I should kill him. Make you watch as your lover dies.”
“Omar, fuck, man—” I cut myself off. The last thing that was going to help Schwint was pissing off Omar even more. “Listen, Omar, I’m sorry. I don’t know what I said to get you upset. I’m totally sorry. Please. Don’t hurt him. If you have to hurt someone, choose me.”
“I wasn’t given that choice. Why should I give it to you?”
I searched for the right thing to say but couldn’t come up with anything.
“Answer me!”
I held up my hands in surrender, trying to appease him and pull his attention from Schwint. “Omar, I don’t even know what you’re talking about! I’m sorry, but I don’t.” I considered running at him. Using some of my new power. Maybe if I was able to catch him off guard. He wouldn’t expect me to try to engage him in combat.
“I wouldn’t, if I were you. You’ll find out just how much better I am than you will ever be.”
Without taking his gaze off me, Omar’s left hand made a clenching motion, and Schwint screamed in pain above us.
I looked up at him, still suspended inches from the jagged branches. The left segments of his wings looked like they had been crumpled up into a ball.
As I watched, Schwint plummeted the twenty feet to the floor and hit the copper with a resounding crash. Even above the bang of the impact, a loud crack could be heard split seconds before he screamed again.
I rushed to his side, throwing myself between his body and Omar.
Schwint let out a moan, and I turned to look at him. The lower portion of his right leg was at an odd angle, so much so that I felt my stomach churn at the sight. My eyes traveled up his body toward his injured wing. The blue-tinged cells looked like shattered stained glass, and the major costal veins of both the upper and lower segments on his left wing were crushed in several places, causing the wing to stay crumpled upon itself.
His yellow eyes met mine briefly, then rolled in agony.
