With telepathy being Tabitha’s elemencia, Raxx shouldn’t have been surprised.
“Neat trick,” he shouted.
“Thank you.” Tabitha smiled.
“Have you seen Faye?” Raxx whipped his head around, scouring the bloodbath for the princess.
“There,” Tabitha shouted, pointing through the fray.
At first Raxx couldn’t see for the gore flying through the air and the flashing of metal. He barely resisted a sigh of relief as his eyes fell upon the princess. She and Lori were clinging to one another, shielded behind Commander Lephas as he fought off anyone who thought to approach.
Tabitha screeched beside him and Raxx’s attention was ripped from the princesses. A knight grabbed the witch’s hair and yanked her head backwards, exposing her throat; concealed though it was by the neck of the dark, silk gown. The faerie raised his blade.
Before either Raxx or Tabitha could react, the blade fell – but not as the guard had intended. The faerie howled in pain as the hand that was grasping his blade was severed from his arm. The limb spurted red hot blood into the snow and his blade clattered to the ground. There was only one soldier Raxx knew who had the precision and skill to do such a thing.
Prince Oriel snatched Tabitha, throwing her behind himself as he slashed viciously at another knight.
“Get off me!” the witch spat, fighting against Oriel’s hold.
“Indi, fucking stop—” the prince shouted, cut short as he kicked out at another attacker, sending the knight sprawling across the cobbles.
“Indi? What are you—Oh, right,” Tabitha replied.
Raxx glanced between the prince and the witch, bemused for a second as Oriel continued to defend both himself and who he had presumed to be Indi, despite the faerie flailing to be free of his hold.
“Raxx, get to Lephas,” Oriel growled.
“Have you seen Zelrus?” Raxx shouted back as he turned to head toward the commander on the far side of the fray.
“He’s here somewhere. Big fucker – you can’t miss him.” Oriel grinned, his teeth bloodied from a split lip, before his attention was caught by another attacker.
Raxx glanced at Tabitha, still trying to push Oriel from her. “Just go, Raxx – I’ll take care of this,” she shouted, her eyes flickering with rage.
The demon nodded, disembodying and darting through the fight, his eyes scouring the scene for Faye.
When he eventually spotted her, time slowed and his stomach churned. He watched helplessly, too far away to be able to save her, as a faerie knight thrust his sword at her. A desperate yell burst from him and Raxx sprinted forward, though he knew he would never make it in time.
There was a bright flash and sparks exploded from the knight’s attack as his blade collided with a majick shield. Faye threw Lori behind her and raised her palms. Raxx could see the concentration in Faye’s face as she focussed, recalling all the advice he and Tabitha had given her and fighting to maintain the shielding spell against her attacker.
Faye would not be powerful enough to hold the barrier for long, but it bought Raxx enough time. He leapt over the body of a fallen horse and skidded towards them, materialising behind the faerie soldier.
Faye and Lori gaped in surprise, both screaming in unison as Raxx slashed his dagger against the man’s throat and grabbed the knight by the cloak, throwing him away before his lifeless body fell forwards into the princesses.
Lephas was fighting off two faerie’s a short distance away. He looked tired and was bleeding heavily from a wound at his side. The commander had managed to find a sword, but hadn’t been afforded the luxury of any armour. The leathers which he’d had before his imprisonment had been removed from him at some point back in the cells.
Commander Lephas’s defensive fighting style never ceased to impress Raxx. He was the opposite of Prince Oriel’s equally awe-inspiring, brutal offence. It was masterful how the commander had managed to defend not only himself, but the two princesses. Despite being clad in an undershirt and some thin leather breeches, he’d sustained just one superficial injury.
Raxx ran forwards and engaged one of the guards, allowing Lephas the opportunity to cut down the other. Once the two faeries had been taken care of, Lephas turned to greet him.
“Am I glad to see you!” he shouted with a pained grin.
“Fall back,” Raxx instructed. “You’re injured.”
The commander winced and nodded, jogging back to join the princesses. The faeries had run to hide behind a large pile of firewood, out of sight for the moment.
As Raxx approached, Faye threw herself at him and trembled in his arms. The shadow demon caught the confused glance between Lephas and Lori, but chose to ignore it and squeezed Faye tightly.
“Are you both alright?” Raxx asked.
