Space Angels: find the Gift (complete)

֎ the O-zone ֎ ~ Chapter Thirty-Eight

Cherubim Landing Zone

ЄD0Ɲ: ֎ the O-zone ֎

38 - the eagle has landed (1673)

When Cylvah had entered the Obfuscator Zone as an eagle, she'd almost landed on a demon. The Night Mare was ready to charge at Ecad's friend, Benji, ridden by a strange creature she'd never seen before.

"It is an Incubus, Cylvah," Sunshine had said. "Stygien uses them to corrupt sleeping females or swap their unborn children for his very own demons. It must be destroyed."

That such a vile creature even existed had disgusted her, but it was just one of Stygien's army of demons. And it was about to slaughter an innocent Edon being. In the rush into battle though, she hadn't morphed into Cherub form as efficiently as she'd liked, forgetting to apply her eagle face. Hoping none had seen her true Cherub features amid the confusion, Cylvah quickly dropped to the floor. Her gloved hands changed shape, grew bigger and sprouted golden fur until they became enormous paws, replete with vicious claws. She roared. Her mission parameters had forbidden her to morph into lion form unless in an emergency – and this was it...

She'd brought the Night Mare down easily, but the Incubus had fled – scampering past Benji, who'd staggered away before fainting near the O-zone's fiery wall. Before she could give chase, her narrator had yelled in her ear:

"No!"

Cylvah looked across the field. The Imp's muscled form rippled as it raised Jango's sword above his head – in a second it would deliver the deathblow. She morphed back to eagle-faced Cherub form and sped towards Jango in milliseconds, but they seemed like hours. Her trajectory was failing to match the fall of the sword. She would never reach Jango before his head flew off and the sky filled with his blood – like the one she'd seen earlier – not red, but golden. The sword descended in an angled slash; it was halfway down and she'd barely covered two thirds of the distance. Jango stared into the face of death, his eyes defiant. She would never make it... Then the blade abruptly halted in mid-air. Had an invisible force stayed its descent?

She landed behind the Imp to see the strangest thing, an Edon male had materialised from nowhere. Wearing a long black coat, his skin a dark shade, he was tall and lithe; she gasped at the man's unlikely strength. He held the Imp's muscular sword arm with a grip of steel that brought the beast to its knees.

Sunshine had explained how O-zones occasionally developed openings in their design that could let in small beings, and, indeed, she and Jango had entered as eagles. But this was a fully-grown Edon male – much too large to find a way through into what was an invisible dimension, a hidden realm no Edon could see let alone breach. But there he was, staring into the black holes of hatred that were the Imp's eyes. The Edon squeezed harder when the Imp struggled to free itself. Cylvah heard a bone crack. The sword fell onto the grass and the Imp howled in pain.

She pulled her own sword from its scabbard and placed it between the Imp's shoulder blades, standing on its forked tail to prevent it thrashing. Ignoring its growling protest, she addressed the stranger.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The stranger met her gaze, his brown eyes were soft and humble, and she knew his identity at once. "Borak?"

He nodded. The Imp's free arm moved suddenly towards his midriff, razor claws slashing through the air. Still holding her stare, Borak caught its wrist.

"Stand back, Cylvah. This unfortunate wretch must be judged."

She retreated. The Imp's growls had changed to a pitiful moan, it struggled to escape, its forked tail beating a rhythm on the grass.