Heidi doubled over, gasping for breath. Avander was by her side at once, crouching down beside her. "Heidi, are you alright?" He asked, gripping her frail shoulders.
"I've found her." Heidi wheezed, getting to her feet and swaying slightly. She leaned against Avander for support, her knees threatening to buckle beneath her. "She's far away, but we can reach her. We must. She just had another lapse."
Alarm flashed in Avander's eyes as he set her down. Nearby, Meligard was struggling to his feet, exhaustion written all over his face, but he was listening closely to what Heidi had to say.
It had been four days since the angels had approached them and Meligard had taken up temporary residence at the manor to assist Heidi. Because of Heidi's powers being limited, her ability to see beyond what normal angels could see was useless. Meligard had been fueling her with his own energy in order for her to carry out the task. It was a difficult task, one which had taken a toll over her, even in her Godling form. It required constant concentration for her to break through the enchantments and barriers the Second Faction had cast to deter her.
Unfortunately for Heidi, her gift came with some limitations as well. While normal angels could see into the near future or detect nearby a presence with as much ease as one staring into a mirror, it was not the case with her. With her ability she was able to see snippets of what was to come, or what could come. They were like pieces of a puzzle, snatches of conversation, a flash of a color or face, a blurred image. Those were the things she saw. It was up to her to put the pieces together, to scour the world for the useful pieces and discard the unnecessary ones. The task was made more difficult by the fact that things were always changing, influenced by the actions of people in the world, no matter how insignificant. It was because of that fact that the process could take minutes or even days. It also meant that, despite her very accurate guesswork, Heidi was sometimes clueless of what was to come.
A short while ago she sat in the middle of Joan's study with her leg crossed. She was meditating. Meligard's energy crackled and zipped around her as she reached in to what she called the Beyond and searched for clues regarding Joan's location. She held the few collected puzzle piece in her mind; The image of a section of a stone wall, very old and crumbling, the sound of snow crunching underfoot, the smell of a forest and finally the edge of a grey, drab robe whipping around the corner of her vision. That was all she had and hoped that, with a final clue she could piece together Joan's location.
And then, suddenly and miraculously, Heidi had a vision. Joan's face swam before her, badly hurt and screaming mutely. The image was gone in a flash but Heidi felt pain rip through her, her insides lurching uncomfortably. She saw bodies flying in all directions and heard a hauntingly familiar laughter ringing in her ears, tasting blood in her mouth.
"Joan!" She had cried out, her concentration shattering and connection with Meligard breaking. She felt very weak all of a sudden.
"Heidi, calm down." Avander said crouching before her. She could not help but smile a little at the concern in his voice.
"I'm fine Avander, don't worry" She said. "But I've found her. We need to hurry."
"I shall inform Gabriel at once." Meligard said and disappeared in a flash of light. Avander watched him leave before turning back to Heidi.
"How is she?" He asked.
"In pain." Heidi choked and there were tears in her eyes. "She is hurt and weak. Avander they are trying to remove her mark's control. They are going to do something terrible to her, something she will not survive."
She felt him grown tense, the grip on her shoulder tightening for a fraction of a second.
"We will stop them." He said with conviction, his voice bordering upon anger. "They won't succeed in their plans."
"Promise?" Heidi asked childishly.
"Promise." Avander nodded, letting out a low 'Oof!' as Heidi hugged him.
"Thank you for being here Avander." She said. Avander smiled, patting her softly on the head.
"We'll get her back." He whispered to the little girl, surprised by the gentle tone of his voice. "I won't let them hurt her again."
***
The sun had just broken over the horizon when flashes of light lit up the snowy woods, angels appearing and taking their positions. Some were perched on the tree branches, perfectly camouflaged, gazes trained on the castle set on top of a hill before them. Others stood on the white, frost caked forest floor handing out weapons, their movements quiet, calculated. Avander and Heidi appeared alongside Gabriel, nodding at one another in greeting. Taking Heidi's hand in his, Avander followed after him to where a group of around twenty angels were assembled with Belefees and Meligard.
"I shall assign you to this group." Gabriel told Avander. "They are responsible for rescuing the Guide. All other groups will engage the Second Faction in battle at various locations."
"That's fine with me." Avander said, glancing down at Heidi. "What about you?"
"I shall come with you." Heidi said. "After all, Joan did tell you to keep an eye on me."She added with a grin.
Standing there with the angels, Avander found himself under their watchful, suspicious gaze. They maintained a disciplined and polite composure around Heidi, but were naturally wary of Avander, gripping their weapons as thought expecting him to attack. Avander himself was feeling very restless, hating the silence of the forest which was only broken by the crunch of snow underfoot.
"Don't you think they would sense us?" He asked Heidi.
"No, our presence is still masked." Heidi said. "Even if they did, they would not attack us until we are closer to their territory."
"Do you sense her?"
"Yes." Heidi nodded. "Now that I know where she is, no amount of enchantments will hide her presence from me. "
"What are we waiting for then?" Avander muttered impatiently.
"We can't go rushing in there you fool." Belefees said in a low growl. Avander turned to sneer at him.
"Why? Too afraid to face your fellows?"
"You had better kept that tongue of yours in check." Belefees warned. "You don't want me cutting it off. "
"And you had better watch yourself as well." Avander grinned evilly. "Or you might find you are a few fingers short."
"Now that is enough!" Heidi commanded, stepping between them and looking from one to the other. "This is hardly the time for bickering!"
"I apologize." Belefees muttered, backing away.
"I don't." Avander said in an undertone. Heidi glared at him.
"You have more important things to think of besides these petty squabbles Avander." She scolded. "Such behavior will only hinder the mission."
Avander grumbled under his breath and leaned back against a tree, knowing she was right. Joan. You need to find Joan. He told himself. That's all that matters.
The angels began to assemble. Meligard waved to Avander and Heidi, signaling them join in with their group. Belefees was standing at the front of their group, meaning he was the appointed leader. He turned and saw Heidi, lowering his head a bit in respect.
"Godling, you shall be at the front of our squadron. We require your assistance in pinpointing the Guide's position."
"If she is taking the lead, I will be by her side." Avander interjected. Belefees rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Be my guest."
Gabriel had suddenly risen into the air in a whirl of feathered wings. Two group followed after him.
"They shall lead the first attack." Meligard piped up helpfully. "We shall follow and the third group will guard us from behind as be break into the castle."
"Then we should prepare for battle." Heidi murmured. In a flash of light the little girl was gone, a young woman with black and white wings and a horned head took her place. The angels looked around her in awe, intrigued by her half demon, half angel appearance.
"I know you prefer not to use your powers, so leave the fighting to me." Avander told her and she smiled gratefully. His own wings sprouted from his back and the angels watched warily, the dark leather wings standing out among the sea of white.
"You will not change into your demon form?" Belefees asked, arching brow while smiling lopsidedly.
"I wouldn't want you all to die of fright, now would I?" Avander replied, just as their group began to ascend, rising about the treetops and taking flight. The air was chilly, feeling as though tiny daggers were trying to slash at his face.With Heidi close, Avander made his way after Belefees, the distant castle growing nearer. The first group had already reached it and, as expected they were met with a volley of attacks, bursts of light illuminating the still dull sky like fireworks. Ducking and dodging, Avander and his group flew closer, aware of the presence of angels running around on the gate walls and guard stations.
The site was irregularly shaped, three gates flanking it's north, west and eastern side. The south fell away into a sheer cliff side, impossible to scale for soldiers on foot. Somewhere amongst the white mass of trees was a path leading up to each of the three gates. There were buildings located inside the walls of the fortress, crumbling towers piercing the sky while small, equally dilapidated buildings stood near the walls, the stone work worn smooth by the ages. To the North east side was a palace set apart from the rest, its walls as thick as the borders, part of the structure having given away many a century ago. The grounds were swarming with Second Faction angels, all getting ready to counter the oncoming raid.
The castle was well fortified, thick walls bordering the main castle building. However, the angels did not have to worry about getting past them. Half of the first two groups had just made it past the shower of arrows and blasts unleashed upon them by the enemy, proceeding to march into the horde of waiting angels and engaging them in battle.
"Shouldn't we help?" Avander asked Belefees. The angel shook his head irritably. "Stay in the air until they completely engage the guards and clear the path for us. We cannot risk our number dwindling when we have an even greater fight ahead."
Staying airborne, their group circled above the castle, occasionally sending a burst of light and blasting away at the enemy, all the while beating back attacks directed at them. Below the first group had invaded the second inner territory of the castle, the remaining angels joining them slowly
"Move in closer." Belefees ordered. "We need to get down there and away as fast as possible."
The battle raged on, hundreds of figures scurrying about like ants while others took to the air. The clash of steel against steel could be heard mingling with the shouts and cries of battle.
The first groups had completely engaged the enemy. A path was beginning to clear for them. Then there was a blast and one of the largest, angel infested towers gave way, a roar rising from below. That was their opening.
"Now!" Belefees commanded. "Go forth!"
There came the swish of many pairs of wings as the group swooped, slicing through the air at break neck speed. With Heidi by his side, Avander plunged headfirst into the white, withering battle field and sailed over the fighting angels, avoiding every attack that came his way. They landed in the midst of the battle, many bodies whirling around them in a blur. The fourth group followed close to Avander's group, bringing up the rear and giving them a chance to move without too much hindrance. However, that did not stop a few from the enemy to charge at them. Three of the twenty angels engaged these attackers, one of them falling there and then. "Keep going!" Belefees urged his comrades. "We have no time to worry about those left behind."
They swept across the grounds in a whirl of white feathers, soaring over the fighting angels and avoiding attacks as they did. They traveled northward , the location of the palace. Heidi had taken the lead with the silent consent of Belefees, her wings beating with a steady rhythm and eyes fixed ahead, hair swirling after her.
As further they went, the less populated the grounds grew. The battle was left behind in seconds, only a few angels visible below.
"This is good." Belefees called. "Keeping going, we'll be there in–"
His sentence was cut off as burst of light flashed by. Two of their group was incinerated at once. The rest twisted and spun in the air to avoid the attacks. Avander launched a few sphere of dark energy over his should and smirked when he heard a few shrieks from behind.
"We are being followed; some of the enemy's must have broken away from the main battle." Belefees commented. "Take to the ground! We'll find cover among the buildings. Land now!"
Although he was reluctant, Avander followed after Heidi as their feet touched the ground. His wings shrunk back and he broke into a sprint. The buildings rose around them , towers and guards houses now a shadow of what they once were, bits of masonry lying about amongst the blanket of snow
"Split up and take them out." Came Belefees's order. "Demon and Lady Godling, with me."
The group split, taking cover behind the ruins as the enemy followed after them. Heidi and Avander followed after Belefees into what had once been a chapel. The roof was long gone, the windows void of any glass work. There was a slightly raised platform set with stone stairs, a cross extending out from the wall above it. Broken pillars stood in the middle of what had once been the hall, a forlorn taste to the air though the chapel craved to be in use again.
They were of course followed. Avander spun around to see ten angels standing behind them, hands gripping their weapons but not advancing. Beside him. Belefees stiffened.
"Orak." He greeted in clipped tone.
"Belefees." The head angel nodded. "I will ask you once, surrender or turn back. I do not wish to fight you."
"I do not wish to either." Belefees confessed the tone of his voicing indicating how torn he was about the situation. "But you know I must if you stand in my way. I have a mission to complete. Please, let us pass."
"I cannot." Orak replied firmly, although he too seemed hesitant. "I must stop you. You are misguided. We should be on the same side, instead you side with them" He cast a disgusted look in Avander's direction, looking critically at Heidi.
"It is not I who has fallen victim to misguidance." Belefees said and his tone suddenly became icy. He held out his hand and a curvy, dangerously thin sword manifested in his hand. "I ask you again, let us pass."
"No." came the reply.
"Then so be it."