Chapter 7 – Aerial battle
The situation couldn't be worse. Shrieking bats engaged against Chip and Gadget from all directions, trying to make them fall off the flying broom. The witch was barely dodging every assault making abrupt turns and zigzags, feints and barrel rolls. Her passenger, meanwhile, was focused in maintaining himself on board while avoiding to throw up. The moment came when Chip was not able anymore to tell up and down apart, and shutting hard his eyes, he gripped even more firmly around Gadget's waist.
"Chip… I can't breathe!" notified Gadget to him, dodging another enemy by pure luck.
"Sorry, sorry!" apologized Chip loosening his hold. "But I can't take this anymore!"
"Have you never flew before?"
"Yeah! On board of wide and calm pigeons!"
"Oh don't be afraid" soothed him the witch, while dodging blindly another bat. "Flying is the coolest thing on this world! When we have more time to spare and less pursuers, I promise to teach you how to fly on brooms" she ended with a wink.
"Right, right…" answered the ranger, not very fond of the idea. "But first we need to survive this! Can't you… throw some fireballs at them or something like that?"
The witch shook her head in refusal. "No, I don't want to hurt them! Also… " she gave Chip a sheepish grin. " as a matter of fact, I never learned these offensive evocation spells". She stopped and turned right suddenly, avoiding a pair of bats that wanted to tackle her. "What if… we try to talk to them?"
"Talk to them?" echoed Chip baffled. "They want to kill us!"
"I'm quite sure this is all a misunderstanding" said the witch climbing up to pass over another furious bat. "We haven't done anything to them, so let's talk things out!"
Smiling over Chip's skeptical look, Gadget waved her paw on the direction of the bats leader. "Hello, Mr. Bat! Can you tell us why are you attacking us?"
Taken aback by that weird polite girl, Eaglewood ordered to stop the attack and flew closer to the couple. "Nothing personal, young lady" he explained with a serious face. "But we were hired as nocturnal guards of the town and we don't want to disappoint our boss on our first day… I'm right, Chip?"
Chip snorted nervously when Eaglewood turned to him. "Emm.. yeah…" he muttered. "You know Eaglewood, why don't you take this night out? It's not good to make such exertion on your first day of work"
Eaglewood grinned acidly at such comment. That chipmunk had talent for sarcasm. "Sorry Chip, but we already made a deal with this town… Also, we need to end the stereotype of bats aiding witches, so… get them, boys!" Upon saying this, the cloud of bats launched against the witch and her friend again. They had used these seconds of truce to position themselves above and under the flying broom. At Eaglewood's signal, they ambushed the friends off-guard. For a moment, the space around Gadget and Chip became completely dark, and the only sound they could hear were the acute shrieks of their persecutors. From the point of view of the crowd gathered in the streets, it looked like if a giant floating dark monster had opened its jaws and devoured the pair of witches. Everyone contained their breath, hoping that had been the end of that pair of evil beings.
It wasn't. Somehow, Gadget managed to cross through the pack of bats that engulfed her using every ounce of skill and quick-thinking. Eaglewood couldn't believe it. Chip neither. To find a way out of that living maze, the young mouse had to calculate the speed and trajectories of at least fifty bats. All of them moving at the same time. It was amazing. For a moment, all the bats were stunned, watching the witch fly away from their never-failing, almost perfect trap. Enraged, Eaglewood ordered them to continue the persecution.
"You won't escape, witches!" yelled Eaglewood flying fast to them.
"Come back here, you demons!" exclaimed the rest of bats.
"Demons?" replied Chip glancing at them. "Hey! I assure you the rumors about me are greatly exxagerated!"
"Better safe than sorry!" answered back the bats.
Chip breathed deeply and tried to think. "We need to escape from them now, we are flying away from the inn" Then, a bright idea occurred to him. "Hey, Gadget!"
"Yes, Chip?" answered the witch, focused in maneuver across roofs and chimneys to fool their pursuers.
"Since you are an illusionist… can you turn us invisible?
"Sure I can! But that wouldn't work against them, you see…" explained Gadget absently. " Even if our bodies become transparent, the bats could still see us because of their sense of echolocation: their biological sonar. Because you know… bats use the pulses of high-frequency sounds in their shrieks to sense the surrounding objects. Their echoes bounce back from surfaces and they use that information to construct three-dimensional images of their surroundings and objectives."
Chip's mind was blown. "Umm… what?" asked stuttering, amazed at Gadget's ability to explain unfathomable things while dodging a horde of enraged bats.
"Just trust me, that wouldn't work!" answered Gadget. "However…" A radiant smile appeared on her. "I have an idea!"
The mouse sank her paw into her cloak. A curious effect happened, at least from Chip's point of view: The paw disappeared in the cloak, and Gadget was perfectly normal about that.
"Gustav?" she called to someone. "My grimoire, please." To Chip's astonishment, Gadget pulled out a large thick dark blue book from inside her weaving silk cloak. "How did you do that?" asked the chipmunk, when suddenly, a bat managed to grab Chip out of the flying stick.
"Hey! Wait!"
"Golly! I got distracted!"
"One demon… less! Shouted the bat throwing Chip hard to the street below.
"Gadgeeeet!"
"Chip! Hold on!" Gagdet put her book back in her cloak and swooped towards Chip. Unfortunately, the bats took notice and pushed their charge on her even more, forcing the witch to take evasive actions that made her lose valuable seconds. She wasn't gonna make it.
On the ground, the mob of townsfolk were stunned, watching Chip falling fast to the city square and the bats attacking the witch that was flying to him with despair.
"She is gonna make it…" whispered Foxglove, taking off the ground to save his friend, when something strange made her gasp in surprise, just as the rest of the people there.
Chip had started to fall more slowly than normal, almost like a feather. At the same time, the moon flashed with a silver bright and some wolves howled on the distance. Utterly confused, the bats stopped their attack.
"Zipper, do you see that? Do you hear wolves?" asked Monterey astonished.
"Incredible!" answered the little fly agape. "The witch must be helping him!"
Actually, Gadget was as stunned as everyone else, but she managed to compose herself enough to keep descending and stretch her arm to Chip.
Chip, meanwhile, was in trance. He was hearing ancient drums and horns, forgotten chants and a grave voice that said "Not yet, hero". His eyes were fixed in the pair of luminous ravens that were flying in circles above him, unnoticed by Gadget and the bats..
"These ravens… these chants… I'm dead?" Thought Chip with bitterness.
"Chip! Wake up!" implored Gadget to him. "You are not dead yet!"
The witch's words broke the trance. With a deep breath, Chip reacted and quickly stretched one arm towards his flying friend. Their paws grabbed each other and rose again into the air, to land on the nearest roof.
The bats stared at them on the distance, still trying to comprehend what had just happened to that chipmunk. "That…" exclaimed one of them. "that didn't felt like black magic!"
"No…" negated the leader of the bats, astonished. "I heard some chants and horns, it was more like…"
"Divine help?" suggested a third bat. Eaglewood shuddered. The rest of the bats turned to see each other, bewildered.
Chip and Gadget landed on the roof above the mayor's house. Chip was still so stunned that his legs refused to respond and he fell on his knees, shivering.
Gadget, on the other hand, was ecstatic. "Wow Chip! That was amazing!" she exclaimed with her eyes shining. "A time and space alteration spell! I had only read about them! Gifts from ancient gods! Although I think you need more practice, you struggled to get out of your trance. Good thing I was there!"
Chip stood up with some problems, baffled by what his companion had just said. "What… what are you talking about? He asked nervously. "I didn't use any spell. It wasn't you?"
Gadget looked at him quizzically. "Oh no… I'm bound to use black magic". She tried to explain herself and her expression became pained. "Black magic doesn't save anyone… it only hurts and confuses. Actually, I always try not to…"
"Gadget, look out!"
Chip reacted just in time to jump and save Gadget from the fangs of the pair of bats that charged towards her. Rolling aside embraced, they stood up together and watched the pack of bats flying around them, like a dark, living and angered hurricane. The view at street level was impressive.
"Chip Maplewood!" shouted Eaglewood just above them. "I see you are a special one, kid… I want to offer you a deal. Hand over that evil witch to us and you will be spared! There is still hope for you!"
"Hand her over?" replied Chip defiantly. "And let you torture and burn her? Never! She is my friend and I sworn to protect her!" To prove his stance, the ranger held the witch's paw in his own.
Eaglewood couldn't understand such stubbornness. Chip didn't appear to be bewitched and even so he was defending that witch… Although it was true that she had saved him from dying… Perhaps that witch was a good person? No… impossible!
"All right!" declared the leader of the bats. "We'll finish you along with her, then! Bats, no mercy on them!" The living hurricane started to gain speed around the ranger and the witch. Chip took a step forward, thinking on a way to escape, when Gadget walked in front of him with a confident smile.
"Don't worry Chip!" said the witch glancing at him, holding firmly her book. "I've found the perfect spell to end this situation!" At her command, the grimoire floated in front of her and its pages started to turn madly, stopping suddenly at the required spell named 'Silence zone'".
Immediately, Gadget started to whisper the enchant weaving her paws in fixed patterns. Chip noticed in amazement how black threads started to appear beneath her fingers as the magic spell gained power. Above them, the cloud of bats didn't lose any time. As soon as they felt the witch was conjuring a spell, all of them bats fell over her shrieking with rage. Chip unsheathed his knife and stood in front of Gadget to protect her (exactly how, he didn't know). On the last second, when the bats were so close that Chip could feel their breath, Gadget raised her arms and pronounced the last word of the spell: "Silence!"
On the act, she threw herself to the floor covering Chip with her arms. They rolled together away from the bats, who stopped to shriek and started to stumble on each other. Gadget's spell had worked. They were mute, and for a bat, that's the same as being blind. They fell off from the sky, terrified but unable to yell, landing awkwardly on the nearby roofs. Eaglewood had to admit it while falling down blinded… the young witch had defeated them single handely.
Chip opened his eyes, at the first thing he saw was Gadget watching at him with her lively blue eyes and her long blonde hair falling over him. He smiled back, and opened his mouth to say something nice to her. Unfortunately, the words didn't come out. He tried again, nothing happened. Gadget giggled and sat at his side. Chip sat as well and tried to yell. Nothing. Then, he turned to Gadget with a pleading face.
"Ok" nodded Gadget patting his tuft. "Let me use this spell on you, so you won't have to wait until sunrise" The girl placed her paw over Chip's mouth, and whispered a quick enchant. "Dispel!".
And just like that, Chip's voice returned. "Do… do… do re mi fa sol! Yes, it worked! Phew… I was scared for a moment!"
Gadget just chuckled.
"What's so funny?" asked Chip with a smirk.
"Oh nothing…" answered the witch blushing. "Just… thanks for stand in front of me…". She leaned and kissed him on his cheek. Chip immediately felt like floating in heaven. Even though Gadget was a witch, her kiss was still innocent, warm and gentle. More than ever, the ranger felt the desire to protect her from any harm, but she was already in a serious problem. How could he save her? Infinite happiness along with infinite despair took over Chip's heart.
"You are welcome" He said finally, trying to hide his feelings.
Up in the air, a bat that had just arrived was spying on them, refusing to believe what her echolocation was telling her about Chip.
"How could you, Chip…" whispered Foxglove with sadness. At first, she didn't wanted to accept that his friend was in league with an evil witch, but now… not only he had protected her, but he had allowed her to hurt Foxglove's father and clan. The same clan Chip had feasted with just one night before. And above all that, the beating from his heart was a sign of… "Chip… just what are you doing?"
"We better hurry up" suggested Gadget standing up and picking her broomstick and grimoire. "I'm not sure how long my silence spell will last in these bats"
"mmhh?" replied Chip turning to see Eaglewood, who was resting on the same roof as them, along with some other bats. "didn't you say the spell last until sunrise?"
"Not with them…" explained the witch. "Bats have a certain magic resistance. Spells cast on them tend to dispel earlier. My theory is that they developed that resistance while working along human witches as their usually chosen familiars. That magic resistance has passed on them generation after generation."
"Interesting!" Chip rubbed his chin. "So that means Foxglove…"
"Who?" asked Gadget, tilting her head.
"Me, of course!" whispered the pink bat above them, unnoticed.
"My best friend's girlfriend" answered Chip. "Well, it doesn't matter, we better leave"
"Right!" answered Gadget, throwing her book into her cloak. Chip could swear he saw a tentacle grabbing the book and pulling it inside, but he decided not to ask more questions. 'because Magic' was the best answer that night. Also, he had other more important detail to attend.
"Say Gadget, invisibility will work now?"
Foxglove raised her brow. "Invisibility?"
"Well, it should now!" answered Gadget.
"Come then" He said with a wink. "I have an idea to end this crazy chase".
Chip and Gadget walked to the edge of the roof and glanced down to the expectant crowd.
"Look!" exclaimed one of the neighbors. "On the roof! The witch!"
"And that ranger is with her!"
"Burn them! Burn them both!"
"What are these evil beings planning to do now?" asked Monterey.
"Who knows…" shrugged Zipper. "But they already defeated a whole clan of bats, are you sure you want to fight against them?"
"Yeah!" answered the big mouse. "Look at what I just bought!" Monterey pulled a necklace made of crystals off his shirt. "Amulets!"
"Oh please!" replied Zipper annoyed. "Stop wasting our money like that!"
On the roof, Chip addressed the crowd. "People of Saint Pierre!". The crowd gasped in response. "Thanks for your hospitality!" Gadget let out a chuckle. "But we are ready to leave this place and return to… Ireland! "
Monterey huffed. "Oh thank goodness he didn't say Scotland!"
"No offense" continued Chip. "But we do not expect to come back here ever again! Goodbye!"
And with a poof, Gadget and Chip disappeared. "Oh God! exclaimed mayor Moreau. "I can't see them anymore, they are really gone!" Then, he raised his arms in triumph. "People, we are saved!"
"Hurrah!" exclaimed the townsfolk relieved. Monterey and Zipper glanced at each other in disbelief.
"What do you mean they are gone?" complained Foxglove. "They are still in front of you, people!" Then, she realized the trick. "Oh yeah, invisibility… well played, Chip…" she grinned. "But useless against me! I'll get your witch for what she did, but first…"
After Chip and Gadget mounted on their broomstick and took off the roof, the pink bat landed where her father and fellow bats were laying still stunned by the silence spell. "Father, are you ok?"
Eaglewood shook his head and pointed to his mouth.
"Oh thanks god you are ok!" she said wipping her forehead. "Do not worry, I heard the witch saying that the spell will disappear soon, so please, calm down and stay here, I will capture that witch for you!"
Eaglewood grabbed her by the shoulder with a frightened expression. Foxglove just smiled.
"I'll be all right! The witch said we have a resistance against magic. I'll take her by surprise; she doesn't expect another bat coming at her!"
Eaglewood huffed, but at the end he nodded in approval.
Foxglove turned back to take off, when a naughty idea occurred to her.
"Oh and…" Foxglove gave her father a smug grin. "Maybe this is not a good moment to tell you… but remember Dale, the bard? Well, I have been dating him for months!"
Eaglewood's jaw fell to the floor.
"Aaaand… we are going to get married next year! You don't have any objections, right?" Foxglove quickly turned around to avoid watch her father, who was jumping from one side to another trying to yell a "yes! Are you crazy? I forbid it!" but his voice refused to come out.
Foxglove turned to him with a wide smile. "No objections, right? That's great, dad! Now, stay here and get used to these news, your daughter has a business to attend with a certain witch!"
"After that… I will find a way to rescue Tammy!" she said to herself, raising into the air. With her senses, she quickly found the pair of witches riding a broomstick. "Oh no, they are flying towards the inn! Dale and Bink are still there!"
Down at the streets, the mayor was trying to make the people to put down their torches and forks. "Ok dear friends, the show is over! Everyone return to their houses!"
"Sorry mayor" said one of the citizens. "But I think my family and I will sleep inside the church tonight… just in case…"
"We too!"
"And we!"
Only Zipper was still looking at the roof of the town's hall. It was then when he spotted a pink bat flying fast off the roof, like if she were pursuing someone.
"Monty! Look up there!" exclaimed the little fly pointing at Foxglove. "Do you think that…"
"She knows something!" concluded the knight. "Come Zip, let's follow her! We may still be the heroes of this tale"
Both friends started to run after Foxglove, in the direction of the town's inn.
"Heroes, eh?" smirked the little fly. "You know… maybe we should rescue that poor hostess after we are done here"
"Rescue her?" asked Monterey, puzzled. "When have you heard that a hero rescues a witch?"
"She didn't look like a witch to me… " answered Zipper thoughtful. "I think our boss has made a terrible mistake"
"Eh… maybe he did" Monterey admitted, remembering the scene from earlier. "All right, mate, you convinced me. Once we are back to our squad, we will see what can we do to help that girl! It's a promise!"