She flew through the air, slamming into the side of a building, and heard a rib crack. Damn. She sprang upwards – that hurt so much! – and grinned, taunting Fabian.
"You're getting old. I didn't even get grazed by that." Fabian howled and leapt for her in pure livid rage, and Valentina deflected him easily. Thank God for invincible magic weapons. She shot a burst of magic towards him.
"Tortoise!" He ducked and a rock got a whole new life, before Fabian threw it in the air, and the crack of its shell made her scream. He grinned, and caught her arm.
"You're next, baby Lunanoff. Daddy can't protect you. Jack can't help you. Nightlight is so far away." Smoke formed a hammer, which crashed into her side, and she coughed, and almost choked as she felt bile rise in her throat. She whipped his own knife out of her arm and stabbed him with it.
"Don't you dare threaten the people I love. You do that and your life is over!" she screamed, glowing fully, a blast of white magic erupting and throwing Fabian backwards. He hissed and leapt forwards, intending to rip her open for that, when ice crystals held him in place. A sword hit his back and something wooden bounced of his head. Someone broke his nose, and sand lashed his back.
Fabian disappeared, knowing his best chance was to run, with no hope of defeating the Guardians. He tried to escape into the shadows, when one held him by the throat.
"Tsk, tsk. Very bad of you. I think some sort of suspended animation will do." Pitch breathed on Fabian's face, and he thrashed about, but completely comatose. Sandy gave Pitch the thumbs up.
"Sanderson, do not. I am evil. I don't do thumbs up." Pitch snorted and disappeared with Fabian.
Jack cradled Val's head. "Are you okay?"
"Got what he wanted… I'm bleeding. But… fine really." Val passed out and Tooth ran her hands over her ribs.
"One of them is broken. Another is cracked. And she just passed out from blood loss." Tooth's voice trembled and she blinked away tears. Jack froze the wounds and stroked his girlfriend's hair. He started to cry, the tears freezing and falling like diamonds onto Val's cloak. Bunny touched his shoulder.
"Let Tooth carry her, Jack."
"No. I won't leave her." He picked her up gently and flew off.
Pitch broke the man's neck. His rage was unmatched at that point. How dare something so vile even touch Valentina? A little girl he had watched grow up, in the company of the other Fabian. He snarled and Fabian's shell disintegrated, leaving behind an empty set of clothes, that burst into flames.
Nightlight cleared his throat and Pitch jumped.
"Don't look at me like that. You would have." Nightlight nodded slowly and Pitch sighed. "How sad. It makes it no easier. She will know when she wakes up, that this is what I've done."
Nightlight nodded and gave a huge sigh. He scribbled in the air. She'll understand. He patted Pitch's back and started the journey back to the North Pole.
He saw some crows circling and frowned. What were they doing? He darted forward and tried a shooing motion, when he suddenly caught sight of a ribbon wrapped around the leg of one of them. He'd seen it in a picture of Valentina that hung in the hallway of the Lunanoff ship. They were keeping vigil.
He petted the crow slightly and it cawed at him. A burst of snow exploded from one of the windows and he swooped down. Jack was sat by a bed, where a pale, almost deathly so, Valentina lay, breathing slightly, but otherwise asleep.
Jack was still holding her hand. Bunny was in a corner, muttering and sniffling. North just watched, as did Sandy. Tooth was letting tears drip down her cheeks.
"She did it to save a child." North finally spoke and he turned to the others. "She risked everything to protect everyone. She saw her duty, and she kept Jack from harm. She took on someone who was ten times as powerful as Pitch. That is bravery."
Tooth gulped and Nightlight drew a candle in the air, and an arrow. Sandy nodded. North nodded. "We will go. You keep watch." Jack watched them as they filed out of the room.
"I'm here, pigeon. I won't leave you. I swear."