So they are going to delete my other story...bah! :((
Better hurry with this one...
Chapter 17
Ozzie's Fort - 600 A.D.
Lucca was aiming her Wondershot just for defence. She wasn't going to shoot the strange couple, however. How could she? Fighting against Flea was already rather unpleasant: he was an evil fiend and everything, but his human aspect was disturbing. She didn't like violence. And now...that strange woman who had fallen from the ceiling and who was currently shielding Flea was surely human, and Lucca didn't want to hurt her. She simply didn't know what to do.
Then...something strange happened.
For many years after that day, Lucca wouldn't be able to explain that dramatic moment. She had a rational mind, a scientist's mind, and had never believed in thing like premonitions, inexplicable knowledge and strange sensations. For many years she would attribute all this to fatigue and hunger, like a hallucination.
She saw something in Flea's eyes. And that was the most incredible thing, because she wasn't close enough to see into his eyes. Nevertheless, she was mesmerised by those brown orbs, suddenly so familiar and friendly. She read in them...gentleness and warmth, the same qualities that had always comforted her in her childhood, in the eyes of...someone else...And then she shifted her gaze to the woman, and again experienced that sensation, feeling absurdly sure to have already met that woman before...or somehow after.
The Wondershot trigger was so cold against her finger, and horrible darkness surrounded Lucca, clouding her vision and filling her heart with despair. The black tentacles of something worse than death groped at her, freezing her to the bones.
She withdrew her finger from the trigger and slowly the world returned to its normal reality. None of her companions was paying attention to her or to the Mystic and his friend. She weakly gestured the two to run away.
***
«Let's go!» Auree exclaimed.
She couldn't say why, but she felt reasonably sure that the girl wouldn't pursue them. She was letting them escape.
But Flea, having recovered from the surprise, was again complaining about the enormous offence he had suffered.
«Do you know what they've done? Eh? Did you see? Those dirty little monsters!»
«Please, Flea, hurry up!»
He stood there, enraged, clutching his arm to his chest...a chest rather flatter than usual.
«They've...they've stolen my BRA! Would you believe this? How could they? What kind of people would rob someone else of his underwear? They must have a twisted mind! Look...look!»
«I know perfectly well how you look without it!»
«That's not the point! My bodice was designed to suit the form of a breast, and...without it, I look...so...so...»
He was almost in tears. He spitted out the terrible word.
«...dishevelled!»
«You'll look dead if you don't run!»
«But I can't even run, I've lost a heel too...these were my favourite boots! HUMANS!!! The nerve!»
«COME!!!»
Glaring for the last time to the purple-haired girl, Auree pushed Flea toward one of the back exits of the hall. The battle was moving toward the inner chambers, for Ozzie had fled, pursued by most of the attacking group, and Slash had fallen, his guard disbanded. They could manage to run away unnoticed.
Flea was limping because of the damaged boots, but insisted not to lean on Auree. He stopped abruptly and grasped her as suddenly aware of a danger.
***
Lucca sighed in relief, seeing the two retiring from the fighting. For those frightening moments she had been sure that some events could have followed a completely different path. Some events could have followed a very bad path.
She turned, ready to run to reach her friends, when noticed someone who had observed the scene and hadn't liked it.
She opened her mouth to shout but it was already too late.
***
Flea had perceived the slight breeze, the charging of some magic behind him, and the tingling on the back of his neck. So, with prompt reflexes, he pushed Auree away from him and managed to put her to safety when the lighting struck.