A.N. Planning on, hopefully, posting chapter 10 later today.
- 9 -
Wesley grimaced, the high pitched noises coming from the Chimera causing an almost physical pain in his ears. Striving to ignore the battle occurring beyond his hiding place, he directed his focus on to beginning to read aloud the complex Latin of the spell that he was hoping against hope would work on the Chimera and so give Angel the advantage he needed.
The Chimera raised it's head a fraction, seeming to sniff the air around Angel. With a roar like thunder the creature raised up onto it's hind legs before charging the Vampire. Angel only had the time to realise that the Chimera had begun to move, then creature was suddenly already on him. Swiping the vampire with one paw, he knocked Angel to the floor. Angel grunted as he felt the creature's claws rake across his chest. His reactions slowed by the poison coursing through his body, Angel couldn't move away quickly enough to avoid the creature pinning him to the floor, a giant paw holding down each of his arms. Angel desperately tried to free his sword arm as the creature threw it's head back in a howl of victory. Opening it's maw wide, Angel had a close up view of the Chimera's long yellowed fangs as it lunged it's head down towards Angel's face, intent on going in for the kill and tearing out the vampire's throat.
"How much further are we going? It's getting kinda stinky down here, and cold."
Cordelia couldn't disagree, Maria was right. This far along the sewer tunnels there was growing evidence of their function and Cordelia had been trying to close her mind off to what she and Maria were currently splashing through. Despite her own distaste, Cordelia flashed the girl a sunny smile.
"Hey...look on the bright side! It'll hide our scent from the walking bed throw, assuming it somehow gets past the boys and then down here."
"Seriously...Do you think it will? Get past them I mean."
Cordelia stopped and turned to face Maria. The girl was noticeably shivering, her arms wrapped tight around herself, her face pale in the light of Cordelia's torch. Cordelia sighed, her smile gone.
"If, and I stress if, that thing comes after us, it means that both Angel and Wesley are dead. There is no other possible way that it could get past them."
Maria lowered her head. The silence broken only by the sound of the liquid sludge sluggishly making it's way along the centre of the tunnel floor, and the odd scurrying noise made by a sewer rat somewhere nearby. When Maria finally spoke, her voice was no more than a whisper.
"Angel and the English guy, Wesley, they would go that far? They'd both die? Trying protect us...me?"
Cordelia moved to Maria's side and put an arm around the young woman's shoulder.
"Hey! Quit with the worrying. Not gonna happen. Now, how about we look for a nice dry ledge or something where we can rest up and get our feet out of this...well, not to put too fine a point on it...shit?"
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