She scrambled forwards, launching lightning behind her as she went.
Her hand moved too close for the shield to activate. Nel cried out as the devil’s hand closed around her extended wrist. The bone might be nothing more than powder.
He let go.
Nel tumbled forward into Sister Mable’s bloody lap.
The clunk of his hoof moving closer sent Nel into a panic. She crawled out of the bathroom on her hand and knees.
Whatever pain there might have been there was drowned out by the source.
His footsteps clunked closer.
Where are the other guards? “Sister Cross,” she cursed as realization hit her. She must have had them removed from their posts to leave her unguarded.
Not that it mattered now.
With a thought, the demon leg hovering above the remains of her altar launched itself over her head. It flew like a spear towards the approaching devil.
An augur’s powers weren’t supposed to be used that way. She could be excommunicated.
That didn’t matter either.
The demon leg had to do something.
She turned to look behind her, cutting her connection to preserve her sanity.
Pain coursed through her arm and straight to her brain. Terror was the only thing keeping her from screaming.
The devil laughed. He caught the speeding spear out of the air. Green fire burst from the tips of his fingers. The shiny black leg was reduced to ash in seconds.
Nel was sure she heard a whimper. It probably came from her.
Each arrogant step the devil took left a trail of flame. Each step brought him closer to Nel.
Nel shut her eyes and reactivated her connection. The shield would hold him at bay so long as she didn’t move.
Hold him at bay until what? Reinforcements?
Someone started laughing. A high-pitched, hysterical giggle. Far too high to be the demon.
Who am I kidding. There’s no one coming. If Nel didn’t know better, she would have suspected Sister Cross of being the one to send the demon. Weren’t they supposed to be fighting necromancers? Why the hell was a demon attacking her?
Her mind flashed to the abomination. No. It couldn’t have been her. Nel had had her under near constant observation. She’d never even seen the abomination with any demon save for the spider.
The footsteps drew closer.
Never before had she wished she could teleport as much as she did now. Why did only chapter leaders train that ability?
A voice whispered in the back of her mind, because the rest of the nuns are expendable. And augurs, the voice in her head laughed, augurs don’t get human rights.
Something slammed into her shield. Part of it fractured.
Her shield disappeared.
The shield didn’t shatter. She didn’t turn it off.
Nel opened her eyes in horror. Her connection wasn’t even on. She tried to connect. It cut away the moment she tried.
The devil’s laugh rattled the windows. His mismatched horns shook from side to side as he threw his head back.
He was doing something. She couldn’t connect. Her arm throbbed. The focus was lost somewhere long ago.
Nel cowered against the shattered remains of her altar. She shut her eyes and desperately tried to activate her connection.
It flicked off every time she tried.
“That’s it?” A blast of hot air erupted in her face. “Why is my master so worried about you pathetic nuns?”
He poked a single finger into her shoulder. Pain tore through an eye. Her shoulder must be dislocated.
“Please,” Nel sobbed. She barely realized she opened her mouth.
“Please?” The marble altar rumbled at his mocking voice. “Please what.”
“I–” A hiccup caught the words in her throat.
He laughed again. “You’re a weird one. I thought I could have some fun with you because of that.”
The demon leaned down, hot breath scorching her ear. “You’re weak, yeah?”
“I-I’m not a fighter. Any sister would be stronger.”
Nel could almost imagine him glancing back to the dead nun in the bathroom the moment the words left her mouth. He glanced back with a quirked eyebrow. There was rumbling laughter as he walked away, leaving her in her pitiful state while he left in search of more worthy targets. Like Sister Cross.
Her imagination was always her strong suit.
Long nailed fingers gripped her throat. Nel clambered to her feet as the hand lifted.
He lifted too high. Her feet left the ground.
With her one good hand, Nel’s fingers dug into the beast’s arm. Her muscles burned as she tried to hold herself up.
She didn’t have to hold on long.
The demon pulled her in close. Close enough for his rough lips to brush against her cheek. An actual kiss.
She wasn’t next to the demon anymore. It took her a moment to comprehend.
Nel flew through the air. Her back impacted something hard.
She kept going.
Glass shattered all around her. Pain laced through her back and arms.
Fresh air rushed into her lungs as she gasped in a breath. The cool February sun cradled her as she cried out.
Nel fell.
Pain pierced one of her eyes as she landed. A shard of glass dug into her side.
Nel lay in the thin layer of melting snow. She couldn’t move. She didn’t want to move. The thought itself sent needles through her entire body. Actually moving would only be worse.
Maybe the devil would leave. Maybe it would think she died.
No. He knew what he was doing. Even if he did leave, Sister Cross would show up sooner or later. She’d finish the job.
Nel tried to connect again. The source wrapped around her like a warm blanket. Her pain flooded through the connection rather than to her mind.
With the source’s strength, Nel dragged herself to her feet. “Diagnostic: Self,” Nel mumbled. Information trickled into her mind. She started hobbling away. Anywhere else.
“Fractured left ulna. Fractured left radius. Blood loss detected.”
Nel trudged through the snow. She didn’t look back. If the devil was there, she didn’t want to look.
“Major lacerations across full body. Foreign objects detected. Additional details available.”
Whatever additional details the source had for her could wait. They wouldn’t be good news.
“Heaclass="underline" Self.”
“Level Psalm healing available. Seek designated mender for additional care.”
Nel cursed to herself. Not that she expected better for an augur. On the bright side, she wouldn’t bleed out anytime soon. The burn of Psalms gushed through her veins. She grit her teeth as she continued moving.
The snow had melted off the sidewalks earlier in the week; at least she wasn’t leaving a nice footpath to follow. The blood would stop soon enough, if it hadn’t already. No one could follow her at the very least.
Transportation. She needed transportation. Something, anything to get her away.
There were people at the school. People who could teleport. It wasn’t a far distance. Nothing was a far distance from anything in Brakket. She could make it.
She had to make it.
The main part of the city drew closer. Tall buildings. Tight alleys. Places to hide.
Nel leaned against the brick wall of a shop. She slumped against it, but stayed on her feet. There was no guarantee she would get back up if she collapsed to the ground. She struggled breathing a few deep, raspy breaths.
The shop owner. They could contact the school. Nel wouldn’t have to walk all the way.
No. What if they contacted the nuns. What if whoever the shop owner got a hold of at the school misunderstood and contacted the nuns.
What if they contact Sister Cross anyway?
Nel pushed off the side of the building. She stumbled around back, moving through the alley. She couldn’t think about such things. They had to help her.
Without frankincense, Nel couldn’t concentrate on seeing. There were brief glimpses ahead of her path, nothing more. Her sight jumped around the corner of the alley before she did. Just enough warning to stop.