Sparks flew in a dozen different directions wherever the swirling entities known as 'Them' made contact with the energy shield protecting Targ and his two friends. The shield extended from the large stone construct that Gailen had summoned, and formed a perfect dome around the three of them. Targ wondered absently which one of the hundreds of shadow-like forms flying around the transparent dome had spoken to them earlier. It was impossible to tell one form from another in the churning storm of motion around them.
It had only been minutes since the voice of 'Them' had shouted its threat of death. Gailen had pulled a torn sheet of parchment from his pocket, shouted a few words as he ripped off a piece of it, and flung the bit to the ground. A large humanoid statue had appeared where the paper was, and upon seeing it, the dark creature had shouted for his minions to attack it.
The statue barely had time to construct the shield as the creature sneered at Gailen's story, before the shadows had attacked.
"Alena, now would be a good time for your story!" Gailen shouted.
"Gailen, I told you, it can't help!"
"That doesn't matter, Alena! Even if it buys us only a few more seconds to escape, we have to try!"
What would a few seconds even do us? He wondered, listening to Gailen's words. Nothing seems to stop these things from pursuing us...there's nowhere left to run. The throbbing in his legs reminded him he would not make it far even if there were anywhere to go. But where on this world could we possibly hide from them?
The same crackling of the shield that he had heard before it fell last time brought Targ from his thoughts.
"Please, Alena, it's now or never!" Gailen shouted.
Alena's eyes were open round as indecision and fear both played across her face.
"Very well then! But it's not my fault if they do nothing!" She barked finally.
Slowly, she stood so that she was fully erect, closing her eyes and relaxing her face. Light gradually surrounded her head, and her hair began to swirl in a breeze that moments before had not existed. A sense of peace and joy filled the little enclave of safety, accompanied by the smell of flowers and fresh rain. Giggles echoed through the air, and then the Mahote were there. First one mote of light broke away from Alena, then more followed it, dancing around her, forming slowly into little people with multicolored butterfly wings. None of their wings designs or colors seemed vaguely similar to another's.
Pixies. Targ was unsure where the thought came from, but it seemed fitting of the tiny beings.
Dozens of pixies, as Targ had labeled them, were floating around the dome, and musical laughter permeated the entire area. Alena opened her eyes and carefully reached out a hand, playfully caressing one of the pixies. Its giggles were surprisingly loud for something so small, and its golden black wings quivered in delight as she stroked them, gently cupping it in her hands.
"Ah, my beautiful ones," she whispered, "I have so missed all of you."
Another loud crackle sent shock waves through the air, as cracks began forming in the dome and golem. Sweat glistened in the pale light on Gailen's face, as he concentrated on maintaining the golem. Another loud shock wave, and a chunk of the protector fell, shrinking the dome and causing the pixies to collide into one another.
Worry filled Alena's face as her pixies were sent into a panic. She opened her arms wide, as if she were going to gather them all to her, but none of the pixies noticed her. All of them had only eyes for the surging dark mass of shadows that began to seep through the cracks of the dome.
"Tell them to attack, Alena!" Gailen shouted.
"No! I won't!" She cried, "They're friendly, beautiful creatures-they can't fight!"
"I don't care! Make them do it, and we can make a break for it!"
"This was your plan?" She questioned, "I won't do it! I can't do it to them! They'll be killed!"
"They're a story, Alena, they can't be killed!" he insisted.
"I don't care!" She cried, "They trusted me, I brought them here, I won't do this to them!"
"Dammit, Alena! They're not real!" He screamed, "Do it!"
I don't know what a bunch of bug-sized defenders are going to do against those shadows...but it doesn't seem like they could possibly distract 'Them' long enough for us to get away. The pixies already seemed too terrified to fight as it was, and their battle hadn't even started. The whole discussion is pointless...with the dome up we're not going anywhere, and once it drops those pixies aren't really going to give us any time to get away.
Still...
"Alena!" Targ shouted, "We've got to get away!"
"Don't you think I know that?" She retorted, "I won't do it at their expense!"
"They're going to die with us anyway, don't you see?" he replied.
"What?" She looked perplexed.
Gailen seemed to catch on to Targ's plan, and chipped in."So you see, you might as well use them, or their loss will be pointless!"
Tears formed in her blue eyes and rolled down her face. Her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground sobbing. "No...it's not fair. I won't let them die..."
A roar from the collapsing dome drowned out whatever else she was saying. Gailen's story statue collapsed into a pile of rocks and dust, sending a plume of itself into the sky. Shadows swooped into what was once their island of safety and, surprisingly, headed for the pixies instead of Targ and his friends. When shadow and pixie collided, a flash of light and a faint scream was all that came from the first pixie, before it was no more.
"No!" Alena screamed, "Fly away! Save yourselves!"
Her screams brought her summoned pets out of their shock. Now they began to spin around the clearing, dodging and avoiding the shadows. They dove and climbed as needed as the shadows howled in frustration, trying in vain to catch their prey.
"What are you doing?" She yelled, "I told you to flee, save yourselves! I command you!"
As if hearing Alena's command, all of the pixies turned and dove for Alena and her friends. From all directions they came, flying at a speed Targ thought would be impossible for them.
"Damn, they're bringing them right for us!" Gailen spurted, "Make them stop, Alena!"
Sure enough, as the pixies swarmed down on them, the shadows turned and charged after the little Mahote. Their shrieks of frustration turned into a scream of triumph as they dove toward their intended victims. All hope of escape seemed lost. Strangely enough, the pixies began to hum a foreign tune as they were about to impact on Targ and company. One second they were charging and humming, then the next Targ found himself surrounded by light. Judging from the gasps of shock all around him, he guessed his friends were as well.
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