Alex

When we rounded the next corner, we found about a dozen more ‘cubi, engaged in battle against a handful of angels.

Lilly ran over to lend some help, but I stayed back. Breathing fire would be kind of a give-away that I’m a dragon. Lighting myself on fire would also be a pretty strange tactic for an angel, and wouldn’t be very effective against anyone who isn’t soaked in kerosene, unless I maintain contact with them for a long time.

Which just left me with my talons, beak, and that knife Lilly gave me. Not very well-trained with any of that.

I saw an angel fall to her knees, clutching her blood-covered side

I make a good medic, though. I rushed over to help her. “Want me to heal that for you?”

She looked up, tried to speak, but just coughed up blood.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.”

“I’ll cover you,” Lilly said, moving in closer.

“Thanks.” I pulled the wounded angel’s shirt up and took a look at her wound. Judging by how shallow her breathing was, it seemed to have ruptured an air sac or two. Not good. But I’d dealt with worse.

I placed my hand on her wound. Closed my eyes and channeled healing energy into her, helping the wound to close itself up. After about a minute, I stopped. The bleeding had stopped, her air sacs weren’t leaking. She’d live. There were sure to be others who’d need my help, so I had to make sure not to tire myself out.

“Better?”

“Yeah. Thanks.” Her breathing was still shallow and irregular. “Time to… get some… revenge.” She tried to stand up.

“That’s really not a good idea.” I put my arm out to stop her. “You’re in no condition to fight.”

“I have to fight. I have to… kill these ‘cubi scum.” Another attempt to stand up, and a wince of pain when it didn’t work too well.

“You can’t even stand on your own.” I stood up myself and then helped her to her feet. “If you go back in there, they’ll kill you. I’ll take you somewhere safe where you can lie down.”

“I… I need to…” She kept protesting, but allowed me to guide her into a room nearby. The crowd made way for us, either because they recognized I was a medic, or because they realized if they didn’t get out of the way, Lilly would put a knife through their heart. Hard to tell, but either way, I was grateful.

(And so very glad that Lilly’s on my side, not trying to slay me. Because she has some serious skills with those knives.)