Rescue {13}

It was getting harder to breath, the smoke clogging her lungs with each inhale. It was terrifying. Terrifying how the ash wrangled down her parched throat so easily, causing each exasperated cough to last longer.

She was soon to collapse from the lack of oxygen swimming in her blood, it's quantity thinning by the second.

Even still, her attention was nothing short of defiant, refusing to part from his face as she counted the minutes of dread.

She didn't know how long Lev had left... each heavy breath a precious commodity as she watched his eyelids stay firmly shut, not moving an inch.

His face paled from the bleeding while his entire body looked as if it were at deaths door, with only the hand clutched firmly by Skye acting as his anchor to life.

And the rushing emotions... the fear of it all didn't have time to process before they were nothing short of chaotic, scourging freely... But seeing him like this threw her collected self for a wicked ride.

Her arms were growing tired, shaking with the remaining strength she had left while her heart beat frantically.

What was taking them so long?

Prepping her voice to call again to scream till she collapsed, she swallowed, braving her lips while pushing her words as far as humanly possible.

Because, hesitantly, Skye was human, reduced to a powerless being that suffered each and every second.

The silence from the other side drowned out entirely, red engulfing her eyes while her tears shed to extinguish it.

She thought that perhaps there was nothing they could do, that it was just a cruel twist of fate teasing her while the hope of keeping her human breathing, was a lie.

The very notion shook her core.

But that wasn't the only thing that hummed through the rubble and hushed her mind, no, it was a power emanating from the corridor; it's waves striking as she felt someone's presence. A strong one.

It was overwhelming, a distinct feeling she hadn't felt in a millennia. Another angel?

The energy grew stronger, forcing Skye to close her eyes as she bathed in it, her body pulling on its strings to sway it to convene with her, tell her who it was from.

Without a conscious thought, her lips drifted independently to her free will, mouthing the name "Heka"

Her eyes burst open, welling with relief. Heka. It was Heka.

"M-miss Heka of the divine, thank you for hearing my prayer" Evangeline choked, having only moments ago placed the boys under her ethereal gift, now sleeping unconscious next to the one who got chucked; their memory none-the wiser thanks to her.

It was better that way.

She bowed, directing her full attention to the original standing before her.

A slender angel with hair as straight as the horizon stared lovingly to the lower angel, her hair darker than the night sky absent of a moon. Her eyes matched, appearing as an intimidating demeanour only to find the soft outlining of a gold trim around her iris; alighting the calming darkness that soothed just by a glance.

The wings prospered behind her, a black robe dressing the angel that, as all angels have, sported an ethereal glow; this one greater than most.

"Miss Skye is in there, as well as her- a human she had attempted to rescue" she bowed politely.

Evangeline gained no reply.

Heka sighed deeply, her bare toes gently touching the icy floor from her hovering state; wings slouched behind her.

Evangeline had never felt so inferior as an original walked past her, heeding her call.

Skye was so different...

Heka took a breath for herself, an unknown emotion lingering in her eyes. Her words were calculated. "When it comes to my sister young one, I will move heaven and earth to keep her safe" she soothed, voice as calm as the sea breeze, "as would you I detect" her eyes dipped to the feather hanging from Evangeline's neck; the gift from the hopeless angel who always made trouble for herself.

Even with her head lowered she could feel the piercing gaze; knew exactly what she had meant by those words and internally shook. Her lips felt dry, her eyes layering a mask to hide the feelings she kept in her depths.

Evangeline's chest tightened, fingers chattering as she held onto the feather, staying in a low bow to remove her expression.

Through tight breaths, she squeezed "I would do my duty as an angel under the divine"

Heka's smile wained to reveal a moments falter, now a face of pity and sorrow, though she wouldn't let it stay, "I have no doubt about your loyalty to her, I would expect no less from her angels, you were trained under the guardian angel herself" she smiled, a warm hand gently caressing Evangeline's head.

Evangeline's breathing hitched at the gentle touch, squeezing her eyes in utter respect. Her lips trembled at the worries... at the image of an angels gravestone... a sister to Heka.

Detecting the worry, Heka trailed her hand down to her chin, lifting the angels face to the light.

Heka's eyes beamed toward her, a countenance so calm it was both relaxing and un-nerving. "Do not worry for my sake young one" she closed her eyes slowly, "I already know what I will find, and I am at peace with it"

Re-opening them, a single tear escaped her moonless eyes, dipping into the crevice of the heartwarming smile.

Evangeline couldn't help but feel the remorse and grief of it all.

After a heartbeat of silence, Heka slowly faced the flames, her fingertips arising with a light glow. Immediately, the flames dwindled, and the debris became weightless.

"Skye, if you can, place your arms underneath him as if to carry, I will do the rest" she instructed, her fingers steadfast as they held out an illuminating glow.

Skye barely heard her, nodding her head as if she could be seen and carefully manoeuvred around the rubble, careful not to cause any structural damage that could crush them both.

Biting her lip, she suppressed the wince as her arm scraped against the concrete; drawing blood.

Her heart was in her throat, the silence deafening until her arms found their way under him, the toppled damage above him crushing her.

She felt suffocated, having held onto his waist like a lifeline.

Eventually slotting her arms in place she rushed, "They're under, hurry, I don't think they can width stand the pressure for long!"

Another cough arose, scratching at a throat dry with smoke. She grimaced, speaking softly to Lev as she heard footsteps, "You're going to be alright"

A welling tear dropped onto him, the splatter doing nothing to clean his bloodstained body. "I made a promise to you and I intend to keep it"

Staggered breaths of relief flooded Skye's heart as she felt the chaos around her lift, the destroyed architecture rising from the ground to form an overhang; bloodstained arms weightless while Lev's body was relieved of pressure.

Through the arch that was created with crumbling concrete, Heka walked through, eyeing Lev with a pity that made the fallen angel drop with shame.

To be reduced to a state where you were incapable was something Skye could not describe, yet could point too as her eyes told it all. The pity others felt toward her human came from her wrongdoings, her shameful choices.

So once she swivelled her neck away from the judging stare, she couldn't help but meet the floor.

But why did it have to be him? Why was he punished for the mistake she had made? How in all that was divine... just?

Sighing contently, Heka stood inches taller than Skye, her hair catching her eyes as it went down her, and, with as much care possible, rested her great wing onto her sisters shoulders.

The sudden weight shocked the wingless angel, but soon leaned into it.

The comfort that engulfed the fallen was immense; the feathery touch that was so familiar, so homely that she wished for its warmth to never leave her back.

Her words were forced between chocked swallows, a single tear streaming, "thank you..."

There, under her sisters graceful protection did her heart beat to that of someday braving the world; experience its wonders while diligently working to protect the human who lay afloat in her outstretched arms.

Watching as his chest rose faintly, her eyes tightened.

Little did Skye know that Heka observed her every flinch, every tiny stumble of breath, every lip tremble that swayed the world around them with emotion that just screamed of undying fear.

So, gazing upon herself with the grief running through her like a horse wild in a field, did that heavy weight of her sisters death hit; the feather... so, in a way, Heka understood the pain and anguish that Skye had feared with the human, for she had felt it too.

But of course, as a sister, she would not let her sister experience such cruel emotions; an overwhelming need to protect her threw out her rational side long ago...

With a gentle caress to her forehead, Heka smoothly placed her opposite hand to his bloody chest, inhaling deeply while shutting her eyes.

Skye could only breathe with nerves as from her palm glimmered a light so pure the sun beamed darkness.

From within the purity, swirls of energy similar to the one floating within him travelled the length of his body; like stitches, it sewed up the cuts and weaved his body back together like a doll under a needle and thread.

Even when Skye had seen this thousands of times, her amazement was nothing short of childlike, with a gaze wondrous and captivated.

But it quickly vanished from her filthy, sweat infested face to one of shock when within her arms, Lev twitched, and a sly hand had gently gravitated to the one holding him... Skye's...