18: Loyalty

Aisha could not believe her eyes.
Her friend was laying helpless on the barren ground, the unmistakable shiny hair spread around her head like a blue pond.
I have to help her.
- You have to run!
The face in her head was peremptory, stern. Hesperia's voice pushed her to the trees but the girl got up and snapped in the opposite direction towards her friend.
- What are you doing?
- Musa!
The fairy turned to Aisha, the beautiful face dusted and striped with tears.
- Aisha! How did we end up here?- sobbed the girl stretching her arms in her direction. The Fairy of Fluids took her hands and helped her to get up, an eye always turned to the creature that gained ground, but Musa, in rising, groaned and slumped again.
- I fell, as I ran... I'm afraid I twisted my ankle.
- Put the weight on the other leg, quick...
The girl passed Musa’s arm around her neck to support her and together they stood up.
- We just have to get up to those trees- murmured Aisha confident, but when they turned they seemed even more distant than before. And behind them, with a rhythmic and threatening noise, the creature approached.
- I only remember Daphne's Cave...- whimpered Musa, limping.
Despite the slender body, her leaning on Aisha made their movements very slow. The fairy clenched her teeth and continued to walk.
«You're very close, just leave her here and you can complete the mission alone...»
Aisha shook her head to chase out that voice. The monster was getting closer.
«You can't transform, you can't fight that being...»
The Fairy of Music stopped suddenly.
- Aisha, I'm just slowing you down...- she murmured in tears -I could stop and distract him... so at least you'd save yourself, wouldn't you?
Her blue eyes were full of courage and a thrill ran down the back of Aisha. She looked around and she noticed a branch a few steps later.
- Don't be silly, Musa. I could never live with the thought of leaving you here.
She picked it up. It was not too thick but it seemed sturdy: she waved it with her free arm and felt its weight.
- Sit here. We've faced far worse things, haven't we?
Musa obeyed and slid cautiously to the ground. Aisha stood between her and the monster that was coming quickly. In seeing that the two girls had stopped, the creature had thrown back that verse, that horrible screeching that had given the Fairy of Fluid the desire to run away.
But she did not.
- Come on, you ugly beast!
The closer it came the more Aisha could distinguish its details: its body resembled that of an insect and it gave off a tremendous stench that for a moment had her gagging. She breathed with her mouth and she grasped the stick like a baseball bat.
- Aisha, run... save yourself as long as you can!
«Your friend is right: look at those blades, it will slice you both in a flash. And no one will accomplish the mission...»
The monster was almost on her.
It wasn't much taller than Aisha, just those inches that were enough to make her dodging its blades by passing under. She avoided its first attack and slipped behind it, the adrenaline that throated in her veins and made every detail even sharper. She found herself staring at the creature's backbone, a row of hideous pointed growths.
- I won't run! - she yelled at the creature that turned to attack her again - If there is a hope of surviving then we will go together!
Aisha lifted up his stick and struck the creature to the strongest trunk she could.