A Guardian Angel’s Fight

Description

This is a guardian angel short story about an unseen fight with a low-level demon. It is an angel versus demon story where a clumsy guardian struggles to hold on to the fob that links him to his charge, stumbling through battle but refusing to give up.

A Guardian Angel’s Fight

The street was quiet in the rain. He stood on the rooftop, watching the woman through her window. She sat at her table, working, never knowing how close danger pressed in. He held the fob in his hand. The small stone gave off a soft glow. It was the only thing that let him reach her.

A voice came from the corner. “Still hanging on to that little toy? Without it, you are nothing.”

He turned. The demon stepped out of the dark. Her eyes glowed faint red. She smiled like she had already won.

“You will not have her,” he said.

The demon laughed. “She is already mine. She is tired. She is lonely. She is close to breaking. All I have to do is whisper, and she will listen.”

He moved forward, but his foot hit a loose pipe. He stumbled and smacked his hand against a vent with a loud clang. The demon laughed harder.

“Heaven sends me a fool,” she said. “They must not care if you are all they sent to protect her.”

He gritted his teeth. “Mock me all you want. I will not let you near her.”

She moved quickly. Shadows shot out and wrapped around his wrist. The fob slipped free and hit the rooftop, sliding into a puddle. His chest tightened. Without it, he could do nothing.

The demon picked it up, turning it in her hand. “So weak. One slip and she is mine.”

He lunged. His foot slipped again on the wet stone. He slammed into the ledge with his shoulder, pain running through him, but he kept going. He grabbed her wrist, pulling at the fob. She hissed and cut his arm with her claws. Light sparked from the wound, and he gasped, but his hand closed around the fob.

He ripped it free and held it tight. The glow spread, brighter now, pushing the dark back. The demon shrieked and stepped away, smoke rising from her form.

“You will not win,” she spat. “I may be called low, but even I can drag her down.”

“You will not touch her,” he said.

The glow spread wider, forcing her to the edge of the roof. She snarled, eyes burning with hate, then broke apart into smoke and vanished into the night.

He dropped to his knees, soaked and shaking. Blood ran down his arm, mixing with the rain. He forced himself up and looked down at the apartment window. She still sat at her table, bent over her work. She never knew how close it had been. She paused, looked around as if sensing something, then went back to writing.

He leaned against the ledge, missing one shoe, robe torn, hair plastered to his face. He whispered to himself, knowing she would never hear. “You will never know what I fight off for you. And that is how it should be.”

He clipped the fob back onto its chain and tucked it under his shirt. His hands shook, but the stone glowed steady. He gave a crooked smile through the pain. He had slipped, fallen, and nearly failed again. But she was safe.

Author’s Note: This short story is connected to my upcoming novella Bound By The Fob: The Link Between an Angel and His Charge. It can be read on its own, or together with my other short story, A Guardian Angel and His Charge, for a fuller look at the unseen bond between an angel and his human. Thank you for reading and supporting my writing here on Vocal.