massive offense. It was a chance for her to escape, and she took it. They would meet up later--hopefully not in the hereafter.
Wolfgang looked down the center of the tunnel and saw that he would have a clear shot. There was no wind in the middle of the funnel, but he would have to act fast and his aim would have to be true. Drawing Vogelfang from its sheath on his back, he threw it dead center down the hollow corridor of wind. Johnny shouted as the halberd hit home, and the tornado lost its momentum. Wolfgang began to fall.
He wasn't as close to the rooftop as he would have liked to be, and he hit the ledge that ran along the peaked roof hard. But he was aware enough, in spite of the blow, to remember that falling to his death would be worse than a bump to his head, and put all of his effort into clutching at the ledge in order to hang on. The snare gun from his parents apartment that had managed to stay tucked in his jeans came loose and slipped away, smashing to pieces on the sidewalk below. Finding some support from a nearby tree that he could push off with his feet, and he managed to get a grip and slowly pull himself up onto the roof. He vaguely wondered where Johnny was, and why he hadn't come back at him by now. Until he looked around.
He saw himself on the ground, running for the alley that Marie had pointed out to him, with Johnny in pursuit, apparently not satisfied with using his gift of the wind anymore, but ready to tear Wolfgang apart with his bare hands. Except of course, that wasn't Wolfgang. It was Marie, taking Wolfgang's form to lead Johnny away. Wolfgang ran along the rooftops to the alley, hoping to do what he could to help Marie. All the running made his leg feel as if it was falling off where his boot started below his knee, as if it was only attached by a thin band of flesh that tore every time he pulled himself forward. Johnny was still flying, and if he went up just a little higher, Wolfgang was sure he could land another attack on him, or even grab him by surprise, if he wasn't noticed first.
Wolfgang tried to leap across a gap between two building ledges when his leg gave out on him. He was sure he told it to move correctly, but that message got lost between his head and foot, and the wounded leg buckled uselessly at the crucial moment. He reached out to grab something, anything, but there was nothing to grab.
Then, suddenly, there was. Something solid was against his hands, and they gripped automatically. "What the frick?!" Johnny shouted, and rolled with the weight of Wolfgang as he weighted him down lopsidedly. Pretty soon, all Wolfgang was holding on to was a mist as Johnny drifted upward and everything that had been on him--clothes, jewelry, Wolfgang--all fell through him and away. Luckily, between Wolfgang and the ground this time was a tree, and he spread out his arms and legs to catch hold of the branches and slow his fall. It worked well, except for his leg, which screamed bloody murder to his brain. Pilgrim caught him as he landed, the stallion's broad back providing a softer landing than the concrete below. His twin was nowhere to be found, and Wolfgang figured that Marie must have made it to the underground thanks to his distraction. Would he be able to make it there himself?
Pilgrim had recovered Vogelfang, had it in his mouth. Wolfgang took it from him as he ran to the webbed steel and glass design of the train station. The thought rushed through his mind of what that other world must be like--the one his father came from, the one that this place only copied, this shadow city where the buildings were more like props in a play than buildings that humans actually used, played and worked in, lived and died in. The buildings in that world were all built with a purpose; the ones here were more like a fly trap, copying the shapes and forms of a real, living world, making something recognizable only as a web, lying in wait to catch its prey, but not for the fae to develop and enjoy or
Wolfgang looked down the center of the tunnel and saw that he would have a clear shot. There was no wind in the middle of the funnel, but he would have to act fast and his aim would have to be true. Drawing Vogelfang from its sheath on his back, he threw it dead center down the hollow corridor of wind. Johnny shouted as the halberd hit home, and the tornado lost its momentum. Wolfgang began to fall.
He wasn't as close to the rooftop as he would have liked to be, and he hit the ledge that ran along the peaked roof hard. But he was aware enough, in spite of the blow, to remember that falling to his death would be worse than a bump to his head, and put all of his effort into clutching at the ledge in order to hang on. The snare gun from his parents apartment that had managed to stay tucked in his jeans came loose and slipped away, smashing to pieces on the sidewalk below. Finding some support from a nearby tree that he could push off with his feet, and he managed to get a grip and slowly pull himself up onto the roof. He vaguely wondered where Johnny was, and why he hadn't come back at him by now. Until he looked around.
He saw himself on the ground, running for the alley that Marie had pointed out to him, with Johnny in pursuit, apparently not satisfied with using his gift of the wind anymore, but ready to tear Wolfgang apart with his bare hands. Except of course, that wasn't Wolfgang. It was Marie, taking Wolfgang's form to lead Johnny away. Wolfgang ran along the rooftops to the alley, hoping to do what he could to help Marie. All the running made his leg feel as if it was falling off where his boot started below his knee, as if it was only attached by a thin band of flesh that tore every time he pulled himself forward. Johnny was still flying, and if he went up just a little higher, Wolfgang was sure he could land another attack on him, or even grab him by surprise, if he wasn't noticed first.
Wolfgang tried to leap across a gap between two building ledges when his leg gave out on him. He was sure he told it to move correctly, but that message got lost between his head and foot, and the wounded leg buckled uselessly at the crucial moment. He reached out to grab something, anything, but there was nothing to grab.
Then, suddenly, there was. Something solid was against his hands, and they gripped automatically. "What the frick?!" Johnny shouted, and rolled with the weight of Wolfgang as he weighted him down lopsidedly. Pretty soon, all Wolfgang was holding on to was a mist as Johnny drifted upward and everything that had been on him--clothes, jewelry, Wolfgang--all fell through him and away. Luckily, between Wolfgang and the ground this time was a tree, and he spread out his arms and legs to catch hold of the branches and slow his fall. It worked well, except for his leg, which screamed bloody murder to his brain. Pilgrim caught him as he landed, the stallion's broad back providing a softer landing than the concrete below. His twin was nowhere to be found, and Wolfgang figured that Marie must have made it to the underground thanks to his distraction. Would he be able to make it there himself?
Pilgrim had recovered Vogelfang, had it in his mouth. Wolfgang took it from him as he ran to the webbed steel and glass design of the train station. The thought rushed through his mind of what that other world must be like--the one his father came from, the one that this place only copied, this shadow city where the buildings were more like props in a play than buildings that humans actually used, played and worked in, lived and died in. The buildings in that world were all built with a purpose; the ones here were more like a fly trap, copying the shapes and forms of a real, living world, making something recognizable only as a web, lying in wait to catch its prey, but not for the fae to develop and enjoy or
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