"He who?" Noel asked, looking around. She half expected to see someone standing in the corner of her room or staring at her through the window, but, of course, no one was there. 

"The Hidaar." Azrath's voice was shaking along with his body. "I can sense his power. And what's worse is that he has one of the pieces."

Noel was still coming down from her latest headache and tried to rack her brain to understand what he was talking about. "Remind me again, who is Hidaar?"

Azrath inflated with indignation, "Haven't you been listening?!"

Noel fired back, "Well, excuse me for not remembering every tiny detail of your story." Then she remembered. "Oh, right. That's the guy you want to fight, isn't it?" Maybe she should make a study guide for all of this. 

"I don't want to fight him. But yes, to get to the point quickly, he's the guy we need to fight."

Noel blinked. "We?"

"Well—since I'm pretty much useless in my current form—when I say we, what I really mean is you."

"Excuse me? I didn't sign up to go wrangle with some creep." This was all happening too fast. A week and a half ago, she was back home in Iowa. Yesterday, she was ignorant of the greater world around her. Today, she was being drafted to fight a demon from another world. This was one hell of a whopper that the curse had given her, and she wanted no part of it anymore.

"I know, I know! If I had a choice in the matter, I would be the one to face him alone. Believe me when I say that I wish you were not involved, but that's not the will of the Cosmic Flow."

"To hell with your cosmic flow!" She snatched from the bed the pen and shoved it in his face, "Here, take it, and go fight him yourself."

Azrath looked mournfully at the pen and then up at her, "I can't. The pen works only for you now. If I go, I die, and the world is doomed. Everything you know and love will be annihilated."

Chewing her lip, Noel thought about his words. "Is he really that strong?"

"Yes. But you have Urzuran's power. You can fight and win with that on your side."

Noel could feel her resistance cracking. She had always seen herself as a kind person.; someone who sticks up for those in need, even if the needy spit in her face for it, which had happened on multiple occasions. Back then, she was only Noel, an ordinary girl burdened by the fate her curse had given her. But now, she had the powers of a god on her side. She remembered how it felt to have that power flowing through her, and, she had to admit, it felt good. She had felt like she could do anything. Noel looked down at Azrath, who looked back at her with pleading eyes. 

"Please, Noel," he said earnestly, "Please be my champion and save the world." 

Noel hesitated for a moment longer, then nodded. Azrath beamed. 

"Excellent! Alright then, let's get going!"

"What? Now?"

"Yes, now." Azrath sounded annoyed. "We still don't know if the other pieces have bonded to you or not. If not, I can only imagine what he can do with them."

Noel wanted to protest further but didn't want to go back on her promise immediately. She was no flake. "Fine, but how do we leave without my aunt seeing us?" Aunt Jillian usually went to bed around ten or so, so she would likely be downstairs for another few hours. She would either be watching tv or doing whatever else adults did.

Azrath flew over to the window. "This opens, right?"

Noel nodded. Then she gave a small gasp as she realized what he was implying. "But we're on the second floor. If you think I'm dumb enough to jump out a second-story window again—" 

"Again?" Azrath looked back at her in surprise. 

"Never mind." She had no desire to tell Azrath that embarrassing story.  

"Well, whatever," he said, "you may not have enough power or confidence to fly just yet, but it's a simple matter to float down. You should be fine."

"Should be?"

"Unless you want to get hurt, your instinct to protect yourself will manifest as long as you've activated the hilt."

She picked up the pen from the desk and looked toward the window. "Alrighty then. But first, I need you to get back under the towel."

"Are you serious? We're in a hurry here!"

"Don't argue with me, Azrath. I'm not letting you watch. Ever. Again."

"But—" 

"Get under the towel, Azrath."

He obeyed with a loud, annoyed sigh. Noel waited until he fully buried himself under the cloth before closing her eyes and taking the pen in both hands. She found the familiar light within the darkness and seized it. The light grew again, and as Noel released it, she tried to retain a sense of self and not say the oath she was forced to say last time, but her efforts were in vain. The prayer spilled out of her, and she began to move. She swirled and twirled like some kind of ballerina, conscious the entire way through. 

Noel came to a stop, wanting badly to puke. She managed to hold it in as she opened her eyes and looked down at the dress and boots she was once again wearing. The staff floated in the air beside her, waiting for her to take it. "It's okay, Azrath, you can come out now."

There was a rustling of her bedspread, then Azrath appeared in front of her. "Finally." He grabbed one of her loose sleeves with his talons and began to tug her forward towards the window, which he had somehow managed to open. "Eingh de Sah, that transformation takes forever. Now, let's go!"

She grabbed the staff and followed him to the window's edge looking over the sill to the side yard below. The ground seemed twice as far. The last time she had jumped out a window like this, she was eight. She had just recently seen a movie that she barely remembered now. However, the scene of a woman with a fancy accent flying through the air with her umbrella had made a strong impression. So, she tried to imitate her with her mom's umbrella. It worked a little too well. She rode the air, staying up for the most terrifying three minutes of her life. 

"C'mon, Noel!" 

Noel looked up at Azrath, who was flapping away a few feet in the cool spring night. She leaned the staff against the wall and grabbed the edges of the window frame. Every fiber of her being protested as Noel hoisted herself up onto the sill. She squatted there, building up the courage to jump. She could feel her dizziness return. To delay her jump a little longer, Noel turned slightly and grabbed the staff behind her. She tossed it ahead of her, expecting the winged rod to plummet to the grass below. It did not. Instead, it remained suspended vertically in the air. It slowly twirled around and around, like a piñata right before the massacre. 

All of Noel's confidence had floated away with the staff. She had no idea if any of the power Azrath described came from the staff or her. All she knew was that she wanted to get that staff back. She felt much safer with it than without it. With one hand, she kept a firm grip on the window frame as she extended her right hand to try and grab it back, but her fingers barely brushed the gold. Please come back to me. She willed it with all her heart. She even took her left hand off the window, reaching for her staff with both hands. 

Noel was unsurprised when the staff floated back to her, but she was surprised when, at the same time, her booted foot slipped on the windowsill, causing her to pitch forward into the outside. 

Several particularly nasty swear words poured out of her as her fingers vised around the staff. Instinctively, she kicked off the frame, launching herself several feet, nearly crashing into the Kuboues' wall. Noel was lucky that their lights were off and the blinds lowered so they wouldn't see her pasty white face pressed against her staff as she held on for dear life. Her hands were red; she was holding on so tight. 

Maybe it was because she had just been thinking about it before, but the image of the woman and her umbrella had popped into Noel's mind, then seemed to fill her entire being. As she held onto the staff, she saw the Kuboues' window slowly float further above her. Then she realized that the window wasn't going up; she was going down, as gently as a dandelion seed. 

Her feet were dangling in the air, toes pointed down, almost stretching to reach the ground that was so close. Noel didn't want to look down to see how close she really was. A few agonizing seconds that felt like an eternity later, Noel's toes touched concrete. Noel knew better than to let go immediately, so she waited until her heels touched too before releasing her grip. She immediately crumpled to her hands and knees. 

"Oh my god… I thought I was going to die," she panted. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she could see the staff continue to float downward, coming to rest an inch off the ground, still vertical. She noticed she had landed between the walls of her and the Kuboue's house. 

"You were not." Azrath fluttered down in front of her. Despite his stern tone, the light of the streetlamp lit up his pleased expression. "I told you that your instinct would keep you from harm."

"Shut... up." Noel dry heaved several times, but she managed to keep her cheeseburgers in. She swallowed, then grabbed the staff, which touched the concrete with a soft clink as she used it to pull herself up on shaking legs. "Let's just—Let's just go already." The faster they got this done, the faster she could pass out without Azrath bugging her. 

"Yeah, agreed," said Azrath, "but first—" He took flight, flapping up and entering her room through her open window. She saw the lights flick off. Then Azrath appeared again, somehow closing the window behind him. Azrath returned. "I learned how to turn your light ball off when you left for dinner, in case you were curious."

She was not. Azrath continued, "I figured your aunt might think you're sleeping if the lights were off."

"Good idea," said Noel a little less rudely. She was starting to recover from her near-death experience. She hoped her aunt wouldn't break from her routine. "Alright, we're out. Now what?"

Azrath gave her a curious look, "How well can you run?"

Noel blinked, then rubbed the back of her head, trying her best to hide her smile. "I'm… not bad." Back on the track team, her mile was 4:49. Coach Fucil, one of the few people who treated her like a person, had said that qualified her for state. She would have gone had it not been for… Again, she felt the familiar heart pangs. A lot can change in six months. 

"Good," said Azrath, "then you should be even better with Eingh." He flew towards her, "If you run, I can point you in the right direction." Azrath hovered in front of her expectantly. There was a pause as he looked her up and down. "I'm not sure where I should go. I suppose you could hold me in your arms, but that's not particularly aerodynamic, is it?" 

Noel thought for a moment, "No, I don't mind. It shouldn't affect my running too much. But…" She looked at the staff she was clinging to. "The real problem is how do I bring this thing with me?" It would be difficult to run while carrying that. It would be the longest baton she'd ever held. 

Hmm, I wonder." Azrath said, also appearing deep in thought. "Let go of the staff, leave it behind, and follow me." He flew a few feet away and stopped at the main sidewalk. Noel obeyed, removing her hands and reluctantly moving away from her staff. She stood in front of Azrath and waited curiously for what he had planned. Now that Noel's was visible to the windows of her house, her eyes shot nervously between each in case Aunt Jillian appeared in any of them. She added the staff to her glances to see if any changes occurred. But even without looking, she somehow knew that the staff hadn't moved. 

"So, what's the plan?" Noel's nerves rose with each second she was exposed.

"Do you want the staff?" Azrath asked.

Azrath's tone was not harsh, not like he was impatient with her or anything. It was just a simple question. It must be part of his plan; she answered it without much fuss. 

"Yeah, sure." 

"How badly?"

Noel paused, then said, "Well, if I don't have it, there's not much I can do, right? So, I guess pretty badly."

Azrath smiled, "Alright, then let's go."

"Huh, what about the staff?" She understood the moment she finished asking, then Azrath confirmed her conclusion. 

"Where you go, the staff will follow. Make sense?"

"Yeah, it does." Her staff obeyed her calls, coming to her hand whenever she wished. Of course, the staff would go where she wanted. It was like when she played follow the leader with Mama and Papa as a kid, then later when Danny would play with her and their parents taking turns. Right now, she was the leader, though she didn't feel like it. 

Noel opened her arms to Azrath, "Come here then, point me in the right direction." It was Azrath's turn to obey, settling in her arms as she wrapped them around his soft body, squeezing him to her breast, but not too tightly. Azrath wiggled a bit in her grip as he worked to free a wing, then used it to point to her right.

"That way."

So, Noel began to walk down the sidewalk, slowly at first; but she gradually picked up speed when she felt the staff move to keep up. She glanced behind her one last time to confirm that, yes, her feeling was correct, then began to jog, then run, then sprint. 

Something came alive in her that had laid dormant for months, ever since she'd quit the track team, An exhilaration, and freedom that only came to her by running with everything she had. Her parent's death had taken away her desire to do anything, let alone run. But now, as she ran faster than she had ever run in her life, the power of the staff or whatever coursing through her like liquid lightning, that feeling returned in spades. 

She could feel in the wind that roared in her ear and in the cars that whistled past her that she was easily topping her best speed and breaking her record into micro dust. She could easily outrun Maurice Greene. It was amazing! But how far could she push? She glanced down at Azrath, who looked like a hairy pancake as his fluff flattened around him in the wind. He had his eyes closed, either to protect himself from the wind or in concentration—or both. But he stayed vigilant, pointing her in the correct direction with a talon as his wing risked being ripped off if he tried to move it. 

The lights of the city blurred around her. They streaked past her sight. Red, yellow, green, blue; all the colors of the rainbow carried away by the wind swept her hair behind her like streamers. It felt like another world. 

But as fast as she was running, Noel was somehow able to maintain control of her momentum. If Azrath changed the direction he was pointing, or if the path she was running on suddenly ended, she could easily cut corners. Her perception of her surroundings was also heightened. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she was aware that no people were on the walkways she ran through. Eventually, no cars rode in the street, and all the lights at the crosswalks turned in her favor. No train was crossing when she passed over the tracks. But her excitement far outweighed the fear that she was playing right into the curse's agenda; any doubts about her actions were blown away with the wind. Then came the bridge. 

It wasn't a long bridge like the famous Rainbow Bridge that Noel had only ever seen from a distance, but the section she began running on was one way. For a moment, she wondered whether she was running with or against traffic, but it quickly left her mind. After all, Noel hadn't run into any cars since starting their journey. But there was a car now, she realized—one single car heading straight at her. 

"Move around it!" came a voice that cut through the wind. Azrath. She could feel his trembling body in her arms as he screamed at the top of his tiny lungs. In the few seconds she had before she collided with the vehicle, Noel weighed her options. Sure, there was plenty of room around the car; there were the other lanes to navigate with, and that would be the rational thing to do. But she was not in the mood to be rational. Power was coursing through her, and if she could beat her mile record, how was her long jump? But it couldn't be just a long jump. She needed verticality. She'd have to time it right. The rhythm of her running changed as she charged toward the oncoming car.

3…

"No, don't, Noel!" 

Azrath's voice rushed past her like the rest of the wind, just like the sound of the car's horn. 

2… 1…

"Don't do it!"

Too late. Noel launched herself up, and her right leg extended out instinctively, waiting for the ground to catch her fall. But her foot didn't catch the ground; the car was in the way.

She had overestimated the height of her jump. Her foot skidded along the top of the car that slipped from under her like a tablecloth would from under a water pitcher in that one magic trick. Noel pitched forward, head over heels. 

Only two things filled Noel's head as she flipped in what seemed like slow motion. One was the word shit, which echoed about a million times in her brain. The other, far more potent than her swearing, was the thought, I have to protect Azrath! That filled her entire being.

Noel's athletic instinct took over then. She simultaneously gained her orientation—her back was parallel with the ground—and shifted her weight to use the change in her momentum to her advantage. If she had not had Uzuran's power, Noel knew that all the bones in her legs would have shattered to dust. But, of course, had she not had Urzuran's power, she wouldn't have had the nerve to make such a stupid decision in the first place. 

But because she had his power, her right foot survived the impact of the road. And because her foot held, she could extend her left leg to catch her forward momentum, then her right again, her left. And before she knew it, she was running again, as if there had never been a car in the first place. Noel looked behind her at the pair of taillights and the bridge nearly out of sight. She had no idea if the car had stopped or not—it probably had—but she would be long gone before they could register what had just happened. 

Noel laughed, more out of relief than excitement. She looked at Azrath, who was no longer pointing her in the right direction. His eyes were closed still, but he barely moved at all;  his hair, wings, and legs were only being pushed by the wind. Panic filled Noel. She began to slow down, taking a turn into the narrow gap between two buildings. She came to a stop in the dark alley. She pulled Azrath from her chest, holding him gently in her hands. He remained as limp as ever. 

"Azrath…" Tears were forming in her eyes. She had done her best to save him from her stupidity, but it might've not been enough. She might've squeezed the life out of him, or he might've simply died of fright.

Azrath's body gave a massive twitch as his eyes popped open.

Or he might've just fainted.

"Is it over? Are we dead?" said Azrath as calmly as if he were asking if it was about to rain. 

"No, we managed to make it through, somehow."

Azrath sighed with relief, then, without warning, swelled with anger. His brown eyes bore into Noel with righteous fury. 

"Y-you stupid…Y-y-y-you brainless…." He looked to be struggling to find the right word to describe her, but he soon gave up as he hopped out of her hand to fly right in her face. "What in the name of Urzuran were you thinking, child!" He was back to calling her child. 

Noel tried to stammer out a reply, "I-I wasn't t-thinking, I'm—"

"That's right. You weren't thinking, you blind fool of a girl! Not a single thought went through that swollen head of yours about what could have happened had you actually failed!"

Noel knew she deserved every insult that he hurled at her. She knew she deserved to be yelled at and should take everything he gave her, but she couldn't. And when Noel couldn't handle any more stress, she reacted one of two ways. This time, she had the second reaction, to break down and cry. 

Noel could feel her face twisting as the tears flowed as freely as the Mississippi river. She hated everything she was doing now. But Noel couldn't stop herself as she dropped down to hug her knees, burying her face into the folds of her dress to make everything around her disappear. The worst part of all this was that she knew without even looking that the anger would melt away from Azrath's face as he looked upon the pathetic sight before him. As he pitied her. 

Right on cue, he said, "I'm sorry, Noel, I really am. But we need to go. We're still in a hurry." His heart was more into the apology than the reminder.

"I know," her nose was clogged up with mucus, and her dress muffled her voice; it was a wonder that she was intelligible. "I—just give me a second." She let go of her knees to press her palms into her eyes. The pressure usually helped clear her head.

"I'm sorry I'm so dumb. It's my fault we were almost killed." Noel sighed, "Alright, let's go."

She started to stand but felt a weight on her knee and looked up to see Azrath resting on her. The look on his face was not pity or impatience. It was guilt.

"It's not your fault, Noel. If anything, it's my fault." 

She wiped her nose with a sleeve as she looked at him with puffy, red eyes. "How?"

"I should have warned you about the possible dangers of using Eingh." 

"What dangers?"

Azrath broke eye contact, looking about as pitiful as she felt.

"The biggest is overconfidence. Any new Eingh user can easily feel like they're invincible, which could lead to a recklessness never before felt."

He chuckled to himself.

"I remember when I was first learning to use Eingh. I was so excited that I thought it would be a good idea to try and wrestle the legendary Rahzorum, the biggest, meanest monster on our side of the Bezelthie mountains. Emué thought I was crazy, but she…."

Azrath trailed off. The energy that had been building as he told his story died with the name Emué. He now looked sad, the same level of sadness when he had first told her about himself. Whoever this Emué was, she was extremely important to him. Noel knew she shouldn't ask, but her curiosity overruled her judgment.

"Who's Emué?"

Instead of getting defensive or angry, Azrath looked at her with the most pained smile she had ever seen a person make. 

"Emué," there was such love in his voice, "is my wife."

Noel blinked. "You have a wife?"

Azrath smiled at her, "Surprised?" 

It was more of a surprise to Noel that she wasn't surprised. With how old Azrath said he was, it made sense.  

"I told you I was handsome, didn't I?" His smile faded. "Though, if I'm honest, why she chose someone like me is probably the greatest mystery of my life. I didn't deserve someone like her; I still don't. She radiated beauty as brightly as the sun, and her temper burned like it, too. Unbelievably stubborn. Easier to move a mountain than to try to get her to budge on anything. But she was the kindest soul of anyone." He regarded Noel fondly, "honestly, you remind me a lot of her."

Noel wanted to joke about him being attracted to a teenager or something like that. But the sincerity in Azrath's voice made her think better. It was an unbelievable compliment that she felt undeserving of. 

"So, what happened to her? Did she die?"

Azrath shook his head, "No, I know in my soul that she is alive, but it's not like she's ever want to see me again. Honestly, she'd be better off without me."

"Why, what happened?"

But Azrath shook his head again. His voice shook, "I can't. It's too painful. I'm sorry. Maybe one day I'll tell you if I can forgive myself enough."

She nodded. She was keeping plenty of secrets from Azrath. So, it was only fair that he had a few from her. 

"Thank you, Noel." Then he smiled again, a usual, cheerful smile.

A thought occurred to her. "She's… not a puffball, too, is she?" She could picture a smaller, cuter version of Azrath flying by his side, like a pair of fat turtle doves.

Azrath swelled at that. "Of course not! She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen! With hair as gold as the sun and eyes as deep and blue as the sky."

"Alright, I get it," she said, suppressing the urge not to gag at the schmaltzy poetry, "I was only joking."

Azrath softened, "I know, forgive me." He paused, "Are you feeling better?" 

Noel thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Not quite yet. I think there's one more thing that you can do for me."

Azrath looked at her suspiciously, but his face softened as Noel spread her arms out for a hug. 

"Very well," he said, rolling his eyes. Though he was smiling, "I guess I've come to terms with how cuddly I am."

He flew into her arms, and Noel embraced him, eyes closed, burying her cheek into his fluff. They stayed that way for a few moments before Azrath spoke.

"Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure most of my hair is from my beard."

Noel's eyes shot open, mostly to avoid the images of a shaved Azrath from penetrating her mind's eye. But she couldn't escape it.

"Eew, gross!" she yelped, releasing him like she was releasing a venomous snake. 

Azrath flew off smugly, settling down on the lid of a trash can. Every time Noel blinked, she saw Azrath as a giant, bald head with Azrath's legs and wings—for some reason, she pictured him looking like her eighth-grade English teacher, Mr. Hampson. Just thinking about it gave her the willies. Thanks for ruining the moment, Azrath.

"Sorry, but I had to get you to let go somehow," he said, "We're still in a hurry. We've wasted enough time here. We're almost to our destination." He did not sound happy about that. 

Noel nodded, then got to her feet, brushing off the seat of her dress. She suddenly realized something: though she had run many miles, Noel had not shed a drop of sweat, nor was she the least bit tired. This power she had really was amazing.

Azrath must have been thinking along the same lines because he suddenly said, "You should thank Urzuran for his protection. Imagine what could have happened with that metal beast had you not had His shield."

That was a good point. Noel looked at her hands, opening and closing them several times, trying to feel that protective barrier that had saved her life. But all she felt was her fingers on her palm, same as usual. 

"I hope that you were impressed by the way I saved us," she smiled at Azrath, trying to indicate that she was joking.

He took her hint and smiled back at her. "I wish I could be, but I think I passed out about halfway through the first flip."

They laughed as Noel walked up to Azrath to take him back in her arms and resume her running but were interrupted by a slurred voice that came from deeper in the darkness of the alley.

"Whusso funny, princess?"