---
It rose like strings being drawn by invisible fingers.
The blood formed a thin blade edge in the air, not yet a sword, just a sharpened line.
Whip — crack!
The blood line struck the thug's wrist.
Smack!
The thug's weapon flew.
Clang!
Sekhmet stepped forward and punched the man's chest.
Thud!
The thug slammed backward into two others, knocking them down like poorly stacked barrels.
Crash!
Bat Bat shot upward, wings flapping hard.
Fwoof!
She landed on a thug's head.
"Mine!" she shouted, then clawed his head.
The thug froze in horror. "No — NO!"
Bat Bat giggled like a demon child.
"Head is bleeding," she announced, then fluttered off before he could grab her.
Even Sekhmet's eyes flicked toward her briefly.
Now is not the time, he thought.
But the chaos it created was useful.
Men slipped in the panic, stepping back to avoid the "flying curse."
Someone shouted, "It's a witch bat!"
Another screamed, "It's a demon!"
