text: Cynthia directed her illusion, keeping the image dancing about them in a circle, fighting off the horde of Lemures, assisted by Reggie and Wendy. A wall of corpses was forming, but the disgusting things clamored over their dead without any concern.
  
  "Keep it up," Juanita whispered. "You're saving us, Cynthia."
  
  Cynthia squeezed her wife's hand, drawing strength and love from her. Her illusion was a wall, a bulwark protecting them. As long as she kept her concentration up, kept the Angel moving, they would be —
  
  "Fuck!" Reggie screamed, falling to the ground, her leg sliced open like a gutted fish by a Lemure.
  
  Juanita reached out, grabbing the African American woman's arm and began healing her. With Reggie down, the bulwark protecting Juanita and Cynthia was collapsing, the Lemures pressing their advantage. Cynthia struggled to keep the Sophia-Illusion whirling about, but without Reggie, there were gaps in the defense that Wendy and the illusion could not cover.
  
  Pain burned in Cynthia's arm. A Lemure's clawed hand caught a piece of her before her illusion could dispatch it. Not serious, but more were coming, and it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.
  
  Cynthia glanced at Juanita; sweat broke out over her face as she healed Reggie, but the wound wasn't closing fast enough. Juanita must have expended most of her energy. If she couldn't heal Reggie, then Cynthia would need someone else to help defend them. Wendy and the illusion just weren't enough. The redhead fought hard and Cynthia tried to make the illusion dance about faster to pick up the slack.
  
  It just wasn't enough.
  
  Cynthia looked around in vain. The four of them were completely surrounded by the Lemures, and everyone else were fighting for their own lives.
  
  She still had energy. Maintaining Sophia wasn't too taxing. This has to work. If it doesn't, then we are dead. Light danced before her, wearing into a second Sophia-Illusion. It was harder directing two illusions, but they both danced around then, felling Lemures with their fiery blades.
  
  "Goddamn!" Reggie moaned, standing up, her leg healed and her sword appearing back in their hand. "You two are amazing!"
  
  Juanita smiled at me. "You saved us again, Cynthia."
  
  Cynthia nodded, putting all her effort into controlling both illusions and hoping her reserves of power lasted longer than the flood of Lemures.