The momentum of the parry threw Caleveh off balance, causing it to fall in the direction of the sword. Caleveh remained motionless, dumbfounded by the arrival of the intervening figure.
"How... how is this possible?" Caleveh asked, turning his gaze back to Marcus and the others. "I see..." it said with a raspy laugh. "The human wasn't marked by her, it was under your feeble protection."
"Yeah, he's protected. His role in these events is far greater than you could ever imagine," the warrior spoke in a feminine voice. She stood in a defensive stance in front of the four humans, who were both bewildered by and entirely out of place for the conflict of such powerful beings. She stood with her left foot forward with her right arm raised and bent behind her, bringing her sword vertical and level with her head.
