Shadewalker || ONC 2024

Chapter 13: Smoke and Shadows

It was dark when Iris woke with a start. She must have fallen asleep on the window seat, head pressed against the glass pane. Her neck ached.

"Iris," hissed Talan's voice from somewhere nearby. She could not see him.

"Wh – Talan?" she asked in surprise. He had not come into the hotel suite during the two days that she had been here. The furthest he had gotten was the hotel entrance the previous day, and that had only been to speak briefly to her.

A hand pressed against her back, urging her up. Iris still could not see him, even with the faint, clouded moonlight filtering into the room.

"We need to go. Now," said Talan. "Tilda Veil is in Lyndemar, and – "

"My brother!" cried Iris. "Erold went out earlier. Has he come back?" She leapt to her feet, whirled around, and was met with shadows. But Talan was there, somewhere. He had to be. She groped for him, and when her fingers found solid fabric, she clutched at it. More shadows swarmed across her arms, and soon, she couldn't even see her own skin.

"He hasn't," said Talan's voice, somewhere close to her ear. "Dad's looking for him, but I need to get you to a safer place now. We've been found out."

Somewhere, deeper into the hotel suite, one of the many doors creaked as if someone had opened it very slowly. From the way that Talan was acting, that sound didn't belong here.

"And my father?" whispered Iris.

"He's with Dad," replied Talan. He was tugging her towards the single door that would lead them out of this room. But then, he stopped and swore under his breath. Soft footsteps sounded just beyond it. Talan pulled her back, deeper into the room and away from any nooks, crannies, furniture or other hiding spots. They were as out in the open as could be.

"Do you trust me?" he breathed; his voice softer than a summer breeze.

Iris nodded, and then stopped, wondering if he could see her. She certainly couldn't see him.

"Yes," she said, and Talan pulled her close, just as the door to her room opened.

The room darkened significantly, chasing away even the faint moonlight from the window. Shadows curled in from the door, and it wasn't until Iris's eyes began to tear up that she realized it wasn't just shadows, but smoke as well. She covered her mouth with her sleeve and forced herself not to cough. Iris thought she saw a woman's outline stroll in, but eyes had a tendency to play tricks when light was sparse.

Quiet footsteps, muffled by the thick carpet, padded their way around the room. Iris watched in panicked silence as furniture was flicked to the side and curtains were slashed by what could easily have been a vengeful ghost. Pillows and cushions opened up to an unseen knife, emptying their soft innards.

Then, the activity stilled.

Iris held her breath, waiting. Talan's arms tightened around her, and she prayed that whatever invisibility he had cloaked around them would hold.

Suddenly, tiny bursts of light shot out from the center of the room, pummeling every corner and stopping short at each solid object they hit. Their beams were suspended upon the smoke in the air. Iris's breath caught in her throat. They were about to be found out.

Except, the light passed straight through her and Talan. She glanced down in surprise at where it pierced straight through the space where her arms should be. She looked back up again, and her eyes caught on an anomaly by the door, where the light bent ever so slightly, as if it were being pushed away. Was Talan doing that? Why would he - ?

BANG BANG BANG!

The sound of gunfire blasted through Iris's skull. She jumped, but Talan held her in place. Bullet holes riddled the doorframe where the light had bent but a moment ago.