ShadowSong [Book 1 & 2: Complete] [NaNoWriMo16/17]

Chapter 23 - Intervention

On the roof of Andrew's apartment building, Banshee leapt off Cryo's back.

The streets around them were quiet. There were no bells--something that should have chimed at least once for Ella's presence--no screams, no shouts. Just the eerie silence that followed the auroras as the gentle darkness lulled the city into sleep and the strange, almost certain feeling that something, somewhere, was watching them.

Banshee rubbed her arms, trying to expel the anxious feeling creeping up over her body. The Serpent's aura drifted through the air, curling inside her nostrils and blurring the shadows that were being pulled towards Ella, showing her where the Other's touch had gripped onto reality. Though it made her shiver and recoil, at least it meant they were in the right area.

Once again, Cryo didn't seem affected. He stood straight, his gaze unwavering as it scanned the streets below.

Banshee didn't know whether she should be grateful or jealous of the fact.

Cryo turned to her. "It appears she may have beaten us here. How much of a head start did she have?"

"I stopped trying to follow her about a minute or two before you transformed," said Banshee.

"Then it appears her powers may be amplified from what Hydra was once capable of," said Cryo. "Hydra was limited in her travels. She could swap with her projections to teleport, but her limitations meant that--"

"More powerful, got it," said Banshee. "We'll discuss it later. Right now, we need to get in there and make sure she doesn't get to Andrew before we do." She took her eyes off the door wall to gauge Cryo's reaction. "I'm going inside. You stay out here and watch for her in case I miss her and she makes a run for it."

He frowned, but nodded. "If there's a fight, lead her outside. If you find her, thump your tattoo, like this."

Cryo thumped the flat of his palm over the entirety of the tattoo which Banshee reciprocated.

"Got it," she said, touching a two-fingered salute to her forehead. "Be back out in a sec!"

Banshee crouched, taking the edge of the roof in one hand and dropping herself over the edge. After a quick glance to assess her options, she swung herself onto the ledge of the window that had been conveniently left open and jumped inside.

Her boots hit the rug in silence as she drew Grief to her hand, keeping the dagger lowered. The air didn't feel as still as it had outside. The Serpent aura was stronger, though her nerves could have been imagining things.

Banshee slowed her breathing, giving her ears the chance to pick up any foreign noises. Her vision was disrupted by the light filtering into the room from somewhere down the hall, but she could make out a desk, a large bookcase--the contents of which were mostly lying around the room in organised chaos--a chair and a filing cabinet.

After checking the few placed an Ella-sized Manifested could hide, Banshee progressed into the corridor. She wasn't familiar with the layout of the houses in this area which made things a little more difficult, but usually people left lights on in places they'd go during the night. The bathroom, the hallways, the bedroom--and in the hopes of finding people, that was where she headed.

Banshee padded down the hall like a ghost, heading towards the light.

It was coming from one of the side rooms. The door was ajar, and before pushing it open, she leaned close, listening. There were people for sure, murmurs of words she couldn't make out passing between them. A gasp, a squeal, the words quickening between them, almost panicked--and though Banshee wasn't innocent enough to not consider a certain other activity the couple could have been participating in, she wasn't about to risk Ella getting away with something because she'd been too embarrassed about, well, walking in on someone.