The double doors of the operating room slammed shut behind him. The illusion of Nu fleeing with him vanished. Fooled again, thought Van with chagrin.
"Nu!" Vandal pounded on the doors, which wouldn't budge. "Shadow, you bastard, if you touch her, I swear I'll—" Nu's screaming cut him off.
Ice crept all around the edges of the door, a cold weld growing on the metal. Does Nu do this to keep me out and safe? Or has Shadow … Van didn't want to think about the fiend turning his beloved, as he did to Magpie and Ig.
He found himself unslinging his axe, blessing it with unholy oblivion, and raising the blade above his head.
But he stopped.
Surely the axe could shatter the frost, even disintegrate the metal after a few swings if he chose to target it. Sense grabbed hold of him. Shadow would use Nu's life against him, a sharp blade against her soft throat. I will be at his command, Van thought as he lowered his axe, and if Nu froze the door as part of some last effort to save me, she would never forgive me for going against her wishes.
In frustration, Van shouted and smashed his fist against the glass. The gunner swore he heard Nu give a corrupted giggle. His heart thinned at this. What would he do now?
Van did not have to think too hard about how to deal with this dark creature, however. Magpie and Ig, Van knew, surely they know the arcane remedy in dealing with Shadow. He would need to go below and tell them what's happening. Hopefully, they would be awake by now.
He knew the way back down, his footsteps echoing down the empty halls. The lesser umbras offered their assistance. With a few snarls and growls, they seemingly lead him to the stairways. It made him uneasy, going into the darkest parts of the building. He kept Leonette drawn in case the little monsters desired to defect.
The voices of his companions told him where they were. "If it's reasonable then—" A female voice said. It sounded like Magpie's. She was talking to Jayden. No, not quite. The tones matched his cruel counter-part, Van concluded. Damn, thought Van, this may complicate things.
"Don't make a bargain you can't keep," Cordis was saying, "so do we have a deal?"
When he came upon them, they all seemed tense. He drew their attention. Whatever they were talking about, they stopped and noticed the anxiousness on his face.
"Kind of you to join us," said Cordis, "you look like you have something to say…"
He told them what happened above. After mentioning Nu's possession, he turned to Ig and Magpie.
"I … " Van started to say, solemnly, "I can't save her without you two."359Please respect copyright.PENANAPB1GgwaHQU