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.

A woman appeared in the center of the room. It was as if she had just thrown a cloak off of herself. She held a pistol straight out in front of herself, towards the door. Wild red curls poured over her shoulders, and her blouse, vest, and skirt were dyed the deepest shade of black. They were tailored perfectly to her form.

So, this was Tilda Veil.

"You think you've found yourself a shadewalker to protect you, McClaine brat?" she spat. Tilda stomped towards the door, gun still held out in front of her. She stormed out of Iris's room and yelled, "Don't think that hiding will do you any good – I always get what I want, one way or another. I already have your stupid brother. He'd learn his lesson far more thoroughly with you around, but I can do the job without you just fine. There's an interesting witch that I happened to meet today – an acquaintance of yours with a very interesting book who is very eager to practice her craft for me."

Iris felt her blood turn cold. She held back a whimper. Tilda still wasn't done speaking.

"Lyndemar Port's a nice spot to visit this time of year." Her voice was pitched loudly, but it was starting to fade in the distance. "There's a nice little pub you might want to check out: Tillerman's. Their stouts are to die for."

And then, Tilda Veil was gone.

Talan released Iris, and she collapsed to the floor. Muted color raced back to her limbs and clothes. Talan was no longer invisible either, and she vaguely noted his form racing to the doorway that Tilda had disappeared through. Smoke still curled through the air, and Iris found that she could no longer hold back a hacking cough.

"Shit," hissed Talan, holding his jacket over his mouth. He pulled the door closed. "Shit, shit, shit." He stormed back to Iris and pulled her to her feet. "Iris, do you trust me?" he asked, not for the first time that night.

It was a silly question. He had just saved her life, yet again. Still, Iris nodded.

"What is it?" she asked between coughs.

"Fucking arsonist of a woman went and set the hotel on fire." Talan led Iris back to the window seat. He flung the windowpanes open.

"The other guests!" gasped Iris, but Talan shook his head.

"It's contained to this suite for now. If no one's noticed it by the time we get out of here, I'll double back to the front desk and raise the alarm." He scanned the quiet street below, and then stuck his leg out the window.

"Talan, what are you doing?" cried Iris. She grabbed his wrist. He was still fully visible. "What if Miss Veil is waiting for us?" But Talan shook his head.

"Tilda doesn't like to wait around after causing a scene, and there's no sign of her right now. Besides, she gave you an invite. She's expecting you to come after her. Now let me go. Fires move quickly and I want to be on the ground to catch you if you fall. Climb down after me as best you can."

Iris loosed her grip on his wrist, and Talan scampered down the side of the building. He made it to the ground in the blink of an eye. There were far more ledges and available hand and footholds than there had been at the McClaine mansion, and this window was much closer to the ground than the one that Iris had climbed out on that fateful day that now felt oh so long ago. No need for a rope this time. She likely wouldn't break her neck if she fell, but a fractured ankle could still be in the cards for her.

The smoke had quickly grown thicker, and Iris was struggling to breathe, even with the open window directly in front of her. She trembled as she swung her legs out the window and twisted so that her fingers grasped the windowsill. There was a narrow ledge directly below her, and she planted her feet on it. To her left, a gutter ran down the length of the building, and she grabbed it. It would give her a path down. She coughed again. Somewhere, deep inside the hotel, someone screamed "Fire!"

She managed to make it partway down the first floor when she found that she could no longer move. There were available handholds, yes, but they were at a distance, and Iris found her resolve slipping.

"Talan," she called, quietly. Her voice sounded oddly raspy. "I need you to catch me. Are you ready?"

"Jump," he said, and so she did. Iris released the wall and fell backwards. It was a short distance, but there was enough time for her stomach to do an uncomfortable bellyflip before she landed in Talan's arms. He grunted and staggered to the ground. At least, this time was moderately more graceful than her first fall.

More screams came from inside the hotel. Lights began to flicker on, and Iris could see the occasional shadows of guests racing across windows. Doors slammed.

"I think the alarm's been raised," muttered Iris. She was still shaking. Talan gave a dark chuckle, which turned into a cough, and Iris turned her gaze back to him. He had set her down on the ground, and his jacket was open. Beneath, Iris caught a brief glimpse of a shoulder holster and a gun handle.

"You could have shot her," she breathed. Every last charitable thought towards Tilda Veil fled her mind. "You could have stopped Miss Veil."

Talan glanced down and then tugged his jacket closed once he realized what Iris was talking about. Iris wasn't done with him though. She grabbed his collar and yanked his face close to hers.

"She has my brother," she cried. Her voice felt raw and raspy, close to a sob. "She has Erold and – and who knows what sort of vengeance she's taking out on him right this moment? And you just stood there and did a fancy light show when you could have ended this!"

Talan's hand closed over hers, gently. His one eye gleamed behind his spectacles.

"She might be bluffing," he said. "It's an easy enough lie to get you to do what she wants." He sighed and slowly pried Iris's fingers from his collar. "Dad gave me the bullets. They're iron – enchanted to kill whatever they hit, no matter where they hit it. I shouldn't even have them without a purchaser's license, but Dad thought..." 

Talan paused mid-sentence, and then shook his head. "I'm not a killer, and I won't become one if I can avoid it. A gun is a weapon of last resort. You shouldn't even point it at someone unless you intend to destroy them. As long as I've got other tricks up my sleeve, I'll use them first. Tilda has a different way of thinking about things. She takes the path of least resistance to get what she wants, regardless of who gets hurt." 

He glanced up at the hotel. The window that they had climbed out of now glowed orange, and dark smoke billowed out of it. "Case in point," he added.

Briefly, Iris recalled what he had said about Tilda when they first met. I dislike her methods. It didn't escape her that he had also once called the woman his friend.

Talan stood and offered her his hand. "Come," he said. "Let's get you somewhere safer." 

Chapter word count: 1916

Cumulative word count: 19979