A Plan In Action

Laurel had quit struggling against the straps that bound her to the table after her first fifteen attempts at breaking them had failed. She figured she'd give it five minutes, then try again. Umbrael-and his eerie companion-had disappeared over twenty minutes ago, leaving her alone with her fear. She tried to reach one of the knives on her belt again, without luck. "Shikes," she whispered, then gave up waiting and leaned forward into the thick leather straps again, throwing her weight into it. They barely moved. She leaned back and was just about to try again when suddenly, she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye, heard rusty squeals. She held her breath, heart stopped, hoping it was someone coming to help her and not whoever she-as bait-was intended for. From her position in the room she could see the door, but she couldn't see very far into the corridor, couldn't see if anyone was lurking in the shadows. She didn't hear anything, but then she noticed a peculiar cloud of dust making its way toward her. Her heart stopped all over again, because suddenly, there before her, stood Vrolok. There was no mistaking him; she was certain it wasn't Umbrael, though she didn't know why. "Laurel," he murmured softly, but she realized that he wasn't looking so much at her eyes, but at her neck, her arms. At the blood. She realized with a pang of cold fear that perhaps he was the one they wanted, that perhaps he was in trouble-Before she could finish her train of thought, a shadow blacker than the deep of night detached itself from the corner of the room, swooping down upon Vrolok and Laurel. Just as suddenly, a powerful feline form sprang from the doorway, seeming alien and familiar all at once. The sinister shadow reached the table first, however, and Vrolok was only starting to dissipate into dust when it enveloped him. Laurel screamed without realizing what she was doing, without thinking. She saw Linae and Sheela rush into the room, trying to understand who was attacking who. Indeed, it was hard to tell. The shade was smothering Vrolok, who could barely fight back and seemed unable to disintegrate into his dust-like form. The panther, with eyes glowing like blue fire, was ripping at the shade, and surprisingly enough, his claws seemed to be dealing damage to the incorporeal wraith. Sheela slipped around the fighting trio and hurried to Laurel's side, though Laurel seemed barely to notice. She only saw Vrolok, struggling with inhuman strength and still unable to free himself from the seemingly insubstantial shadow. Sheela cut the leather straps holding Laurel with her dagger while Linae rushed to help Orion; but who did she attack? What was this shade, and why was Orion protecting Vrolok, of all people? Her confusion rendered her unable to help until Orion roared in frustration. The sound was deafening, and infused with magic, it seemed, that woke Linae from her spell and drove Sheela to quicker action. Linae attempted to stab the wraith with her dagger, but to no avail; none of her weapons could harm its ethereal form. Sheela pulled a stunned Laurel off of the table; she seemed oblivious to what Sheela was doing, and offered no resistance nor cooperation. Linae backed away from the furiously fighting trio, unable to offer assistance of any type, and joined Sheela and Laurel. Orion continued to fight like a creature possessed, and Vrolok struggled with equal strength, but it seemed as if the shade could not be destroyed. Linae, Laurel and Sheela could only watch in disbelief as suddenly, the wraith gathered what was left of its energy and pulled itself and Vrolok closer to the nearby wall. Orion roared again, causing the three women to clap their hands over their ears, but the shade had a will of iron, and with one final surge, it pulled itself and Vrolok through the wall. Refusing to give up, for a reason not even Linae could fathom, Orion roared and ran out of the room, attempting to pursue the wraith. Linae tried to reach him, but when she opened a mental connection between them his emotions were so volatile, so full of anger and hatred and resentment and fear that she immediately had to close it again to save herself from being harmed. Shaking her head in shock and fear of her own, she helped Sheela support Laurel, who was finally starting to respond and move on her own, and they all left the room as fast as they could. When they reached the corridor, Linae looked once in the direction that she knew Orion had taken, but with a sigh turned the opposite way, back towards the guest corridors and Sheela's room, where she hoped Laurel could give both her and Sheela answers as to what had occurred in that dark room.