The Shade

[PepsiWhirda]

"So, wait," Whirda said to the professor, "you already know about the blight?" She leaned against the wall of one of the abandoned town's sturdier buildings. Two days without sleep and the fight against the bat creatures had sapped her strength. She craved rest, but knew it would be long in coming.

The professor knelt beside Dobson, who had lapsed back into fitful sleep. Already his veins were clear of the contagion. The professor lifted the boy's eyelids, and Whirda could see they were no longer bloodshot or jaundiced.

"I know a great many things," Van Helsing said, leveling his gaze on her. "The crisis in the Tangled Green is among them, yes."

Nyx stepped from the shadows, wrapping her hand with a newly summoned bandage. "Then you know about our mission here? You know we need your help?"

Van Helsing adjusted the crossbow on his back and rose, seemingly content with Dobson's status For the first time, Whirda could view him fully. Behind the circumspect, soft-spoken demeanor, the professor stood closer to seven feet than six, muscular without being bulky, clad in the robes of a cleric or doctor, white edged with pale green at the wrists, ankles, and belt. Everything about him was broad and spoke of competence. Broad shoulders, broad nose, broad, placid eyes that drew her into their depths.

"I guessed at the nature of your mission," he said simply. "The message from the mayor was cryptic, but it hinted at your motives."

"Message?" Whirda wondered aloud. "We left Darkshire not a day ago. How did he contact you so quickly?"

"The mayor, he is a... complicated man. He has his methods." Van Helsing spoke of the mayor with trepidation, like the man—if he truly was a man—could be listening at any moment.

Nyx betrayed her impatience by pushing further. "Lady Tyrande said you could cure it. That you were the only one who knew how."

"That may be true," Van Helsing agreed with a shrug. "In his infinite wisdom, Omni has not seen fit to bring many accomplished healers to the Omniverse." He cast his gaze to the sky, like he was challenging the god himself. "Sometimes I suspect he thrives on the chaos."

"So will you help?" Nyx asked. "After you deal with the shade, of course."

Whirda knew the professor's answer before he replied, from his pronounced sigh.

"I cannot."

Whirda had never seen the blood mage angry. Nyx's countenance darkened. Her eyes flashed incandescent red, and Whirda noticed a roiling in the depths of the ruby atop her staff, like boiling water.

"Why not?" she hissed. "You called the blight a crisis, right? You're a doctor... isn't it your job to help? You can't just let a whole realm be destroyed."

If Van Helsing felt any of the intimidation Whirda did at Nyx's transformation, he didn't show it. "Things are not so simple as that," he said, frowning. "I am pledged to the citizens of Darkshire. Even this journey to the shade's den leaves them vulnerable."

There was something else, Whirda sensed. Some other reason why Van Helsing couldn't leave the Moors. Lady Tyrande had said Van Helsing was no friend of elves. Abyss below, she could sympathize with that. But this was more complicated.

Before either of the women could speak, the professor continued. "I am sorry—truly sorry—that I cannot help you. But this is not the time for discussion. The howlers were agents of the Count. If he knows I am here, so far from the village..." He trailed off, looking troubled.

"You can't defeat the shade alone," Whirda said quietly. "We could feel its power from miles away."

"This I know," Van Helsing said. "This I know."

Whirda was torn. If the professor wouldn't help them with the blight, she owed him no debt. They could return to the Green, report their failure, and move on to... whatever came next. But something had brought the professor here, to the doorstep of a creature he knew he couldn't possibly slay. He didn't strike her as a man who took unnecessary risks, especially if it put Darkshire in danger.

"Professor," she said, "why are you here?"

For the first time, Van Helsing looked at her with something like respect. "Because I have no choice."

"What do you mean, no choice?" Nyx asked. "Everyone has a choice."

The professor smiled, but it was a sad, humorless thing. "Not always, dear girl."

"It's him, isn't it?" Whirda asked. "The mayor. He's making you do this."

"It is not your concern," the professor said, his eyes communicating a warning his words couldn't. "What I do is for the betterment of Darkshire. I must be content in that knowledge."

"Then let us help you," Whirda said. "You can't hope to save the children and kill the shade alone. You're effectively going to your death."

Van Helsing, she noticed for the first time, looked profoundly weary. Weary, and afraid. Not on the surface, but somewhere below, churning. "Sometimes, dear girl, I think that is the point."

"So we'll help. We'll take out the shade, rescue the kids, and convince the mayor to let you help us. He's not a fool. He recognizes the value of an alliance with the elves."

"Perhaps," Van Helsing said, looking hopeful. "Very well, Whirda Windstrom, we will proceed as you say. There only remains the matter of your young friend." He looked to Dobson, who still lay asleep on the ground, tossing and turning. "There is no time to wait for him to awaken."

"Well we can't leave him," Nyx protested.

Despite herself, Whirda disagreed. "We have to," she said. "Nyx, can you summon Thanatos to wait with him? The cat is powerful. He will be able to protect Dobson."

Nyx didn't look at all happy at the idea of leaving her mount—or Dobson—behind, but she set to work summoning the Omnilium. Whirda followed suit, summoning Cascade to carry them both to the shade's den. After a few minutes, the cat and the horse stood beside them.

Whirda and the professor carried Dobson into the house, laying him on the floor in a back room. Thanatos padded past them and curled up next to the boy with an annoyed growl. He didn't like leaving Nyx any more than she liked leaving him, it seemed.

"With any luck, we will return before the boy awakens," Van Helsing said, shutting the door behind them. "This area is not very active. He should not be at risk."

Whirda nodded, and they walked outside, where Nyx waited with Cascade. Whirda winked and flashed an uneasy smile at the blood mage, who didn't return the gesture. The girl looked lost, staring off into space. The demon was speaking to her again. On her back, the ruby's contents roiled like liquid fire.