Only when Cryo left the room and disappeared from sight did Banshee release the gasp of pain she'd been biting down on.

Despite Cryo's ice, the wound where the Shimmer had stabbed her burned. It went beyond the scope of any pain she'd ever experienced as Banshee or Olivia. This wound wasn't just on her body. It was seared on something deeper, a part of her that might have been invisible, but one that she needed just as much as her head and heart.

Banshee exhaled, long and slow, unfurling herself from her hunch. She could handle it. Her legs were shaking as she forced them to stand up. If she hadn't been virtually weightless shifted into her shadow, she doubted they'd have been able to hold her up. One foot joined the next, and with a hand still pressed to her side, she sheathed her daggers. Cryo's ice held firm at her side, the skin it touched slowly going numb.

Her fingers tightened against it. She could only hope that he'd get out before he revealed and went Dark.

Banshee made sure she was steady before she moved over to where Ella stood, waiting for Andrew to finish exchanging a few words with a dark-haired beauty still sitting inside one of the cells.

Her shoulders were straight and her voice strong when she spoke--she was a Luminary, not Olivia. "Is everyone okay?"

Andrew's eyes were shaded with concern as he took in the sight of her. "Are you? A Shimmer injured me once. I can't say it was a pleasant experience." He glanced at Ella. "I think Ella had to carry me back to a skyshrine from that one. I'm surprised you're still standing, if I'm honest."

"I was shadow-shifted when the Shimmer stabbed me," said Banshee, managing a tight smile. She just had to keep breathing. "I think that helps."

"Perhaps," said Andrew. "Just keep in mind that a Shimmer's attack isn't like a regular Manifested's. It may not completely disappear from your civilian form for a while. Mine took two weeks before it didn't cause me pain."

If that were true, that was going to cause her a whole lot of grief in the coming days. "Not much I can do about it now," she said, looking around the room. "For now, we need to get everyone in this nest to the nearest skyshrine."

Ella balked. "Everyone?"

"Yes, everyone," said Banshee. "Are there more prison rooms? More Shimmers?"

"No," said Andrew. "That was the only Shimmer that I've seen around here. The Serpent didn't exactly expect a Luminary to find the nest. The Shimmer was there to keep the rest of us in line."

Ella folded her arms. "If we were still Luminaries, we could have dealt with it ourselves."

Andrew placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well, we aren't anymore, El. We did our part. Now it's our chance to help in other ways, starting with getting everyone out of here." He looked to Banshee. "What did you have in mind?"

Banshee jumped on the task, quickly splitting the group into teams and assigning them tasks. Aside from one or two kids who needed reassurances that the Serpent wouldn't eat them if they left, everyone obeyed her words without question. She oversaw it all, moving from room to room, ensuring everything was going smoothly, hesitating only once during the process--three minutes after it'd begun when her tattoo lost its warmth.

Her fingers crept over her sternum at that moment, her footsteps stilling on the ground below. She just had to keep telling herself that if he'd been Dark instead of dim, she would have known. She would have sensed it--wouldn't she?

Banshee shook it off and kept moving, ignoring the throbbing at her side.

It took the better part of thirty minutes, but with Ella and Andrew's help, the evacuation of the nest went smoothly. Above ground, among the trees and maroon starstone huts, nearly a hundred people of varying ages stood above ground for what might have been the first time in weeks--and it was all because of her and Cryo. Because they'd saved them, exactly like Lumi's were supposed to do.

She reminded herself that she wasn't done yet. The Serpent's aura still hung thick in the air. She had to get them all to a skyshrine, where the golden starstone would repel the Serpent's influence, much like the temple's. She figured she could probably go ahead, recruit a few Gleamerbikes with carriages to come back and pick up most of the group, especially those that were still recovering from the Shimmer's leech. Ultimately, it'd be quicker than making them all walk.

Banshee was moving to tell Ella and Andrew as much when she caught sight of a silver head in the crowd, speaking to a few of the younger ones, particularly a small girl. Recognising him as the same one who'd led Cryo out of the nest, Banshee hesitated, her anxiety over Cryo still curled in her stomach however much she didn't want to admit it. It'd been long enough, he should have been able to reach and recharge at a skyshrine by now yet her tattoo was still cold. She couldn't sense him, and part of her kept whispering that maybe she wouldn't know if he went Dark. Maybe--

She cut herself off and strode over.

She needed to know if that featherbrain of a Luminary was still her featherbrain.

Silver-hair's voice was soft yet strong, easily carrying over the conversation around him as Banshee waited quietly to the side.

"I promise," he was saying, the words accompanied by a reassuring smile as he crouched to her level. "Skypillar will protect you. You have nothing more to fear from the Other, or the Serpent."

The child wiped her face, her hands quickly retreating to be clutched at her chest. "B-but, she said t-that if Skypillar is s'pose to protect us, why di-didn't it stop the Other's servants from t-taking us the f-first time?"

"Did harm come to you while you were captured?" asked Silver-hair. The girl shook her head. "Then Skypillar was protecting you, just like it was everyone else. We were all witnesses today that, no matter how great the Other's power, Skypillar and its chosen Luminaries will always come through for us."

Once again, the girl nodded, folding herself into Silver-hair's arms when they were offered. He squeezed her in a hug for a good few seconds before she wriggled free and wandered back into the crowd after her friend.

Silver-hair stood, catching Banshee's eye. "As I suspect you're about to ask, Cryophoenix made it out of the nest before dimming."

Banshee returned his smile. "You read my mind. What's your name?"

"Stefan," he said, licking his lips. He stepped forward slightly, his gaze somewhere over Banshee's shoulder. "He also wanted me to warn you that--"

"Stefan, you're back!" said Ella's voice, drawing Banshee's gaze backward for a moment until Ella drew level with her. Andrew was nowhere to be seen, lost somewhere in the crowd. "Cryo made it out okay then, I guess?"

"He did," Stefan said slowly, giving Banshee a sideways glance.

Banshee looked back to Stefan. "What did Cryo want to warn me about?"

"Oh, right," said Stefan, stepping back. "He um, wanted me to warn you that he just might be a while getting back. Didn't know if he'd make it to a skyshrine before he dimmed and all."

Banshee raised an eyebrow. "Weird warning even for Cryo, but it makes sense. Thanks, Stefan."

"You're welcome, Banshee."

"So," said Ella. "Everyone's out, what now?"

Banshee tightened her fingers a little on Cryo's ever-shrinking ice and gestured into the trees, towards the eastern Cevinari skyshrine that bordered the outer-inner districts. "Start moving the group in that direction, towards the skyshrine. I'm going to run in there now and find a few Gleamerbikes with carriages, then I'll lead them back to you."

Stefan's eyes slid to Banshee's side. "Are you sure you're up to running?"

"She'll be fine," said Ella. "We need to get out of here as soon as we can."

"I'll be going, then," said Banshee. "Keep an eye on the group, make sure no one tries to slip away. If they do, point them out to me when I get back."

"Yea, yea, we know how this works," said Ella. "Go!"

Banshee suppressed the urge to roll her eyes until her back was to Ella. "I'll be back soon."

Shifted to shadow, Banshee reached the skyshrine in a matter of minutes. She broke through the treeline and leapt onto the starstone wall of the skyshrine's base in a single, fluid movement where she realised that none of the Speakers had noticed her appearance.

Time to fix that.

Banshee lifted her head and dropped her hands, letting the last little piece of Cryo's ice fall from her side and revealing the extent of the bloodstain on her garments.

"Speakers!" she called in a loud, clear voice that turned all of the nearby heads towards her. It was one of the prettier skyshrines, where nature and starstone came together as one. Many of the Speakers appeared to be attending to the delicately flowered vines that wound their way across the golden starstone. "I need Gleamerbike carriages and drivers as soon as possible for a group of about a hundred people!"

One Speaker, a larger man with dark hair, barked an order that sent another three Speakers scurrying to complete her task. Banshee hopped off the wall and approached him, shifting out of her shadow out of habit to preserve Viri's power until the sudden spike of pain forced her back into it.

"Greetings, Banshee," said the Speaker. "May I ask what the Gleamerbikes are for?"

"Cryo and I rescued a large group that need to be brought to a skyshrine immediately," said Banshee.

The Speaker's eyes went wide. "So many? Was there a Manifested the bells did not toll for?"

"No," said Banshee. "It is something I will discuss with the other Lumi's later. I'd be grateful if you could prepare for the group's arrival, however. They appear well cared for, but I could be mistaken. There are a few that are yet to wake."

"As you wish, Banshee." The Speaker's eyes fell to her blood-covered garments. "And do you yourself require assistance?"

Banshee straightened a little. "I was injured in the fight, but I'll be fine. Can we see about those Gleamers?"

"Indeed."

The Speakers were scarily efficient. In perhaps five minutes, Banshee had a small fleet of Gleamerbikes, each with their own carriage that could hold about eight, maybe twelve people if squished in a little. She had to admit, though her family didn't own one, she loved Gleamers. Something with handles, two wheels and a hollow, metal body didn't sound particularly appealing at first, but it was their delicate inner starstone workings that awed her. Like every other piece of starstone tech, they recharged with the auroras and stopped working outside the city's boundaries, but Gleamers were different. They were one of the largest tech pieces they had, magnificent vehicles of light and sound that truly showed what starstone was capable of.

The Gleamers lit the street a pale yellow in their idle state. Strips of light illuminated their metal hulls, and their soft hum--their song, as she liked to imagine it--drifted through the air, awaiting commands.

"This'll do for now," said Banshee, jumping onto a wall in clear view of the Gleamerbike riders. She raised a hand in the air. "Everyone ready?"

In response, the Gleamers flashed green like a heartbeat before the yellow returned in full blast--no longer pale, but bright and vibrant. Their hum rose in the air, a sound that warmed her insides to listen to.

Banshee grinned, drawing Joy to her hand. "Follow me!"

She leapt off the wall in such a way that she fully intended to be flashy. Cryo would have called it unnecessary. She liked to say that it made sure people were paying attention, but either way, it worked.

The Gleamers shot into motion behind her, chasing her down, their yellow light scattering strange shadows through the undergrowth. She was careful not to pull too far ahead and lose them, but for the most part, staying ahead while clearing a path through the undergrowth with Joy put her speed to the test. They were fast, and she was injured. As much as she hated to admit it, the wound was slowing her down, restricting her movement as she favoured that side. She just hoped that most of it wouldn't carry over when she dimmed.

Somewhere along the way, she realised her tattoo was once more warm, though how long it'd been like that was beyond her. With Cryo's ice now melted, the pain echoed freely throughout her body. Though she was making a rather determined point to ignore it, it refused to go away, beating against the back of her thoughts.

They found the group without much of a problem considering the noise a hundred people moving in the same direction tended to make. The Gleamerbikes pulled to a stop and after a few brief directions from Banshee, the group started organising itself. Most seemed relieved, but some were still glancing around, like they expected the Serpent itself to burst out from the trees and take them once more.

Banshee found Ella with Andrew and somewhat surprisingly, Stefan, who looked like he'd rather have been anywhere else but beside them. Banshee's curiosity switched targets, however, when she noticed the slight frown Andrew wore. The way his eyes seemed to be pointedly away from Ella--and the dark-haired beauty that was standing behind him, clutching one of his hands in two of her own.

"Anything interesting happen while I was gone?" asked Banshee carefully.

"Nope," said Ella through a tight smile before either of the other two could reply. "Everything's just peachy."

Banshee's gaze switched between the four of them, waiting to see if any of them would be more forthcoming. The dark-haired girl shied from Ella's presence, always keeping Andrew between them. "Nothing at all?"

"What do you care?" snapped Ella, her glare challenging Banshee to inquire further.

Andrew exhaled audibly. "We had a disagreement about the future. Ella still thinks that--"

"Oh, a 'disagreement', was it, Centaur?" said Ella, flinging an arm wide that almost knocked Stefan over.

Andrew stood his ground, refusing to budge an inch. "I told you not to call me that anymore."

"This is because of her, isn't it?" said Ella, jabbing an accusing finger past him, straight at the girl holding his hand. Her gaze was almost a physical thing as it locked onto the girl. "This is all your fault. We were happy until you came along. He doesn't need you!"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't speak to Melissa that way," said Andrew. "You aren't doing yourself any favours. Right now, we have a job to do, so--"

But Ella wasn't listening. The air around her was crackling, the light that touched her skin broken and erased.

Andrew swore, pushing the dark-haired girl back behind him.

Banshee's tattoo went cold.

Manifested.

She'd never watched someone as the Other claimed their mind, and in the seconds that it happened in front of her, Banshee couldn't look away.

Dark lines wound around Ella's twisting form, etching themselves onto her skin and quickly covering her in large, thick scales. Her nails became wicked claws as the lines, having completed the scales, peeled up and off her skin to form a new long, slender neck with a serpentine head that sprouted from Ella's shoulders. Greenish-blue in colour, it was somewhat transparent, almost like it was made of some kind of ethereal spirit rather than anything solid. An onyx-coloured fragment hung from a silver chain around her throat.

Ella was no longer Ella when her eyes next focused.

She was Hydra.

Ella hissed, extending her slender, scaled arm as she examined it. "The Other is wise, granting me this familiar form." The head behind her snaked through the air, its tongue flicking out, tasting the air. Ella smiled, baring her fangs. "Now, I can remove the problem easily."

Grief and Joy were in Banshee's grip as she stepped between Ella and Andrew. "I can't let you do that, Ella."

Ella narrowed her eyes. "I'm not Ella. I am Hydra once more." Her eyes--now yellow with a black slit for a pupil--settled on the girl behind Andrew.

"This isn't you, Ella!" said Andrew. Banshee heard the fear in his voice--fear that she knew wasn't for himself. "The Other has taken you! Break free from it! Don't let it control you like it did all the Manifested that we saved together!"

"My Ascended never should have left me! This power was always meant to be mine!" screeched Ella. Her gaze slammed into Banshee. "Remove yourself from this fight! My problem is not with you!"

Banshee took her stance. "No."

Ella gave a harsh, twisted laugh. "You're an idiot if you think you can fight me without Cryo, especially while you're injured. You can barely stand up straight. How are you going to--"

Banshee lunged, catching Ella completely off guard. The little she knew about Hydra said that the longer the battle went on, the stronger Hydra would grow, which meant this had to end--now.

Banshee twisted in the air, angling herself perfectly to bring Grief down and shear off the spirit head sprouting from Ella's shoulders. As she'd suspected, the head wasn't solid, but her daggers didn't seem to care. Separated, the head evaporated into the sunlight. Banshee stepped forward, reaching around Ella's shoulders for the Corrupted fragment that hung against her chest. She only had a few seconds before Ella reformed the head with a twin, but in those few seconds, Ella would be paralysed, exposed, and--

Blinding pain flashed across Banshee's vision. Dimly, she realised that Ella's claws were in her side, in the same hole that the Shimmer had made earlier.

"Clever," said Ella, pushing her claws upward, digging further and further into Banshee's body. "But not clever enough. I don't have my old weakness."

Banshee grabbed Ella's wrist and pushed herself up and off the claws, and just in time. Ella's serpent head had reformed in double, both writhing to snap in Banshee's direction. They strained against their bodily tether as they fought to taste Luminary blood, once more fresh and seeping into Banshee's garments from her side.

Banshee reached up, tapping her tattoo five times in rapid succession. "No, you're not a Luminary. You're a Manifested." She felt the reply of five taps echo across her body, but her head was getting fuzzy. The Serpent aura was thick in the air, pressing against her mind. This had to end. "And that's why you won't win, Ella. Manifested never win."

Ella smirked. "But I'm not a regular Manifested. I am one of the Other's chosen. I am a Luminary, hand picked and--"

Banshee's arms flicked around, throwing Joy straight at Ella's chest. The dagger missed the fragment by inches, but the scale that it'd struck cracked, revealing the soft blue skin beneath. .

"You really need to stop falling for that," said Banshee, ducking under Ella's enraged swipe.

"I will destroy you!" screeched Ella, reaching for Banshee's throat.

And with Ella inches from her face, Banshee collected every little part of her power that she had left and Screamed.

Hydra recoiled, grasping her head between claws. Her spirit heads lost their clear, defined edges, resembling more of a shrouding mist than anything else. She staggered, struggling to remain upright.

She was vulnerable.

Banshee advanced, Grief in hand, intending to smash its hilt into Ella's fragment to save her when agony turned her muscles to jelly. Her vision split, her focus shattered. Some, vague part of her was reminded of a migraine, only instead of the source being her brain, it was her side. Using her scream had drained her of her power--she was no longer shadow shifted, and she'd pushed her body too far.

Still, she fought to stay upright. One little movement--reach up, smash the fragment--that's all she had to do. Before Hydra recovered. She grit her teeth, trying to piece the world back together. Before--

A rush of frozen wind gusted in from behind her. The sound of something heavy landing met her ears, followed by the tinkling of ice crystals. Banshee had enough presence of mind to know that Cryo was in front of her. Words. A screech. A flurry of movement that blurred in Banshee's vision. And then--silence.

The site of her body-migraine froze over. Banshee blinked, catching her breath among her pain-fuelled gasps for air. Her eyes flicked up to find herself on the ground once more with Cryo in front of her, his hand at her side and his gaze full of something she'd never thought to find there--panic.

"Are you okay?" he asked. When she didn't reply, his second hand went to her face, tilting her chin up towards him. "Banshee! Are you okay?"

"No," she managed to squeeze out as Cryo's ice numbed the pain and her control returned. "I have about a minute before I dim. I put everything I had left into that Scream."

"Get on," said Cryo, turning around and crouching.

With his help, she climbed on his back, wrapping an arm around his neck and locking her hands on his shoulder. A second later they were in the air, speeding towards the nearest skyshrine. Banshee held on with every last bit of strength she had, but without her shadowshift, it was hard. She wasn't as heavy as Olivia normally was, she was still faster and more agile, but she definitely wasn't weightless either and Cryo's slower speed proved it.

They were about twenty seconds from the skyshrine when Banshee felt Viri's power slipping. The smokey shadows peeled away from her body slower than they usually did, but they were misting away with a slow sense of inevitability. Viri was hanging onto the transformation, but it wasn't going to last.

Ten seconds away from the skyshrine, it was no longer Banshee on Cryo's back, but Olivia.

Some instinct told Olivia that Viri would appear in the shadow of her chest, and as the little Ascended appeared, Olivia scooped up Viri with the arm not wrapped around Cryo's neck. Olivia held Viri tight to her chest, pressing her face against Cryo's back and just praying to the stars that she could hold on that little bit longer.

But her legs were slipping. Olivia's arms weren't strong enough. "Cryo, I've gone dim!"

Cryo didn't let her down. Ice froze around her thighs and waist, acting as a harness that locked her body to his, holding her secure as they flew the final part of the way to the skyshrine. The landing jolt was even somewhat comfortable, and Olivia was surprised to find that, curled into Cryo's back with Viri cradled in the crook of her arm, she felt... safe.

Right up until the situation caught up with her and apprehension took over.

She was on Cryo's back.

Olivia.

Not Banshee.

*+*+*+*

A/N - I'm really proud of this chapter ^_^ Hopefully it's not misplaced? XD

Probably 2 chapters before we're at the end of what I'm calling the Intro sequence. If you read Pinfeathers, you'll have an idea of how the format of ShadowSong is gonna go, but without the huge time jumps in between. Also going to have interludes in between each part that'll be relevant to something that's going on throughout the story ^_~