The Things That Bind Us- Damirae

Chapter Seventeen

Shiva was severe by nature, but her eyes softened when Damian came in to view. He wore the symbol on his chest, that emblazoned 'R', that branded him a disciple of the Bat. Shiva felt a pang of something at its sight- regret, she realised. The Bat made her feel guilty; she refused to let herself remember why.

Robin arrived on the rooftop before her through a gaping vortex of purple. Shiva recognised the feat immediately. It was apparent that Batman and Zatanna (a new acquaintance, but not a name Shiva was unfamiliar with) knew the mark of the demoness. Batman took Raven's appearance with no noticeable physical response. The woman herself wasn't as lucky as the others; Batman's aura betrayed what his body wouldn't. She wasn't in his good books apparently.

Raven raised her chin and looked up at the assassin, Shiva formidable as ever. She flicked her eyes to Zatanna, lowering her head a little. Raven hadn't told her that she was going out earlier. Unfolding her defensive arms, the empath was at least glad that she'd remembered to switch in to her Azarathian garb (Zatanna's guarded her fishnets with an iron fist).

"Shiva." Damian acknowledged. "What's happened?"

"Demons." Batman said. He was looking at the empath.

"Following your trail." The assassin explained. With sorrow, she added, "They traced it to the guild, it would seem. I have lost promising warriors."

Lives lost. They shouldn't have bargained with Lucifer. Or maybe they should- maybe they shouldn't have wasted time. Fulfilled their end of the deal faster. Torn those contracts and blocked those demon's from entry.

The contracts, binding Raven, binding Damian, were their way in. Trigon's forces had a right to pass through the realms, as long as those damned scrolls were intact.

And Shiva suffered for it. Raven tasted the blood in the air, remnants of gushing red now constrained beneath gauze, silenced by tight stitches. But it was still there. Red guilt.

Damian saw so much in Shiva. He wondered how she felt, standing under Gotham's cold canopy of polluted clouds. Her daughter was in this city. Wearing the symbol of the bat. She lost so many to that symbol, it would seem.

There was betrayal in the air, hot and accusatory.

"You said you were taking care of this," Zatanna said. Raven bit her cheek. "Whatever this is."

The magician folded her arms. Raven wasn't a child, but that didn't mean that she had to do everything alone.

Zatanna implored her friend, "What exactly are you doing? The two of you. Because I've heard whispers and I hope to the gods you've not gotten yourselves in to a mess that you won't be able to dig your way out of."

Beneath Zatanna's voice lay more than a caution- a threat- which made Raven's heart throb. She didn't want to made rifts with Zatanna; not with that woman that her tongue begged to call 'mum', but settled on 'Zee', 'Aunty'. The empath was bound by guilt to a woman who'd died years ago, her mother dead at the hands of her 'father'.

But Zatanna's caution was clear: I will tell Batman everything if I have too.

The man didn't know about their deal- the contracts in exchange for Lucifer's little problem dealt with. It had been Robin's choice what to conceal from the Batman. Raven glanced to her co-conspirator. Beautiful, and sad, with his head lowered in deference to the master assassin and his father. She respected his boundaries- hiding the deal from his father. That didn't mean she didn't question them.

"Shiva's guild has suffered," Batman said, looking to the woman. "You are accountable to her for that-"

Damian felt like a small child. Raven was no better.