LYRA'S POV“Leo?” I whispered his name in shock, tears rushing into my eyes. “Leo?” I called out again, this time giving him a slight push. His eyes flashed with terror. Leo struggled, choking on his blood with laboured breaths. I tore off his shirt, rolling it over the wound.“Stay with me!” My breath shook as I applied pressure to it. Leo thrashed weakly, his bloodied hand slapping against my arm as if trying to hold on.“L..Ly…Lyra,” he choked. His eyes batted as he struggled with death. “I…I'm sorry. Please…” his voice quaked.“Shush! Shush! It's okay! I'm here! It's okay. Please stay with me,” my heart raced. “We will both walk out of here and I can punch you in the face later,” A thin film of saliva flew out of my mouth hanging on my lips as I tried to chuckle amid my breakdown.Pulling away from him, I tried to summon something within me. Perhaps something to buy him sometime till we walk out of here. Leo had hurt me, but he was still my brother and I wasn't going to forgive m
LYRA'S POV“Thank goodness! She's stable now! I heard the first voice exclaim.“Lyra! Lyra!” I heard a muffled call; not certain it was from the first voice. My ears still rang from the high-pitched force that propelled me back to reality.Chaos, grunts, groaning, and shots I perceived might be from a gun all echoed in my head but I could barely move a muscle. Worn out from the expended energy back in the realm, my body screamed for a moment of relaxation. Sadly, I just stepped into the second phase of the night.I squinted, slowly peeling my eyes open but everything still blurred before me until it all came into focus.“Jake?” I rasped, a small smile plastered on my face. “You came for me,” I breathed my words in a slow, low tone.“Shush!” He hushed me. “You don't have to say anything. I'm here now!” He cooed, supporting my head, brushing off my hair from my face. I also caught a glimpse of Leo. Shocked yet too weak to express it. How on earth are two arch enemies aligning together?
LYRA’S POVI was so concerned with tending to Tara's broken limb that I paid less attention to Valkyrie, costing me my stance. I barely heard the pile of rocks move until a clamp-like grip around my neck and yanked me off her. A sharp breath was knocked out of my lungs as my body slammed into a stone. The impact of the back of my head against the stone sent a sharp wave of pain through my body, blurring my vision for some seconds.He wasted no time coming for me again. I barely had time to recover from the first hit.“You thought...” he growled, grabbing a fistful of my hair, “ You thought that strength comes from sentiment?” He slammed my back into a pillar. The stone cracked, so did something in my rib cage.I winced, writhing in intense pain, Blood from my split brow streamed into my eyes down my face. “You and Iris and every one of the worthless bearers she picks thinks you can change destiny?” he hissed through gritted teeth. "But it always ends the same way for each of you," h
JAKE'S POVEvery strand of hair on my skin stood, the moment I heard Lyra smash her earplug. I couldn't bear sitting in the dark, knowing things might go south inside the dockyard. I spotted Lisa being escorted out of the warehouse with Jayden cradled in her arms. Directing two men in her direction for pickup and evacuation, the others were left to tag along with me.“We move now!” I ordered, my voice slicing through the thickness of the night.I wasn't expecting a noiseless entry. The hooting and wild chittering from the men of Tazarwa stirred attention. We took heavy gunfire. Not for long. The grenade bought us a few seconds, aiding our break and penetration into the warehouse.With my senses spiking off the roof, I ran through the entrance, sending splinters of wood all around like a wrecking ball with the other men filing in behind me.My heart dropped into my belly at the sight of Lyra floating halfway up the room. Her arms were draped beside her, her head lolled backward, and he
LYRA’S POVThe sky, once clear and silver-lit, darkened the instant I was expelled from the portal. I missed my step, stumbling forward. My mouth dropped open as my eyes scanned the desolate surroundings in search of Valkyrie, but what I saw were remains and ruins of ancient structures.“What is this place?” I muttered, slowly walking deeper into it. Every step was a constant reminder that I must not fail my people.Above me were thick, dark clouds masking a golden light- perhaps, the sun, with threads of lightning bolts occasionally beaming through it. One would think a storm was brewing. Ahead, was a dark throne, the walls behind, partially falling apart.“Come on out! I yelled, clenching my fist tight enough that my fingers dug a half circle into my palm. “I didn’t envisage you to be a coward!” I smirked. “I’d be damned if a god was too scared to face me,” I cackled.Crouching with my hand underneath my belly, my laughter intensified, perhaps to spite him, or draw him out from hidi
LYRA'S POVI glanced at Zephyr, gawking, my eyes twitching in shock. Ignoring my stare, he frantically reached for each strap I was tied with, unbuckling each end. Aemond and my brother, Leo were taking out their anger on each other. “What are you doing?” I asked in a hushed tone.“I need to get you out of this,” he responded, unstrapping the buckle on my other leg. Reaching for my hand, he paused for a second, staring into my eyes. “I know better now! Aemond must not take control of the crystal. We need to stop him,” he whispered.I rubbed my wrist, groaning slightly in pain after he took off the last strap. “Why are you trying to help me now, after what you put me through?” My brows furrowed as I poked his chest, speaking through gritted teeth, conscious not to draw Aemond's and Leo's attention.“I don't have time to say anything right now! We need to get the pendant off Leo and get you connected to the core.I didn't flinch, I stared at him, long enough to get him to understand so