Ch. 1 There were Screams

I stared down at the names on the scroll in front of me: Twenty-seven. Almost thirty more of us gone—dead and abducted. Twelve had been found dead at the site, while the other fifteen were unknown—either captured or killed. Without bodies, we had no way of knowing.

I rubbed at my eyes, the weariness of the past few weeks weighing on me heavier with this grim news. Standing up, I pushed the chair back, and my mother's eyes moved to meet mine. She looked as tired as I felt, but there was a determination in her gaze that I admired. 

"Your father and I can take care of this. Go and get some rest, Lyra. I'll send word if any more news reaches us."

I nodded mutely, not trusting myself to speak. It had been weeks since I had gotten a good night's sleep, and I knew tonight would be no better. Those names, their faces... they'd haunt me along with my past. 

The halls of the Villa were quiet as I trudged down them. I couldn't think of a way out of this. Every time we tried to make a move for our people, the humans always seemed to know, cutting us off at every turn.

I reached my bed chamber and didn't even bother undressing as I slid under the blankets, curling in on myself, trying to will myself into a peaceful sleep.

 ~~~

There were screams—those Gods-awful screams. I threw open the door to the inn's room, the wood banging loudly against the already damaged wall of the chamber my parents and I had been given for the night.

Smoke filled my lungs, forcing me to cough as Nael Liesand, my father's Right-Hand man, stormed out of his own room. His eyes locked onto mine, flashing with relief at seeing me unharmed, then narrowing with resolve and an all-consuming rage to eradicate any threat to me. I felt the wind pelt my face as he pulled in fresh night air from a window down the hall, attempting to protect us from the smoke of the fire raging below. 

I ran to him, and his arms wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me in close just as his wife, Ada, erupted from their quarters, scrolls and books filling her arms as she unceremoniously shoved what she could into her knapsack.

"We must go," Nael demanded, and Ada fell into step behind us as he ushered me forward. I had to run to keep up with his longer strides. The wind whipped around us like a tornado in the smoky hallway. We reached the top of the stairs and rushed down without pausing, Nael gripping my arm firmly. My feet barely grazed the steps as we ran.

If we could find my parents and escape the burning building, we'd be able to make a plan. Though, I was fairly certain Nael had orders he would follow whether or not we found my parents. They had made it clear that his main objective tonight was to ensure my safety above all else. My eyes darted around, searching for my mother and father among the tables of the dining area, but all I saw was more smoke and—

Were those bodies? My eyes widened in shock at the sight of four men and a barmaid sprawled out on the floor, their insides spilling across the blood-soaked wood. Nael jerked on my shoulders, pulling me to his other side to shield me from the gruesome scene. Not that it did much to protect me from the death and carnage surrounding us. Another corpse lay strung across the bar, a knife jutting out from the man's neck. His dead eyes stared blankly, seemingly peering right into my soul. I let out a strangled sound, realizing it was the kind cook who had made sure I had gotten an extra sweet pastry after dinner just a couple of hours prior.

I didn't even feel my feet moving as I stared into his unseeing eyes, the life snuffed out of him while fire roared around us, devouring the walls, the bar... him.

A crash echoed, and the face that held my attention vanished as the main door of the inn slammed shut behind us. Freed from the gaze that had held me paralyzed, I whirled around, my eyes scanning everywhere. Where were Mother and Father? Why hadn't they come for me? I had just began to fear the worst when—

"Nael!" 

A woman's voice pierced through the screams of pain and panic. Not just any woman's voice; it was my mother’s. I flung myself forward, Nael's hands grasping for me, but I was too quick. I ran toward the direction of her voice. 

"Mother!" I yelled back, not slowing.

"Lyra?! Stay with Nael and Ada! I'm coming!" Mother yelled in response. She sounded strained, distracted. Was she in trouble? Did she need help?

"Lyra, stop!" Nael shouted from behind. I glanced back to see if he was following me just as I collided with something hard and muscular. I would have fallen if strong arms hadn't immediately wrapped around me, spinning me around to face the two mages sworn to protect me as they approached quickly. Something sharp pressed into my neck, and Nael and Ada slowed, holding their hands up in submission to the man who had me, stopping about ten yards away. 

"What have we got here?" The man's gravelly voice echoed from behind as he lifted me off the ground. 

"Please, we haven't done anything," Ada began pleading, but he cut her off.

"Shut up, ye freak bitch. Yer kind sap the life from our lands, leavin’ us starvin' and poor. I ain't got two coppers to rub together, and ye have the nerve to claim ye ain't done nothin'? If ye was decent folks, you'd'a killed yerselves already and ridded the lands of your foulness. But ye’re not, are ye? That's why we gotta do it fer ourselves. And I'll be startin' by killin' yer child, just like ye killed mine," he growled, pressing the knife harder against my neck. 

I winced, but felt a calm entering my body as I desperately reached for my magic—the scary, all-consuming magic that controlled me more than I controlled it. 

"It's ‘rid,’" I heard myself say, as if from a distance. The man growled in response, and the dagger pressed even harder, warm liquid trickled down my neck.