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. There were twelve on the list that were found dead at the site. 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 news. I stood up, pushing the chair back and my mother's eyes moved to me. She looked as tired as I did, but there was a determination there that I admired. 

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

I nodded mutely, not trusting myself to speak right then. It had been weeks since I'd 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 tonight. 

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 about it. Cutting us off at every turn.

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

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

Smoke immediately filled my lungs and I began coughing just as Nael Liesand, my father's right hand man, came storming out of his own room. His eyes immediately locked on me, a flash of relief at seeing me unharmed and then resolve and an all consuming rage to eradicate the threat began burning in them. I felt wind pelt my face, realizing that he was pulling in fresh night air from a window down the hall to protect us from the smoke of the fire that was surely blazing down below. I ran to him and his arms wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me in close to him just as his wife, Ada erupted from their quarters, scrolls and books filling her arms still while she unceremoniously shoved what she could into her knapsack.

"We must go," Nael demanded and Ada fell into step behind us as he began ushering me forward, I had to run to keep up with his longer strides. The wind whipped around us like a clear torando in the smokey hallway. We reached the top of the stairs and rushed down them without pausing, Nael carrying me by my arm in his strong grasp. If we could at least find my parents and get out of the burning building, we'd be able to make a plan. Though, I was sure Nael had a plan of action whether or not we found my parents. His main order tonight was to ensure my safety above all else. My eyes darted around, expecting to see mother and father amongst the tables of the dining area but there was just more smoke and...

Were those bodies? My eyes widened in shock at the four men and one barmaid that lay on the floor, their insides spilling across the blood soaked wood. Nael jerked on my shoulders, pulling me to his other side to hide the bodies from view. Not that it did much to shield me from the death and carnage that surrounded us. There was another corpse strung across the bar, a knife jutting out of the man's neck. His dead eyes focused on nothing but seemed to peer right into my soul. I let out a strangled sound, realizing it was the kind cook who'd made sure I'd gotten an extra sweet pastry after dinner just a couple hours ago.

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

There was a crash and the face that held my attention was suddenly gone as the main door of the inn slammed shut behind us. I whirled around, 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 yelled over the screams of pain and panic. Not just any woman's voice, it was mothers. I flung myself forward, Nael's hands grasping for me, but I was too quick, I ran in the direction my mother's voice had come from. 

"Mother!" I yelled back, not slowing.

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

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

"What have we got here?" the man's gravelly voice sounded from behind, my feet were barely touching the ground as he held me up. 

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

"Shut up, ye freak bitch. Yer kind sap the life from our lands, leave 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 yer not, are ye? That's why we gotta do it fer ourselfs. And I'll be startin' by killin' yer child just like ye killed mine," he growled and pressed the knife harder against my neck. I winced, but felt the calm entering my body as I desperately reached for my magic. The scary, all-consuming magic that controlled me more than the other way around. 

"It's rid," I heard myself say as if from a distance and the man growled. The dagger pressed even harder and I felt a warm trickle spread down my neck.