Ch. 6 I Just Ran

Why did today have to start off so early? I thought irritably. I had barely gotten more than two hours of sleep by the time Lilly, ever watchful and reliable, had woken me up from my night terror.

I sighed, overwhelmed by all the tasks that still needed to be taken care of. The council meeting that my mother was supposed to announce was coming up soon. There was a possible meeting with the man from Scepterfall, if he decided to show up today. And I still needed to find Gil and break the news to him, hopefully before the time of the actual meeting.

I yawned, realizing I should probably get started on that last task. I pushed myself off the banister. My mother had told me I should get more rest, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. My mind wouldn't turn off enough to allow me to get any more sleep.

Instead, I headed out to the training field, where I figured I'd probably find Gil, but only Lorna, one of the oldest mages on the island who lived in and worked for her room in the Villa was there, fixing some of the leather pieces on the training equipment.

"Lorna," I greeted her, trying to mask the fatigue in my voice, and the old empath looked up at me.

"Oh, good morning, Lyra," she beamed, turning to face me on the bench she was sitting on. Her weathered face radiated kindness, but my eyes were drawn to her hands as they fidgeted with the leather piece she was currently working on, as though she couldn't focus properly.

"Good morning, have you seen Gil around anywhere?" I asked, gesturing to the empty training field. "Where is everyone?" I asked, a hint of worry creeping into my voice. My confusion was now laced with apprehension as if I was absorbing Lorna's tense mood. I couldn't remember ever seeing the field so devoid of life. It was unsettling and far too quiet.

"There was trouble down on the mainland. Something about last night. They all left in a hurry, along with your father. I'm surprised you didn't know," Lorna said, her eyebrows scrunching up.

"Ah yes, well, I was rather busy in a meeting with my mother this morning. Thank you for telling me, I should probably go and see what's amiss," I said quickly, giving her a quick nod before hurrying off.

The briskness of the day hinted at winter's approach but it didn't bother me, not when I could pull my fire forward and warm myself whenever necessary. I rushed through the makeshift buildings barely noticing them as they flew past. They had been erected within the last couple decades with efficiency and space in mind, rather than comfort. I always thought of their presence on our little haven like a slam back to reality. What had once been beautiful little fields were now clusters upon clusters of tight little hovels.

Finally, I broached the opening that led to the land bridge. Nobody was there, so I scanned the area for the nearest mage. "Gellert," I called, summoning the potioneer, who rushed to me, one of his young children in tow. "Where is everyone?" I demanded. He pointed out over the bridge towards the mainland. "Out there, Princess. A couple survivors were found," he breathed out. My head spun, the implications of Gellert’s words crashing over me. Without another word to the potioneer, I rushed over the bridge. It was long, and by the time I had crossed the distance, I was breathing a little raggedly.

"Where are they?" I demanded as soon as a group of my mages came into view. Gil was supporting a man who I couldn't recognize due to an unsettling amount of blood and a new collection of bruises covering his face. A familiar scent which made me think of the dead eyes of a friendly-faced bartender, who'd once spoiled me with sweet cakes made my stomach clench.

"It's Hensley," Gil said, as if he knew what I was thinking.

"Lyra, what're you doing out here?" My father's booming voice sounded from my other side, and I turned to see him approaching. His chest and arms were covered in blood, and my eyes widened as I rushed to him.

"What happened? Are you hurt?" I asked, my heart pounding as I looked him over.

"I'm fine. It's not my blood. But we need to get over the bridge-there's a group of humans not far off. Too many for us to handle without bottlenecking them. Come on," he said, pulling on my arm.

"Help!" A scream pierced the air from the treeline, and my father and I both eyed the trees.

"Trap?" I asked, my voice tight with apprehension.

"Could be," he murmured, tense.

I glanced around to see Gil with Hensley, who was barely conscious, continuing past. I looked further to Ellis, one of the healers that worked closely with our Keystone healer, supporting Jin. I rushed up to them, noticing Jin's eyes darting around frantically. Ellis gave me a wary look, gesturing at him. "I don't know what happened to him," she admitted softly. I pushed down my worry for now as I rushed on with my questioning.

"Jin, was anyone else with you?" I asked, watching as his eyes flitted around, as if he couldn't see anything.

"What? Who? Help me," he pleaded, panic rising in his voice.

"We are, Jin. It's Lyra. I need you to focus," I said softly, encouragingly, even as another scream rippled out from the trees. "Was there anyone else with you, Jin?"

"C-Carmella. Where's Carmella? She was right behind me. Hen, Hen, make sure Carmella is ok," he rushed out, his arms thrashing out wildly as if he were trying to fight someone off. Ellis did her best to calm him.

My heart froze. Carmella. One of the last of her kind. If humans got their hands on her…

I didn't think. I just ran.