Chapter Three: In the Den of Thieves

Lyra’s POV

When I woke up, I didn’t know if it was still night.

The room was dark but not fully dark. A thin line of light was coming from the bottom of the door. My body felt heavy, like I had been sleeping for years instead of just a few hours.

For a moment, I forgot where I was.

Then I remembered the loud sound.

The screaming.

Tyron’s promise.

“I promise I'll come back for you.”

My heart ached.

I sat up too fast and my head hurt.

I listened.

Nothing.

The camp had always had noise.

Now it was quiet in a way that didn’t feel right.

It felt empty.

I waited for someone to unlock the door.

No one came.

I looked at the small key Tyron had thrown to me before leaving.

I had fallen asleep holding it. It was still in my hand, pressed so tight it left a mark in my palm.

Maybe everyone was hiding like me.

Maybe if I stayed here, someone would come back.

But my stomach hurt. My mouth felt dry. And I didn’t like being alone in the dark.

I crawled to the door and unlocked it slowly.

The click sounded loud. I froze.

Nothing happened.

I opened it just a little and peeked out.

The first room was empty.

I stepped out carefully, placing my feet softly like I had seen cats do.

The air smelled strange.

Not like smoke from roasted rabbit.

Not like dirt.

It smelled sharp.

I stepped outside the tent.

The sky was pale.

Morning.

The camp looked different.

The fire pit was cold.

Some tents had fallen sideways like someone pushed them.

Some chairs were broken.

Others scattered.

A cooking pot was turned over.

It looked messy.

Like when children fight over toys and leave everything scattered.

But no one was there to pick it up.

“Cobra?” I whispered.

My voice sounded small.

No answer.

I took another step forward.

That’s when I saw him.

A troop.

He was lying near the fire pit.

I thought he was sleeping at first.

Then I noticed the way his arm was bent.

Too stiff.

I walked closer without meaning to.

His eyes were open.

They were staring at the sky.

There was dark red on his shirt.

I didn’t understand it immediately.

Then my stomach flipped.

Dead.

He was dead.

I stepped back quickly and my heel hit something. I almost fell.

My scream came out before I could stop it.

It was loud.

It sounded like it belonged to someone else.

I heard heavy boots coming towards me.

I tried running but someone grabbed me by the arm.

I twisted and pulled away, but another man blocked my path.

They came from everywhere.

Not the hunters.

Different men.

Their clothes were darker.

Their eyes colder.

I started crying again.

“Please don’t,” I said. “Please.”

A man in a black combat suit stepped forward.

His boots made heavy sounds on the ground. He held something in his hand.

It was red.

Glowing.

It looked like a metal stick but it shone like it had fire trapped inside it.

He pointed it at me.

The red light grew brighter.

My heart beat so fast I thought I would faint.

“Capture her,” he said.

Two big men grabbed me.

One held my arms. The other grabbed my chin.

I tried to kick them, all to no avail.

I screamed and tried to bite his hand.

The man with the red glow walked closer. He opened a small bottle.

“Open her mouth.”

I kept my lips tight shut.

The man holding me squeezed my cheeks hard until my jaw hurt.

The bottle touched my mouth.

It smelled strange.

“Swallow it,” the glowing man said calmly. “Or I kill you.”

Kill.

The word felt heavy.

I stopped fighting for a second.

If I didn’t swallow it, he would kill me.

If I swallowed it… maybe I would die anyway.

Maybe dying wouldn’t be so bad.

Mommy and Daddy were dead.

Cobra might be dead.

Tyron might be dead.

I was tired.

So tired of running.

Maybe if I died, I would see them again.

That thought made me feel sad but happy.

I opened my mouth and swallowed the liquid on purpose.

It burned down my throat like hot pepper.

My eyes watered.

My chest felt tight.

The world started moving strangely.

The trees leaned sideways.

The red glow stretched into a long line.

The men’s voices sounded far away, like they were underwater.

The last thing I saw was the sky spinning.

Then everything went black.

***

When I woke up again, my wrists hurts badly.

They were tied behind me.

My legs too.

The room was small.

There was a tiny window high up that I couldn't reach.

It was evening.

I tried to move and the rope scraped my skin.

I remembered everything at once.

The dead troop.

The red light.

Choosing to swallow it.

I started crying quietly.

Not loud.

Just tears falling without stopping.

My stomach growled but I ignored it.

I felt empty inside.

Like someone had scooped everything out of me.

After some time, I heard footsteps outside the

door.

Slow by heavy.

The door opened.

A very big man walked in.

He smiled in a way that made my skin feel tight.

“That was a long sleep, little princess,” he said.

I hated that word now.

He walked closer and crouched in front of me.

“You’re needed dead,” he said casually. “But until then…”

He didn’t finish the sentence.

I didn’t understand all of it.

But I understood that I was not safe.

I started crying harder.

“I want my mommy,” I cried in a whisper.

He laughed softly.

“Oh, you won’t be seeing her.”

He looked at my face carefully.

“You seem scared,” he said. “Don’t worry. Your friend won’t hear you scream.”

Friend?

My heart jumped.

“What was his name again?” he continued. “Cobra?”

My body stiffened.

“Yes. Cobra,” he said when he saw my face change. “He denied knowing you.”

That didn’t make sense.

Cobra gave me food and water.

He spoke kindly.

“He’s been put to sleep,” the man added. “Buried this morning, along with the others.”

Buried.

The word hit harder than the ropes.

Buried meant in the ground.

Buried meant forever.

Cobra.

Tyron.

Everyone.

I felt something breaking inside me.

I stared at him.

Then suddenly

The door slammed open behind him.

And my heart stopped beating for one long second.