Ryder calmly watched Lyra, he knew he was seeing her because that was her body but that was his Lyra, her eyes glowed like it had done a couple of times when they had been in Astaroth. She had the witch’s spirit in her, his Lyra had been possessed by Indie.He held out his burnt hands to his side and summoned the dark energy from within him, it oozed out of his hands, from his finger tips and around the air close to his hand, until the dark mist formed a sword which he held in his hands. He stood straight and took a step forward.“Indie.” Ryder called. His eyes were darkened now and they burned with a dark smoky mist. His body radiated the same energy and he looked fearful, like a beast ready to go hunting. Lyra turned her head to him and her smile dropped. Ryder fumed and fisted his palm. “Get out of her body.”Xanth turned to look at Ryder and was immediately alarmed. “Ryder, what are you doing?” He whispered to him, s

He was back in the forest, the same place where he had been with Xanth, Lyra and Iris before Indie had taken him away. His expression was grim and he didn’t smile, well, not like he had ever been used to smiling, but this time it was different. He stood in front of the portal after he had passed through it and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath and releasing it slowly through his slightly parted lips. His eyes opened slowly and he fixed them on Lyra who was standing with the support of Xanth. She looked like she had just woken up from the slumber Indie had put her into earlier. He took careful steps towards her until he stood right in front of her and Xanth, and then he took a hold of her arm, a little more forceful than he had intended to, she looked up at him with a pained expression.“Ryder, what are you doing?”“How do we get out of here?” He asked her suddenly. Xanth looked at him in confusion and so did Lyra, Iris came c

The young man stood by the window looking out into the night, his hands were clasped behind him and his legs were spread slightly apart. Every once in a while he would take in a deep breath, filling his lungs up with the Nuvarian air and then let it out slowly. He had been in this position for minutes now after the news had been passed to him, it was news he had been eagerly and patiently waiting for, it was the kind of news that told him his journey across the Tajon river from the quiet kingdom of Aerilon had not been in vain.He turned his head to his right and played a soft smile on his lips before he asked again for the one-hundredth time. “And you are sure of what you tell me? You saw  the girl yourself?”“Yes, I did.”The man who replied to his question was the same hooded man who had left the inn only moments ago and had come down the alleyway and through the secret passageway, known only as “messenger” to come to

 Just across the Tajon river, lay a land undisturbed, a kingdom undiscriminating and inhabited by diverse people and creatures. The whole kingdom was a large island, curved away from the other kingdoms by the Tajon river which spilled into the sea. The land was a home - and more - to tribes, to races, to creatures and to people, and all who came with peaceful intentions were always welcomed.The kingdom of Aerilon was unlike any of the other kingdoms, they never had a record of war, didn’t have a king or a general ruler, what they had were tribe chiefs, a leader to keep its own kind always in check and to ensure that rivalries were peacefully and easily settled so that they all would be able to co-exist.The humans inhabited the land, and so did a few kind witches, the half breeds, the mixed breeds and the Khiones. Then handful of them who survived the great massacre and had managed to move from their home land, across the river had found refuge in the welco

The weather in Nuxvar was hotter in the afternoons and only a little cooler in the evenings, but at night and into the early morning it got really cold. They had been in this village for three days and Lyra had no idea why they were here nor why they were on this journey but she didn’t feel in any way unsafe or threatened, and even Iris seemed to keep her distance with her.The water was cool and it made her body feel wonderful, relaxed and light.Ryder had gone wherever and so had Iris and Xanth, she was the only one who didn’t have a mission nor a destination, she just had to tag and follow along wherever Ryder led. Now that she was alone in this place, she had the time to herself and she intended in scouting the inn right after breakfast. Maybe take a stroll around, not too far away so she wouldn’t get lost.She stepped out of the bathroom with a robe around her body, with her hair dripping water on the floor, since she was alone in the room, she didn’t bother to be cautious and so