All Chapters of The Howl of Blood and Fire : Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Lyra’s POVDaddy said he wouldn’t be long.He always said that. He would bend a little so his face was closer to mine and tap the tip of my nose with his finger. “Stay put, little princess. Guard the house for me.” And I would salute him because it made him laugh. Mommy would shake her head like we were both silly, then kiss my hair and tell me not to finish all the biscuits before dinner.That day felt like any other day.The trees around our house were very tall and very quiet. They always felt like they were listening. Our house sat in the middle of them like it was hiding. Daddy liked it that way. He said it kept us safe. I didn’t know from what. I never asked. I just liked that it was ours.They left in the afternoon. I watched their car disappear down the narrow road that curled into the woods like a brown ribbon. I waited until I couldn’t hear the engine anymore.Then the house became too quiet.The first day, I wasn’t scared.I ate the leftover cake in the fridge and sat on th

Lyra’s POVWhen 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 s

Lyra POVI woke up feeling at peace.That felt strange.I’m not supposed to feel peaceful here.But my body felt light, like I had slept really well. I lay there for a moment staring at the stone ceiling above me, trying to understand why my chest didn’t feel so tight today.Maybe it was because of the kind woman.The one who let me sleep on her lap.Just thinking about her made my chest feel warm again.Then my stomach twisted.Not from hunger.From something else.Oh no.I sat up quickly.“I need to pee,” I whispered to myself.I hadn’t gone since yesterday when that scary man was still here watching me.The thought of him made my shoulders tense immediately.I quickly ran to the door and started banging on it with both hands.“Hello?!” I called out. “Please! I need the restroom!”At first there was nothing.Then I heard footsteps.Heavy ones.The door clicked and slowly opened.I froze.But it wasn’t the scary man.It was a woman.A knight.She was huge. Almost as tall as the men I