CHAPTER 7: RUN
1132 Words
Lyra's POV
"Run."
Orion didn't shout.
He didn't need to.
The single word carried the kind of urgency that made every muscle in my body tighten.
For a heartbeat, I remained frozen, staring into the darkness beyond the campfire. At first, all I saw were shadows weaving between the towering pines.
Then the shadows blinked.
Eyes.
Dozens of them.
Golden.
Cold.
Watching us.
The horse grazing near the campsite suddenly jerked its head up, nostrils flaring. It let out a frightened whinny before stamping its hooves against the wet earth.
It had sensed them long before I had.
A low growl rolled through the forest.
Another answered.
Then another.
The sound surrounded us like thunder echoing through the mountains.
My mouth went dry.
"Lyra."
Orion's voice was calm despite the danger creeping closer.
"Listen to me carefully."
My gaze snapped to him.
His silver eyes held mine with unwavering determination.
"They aren't rogues."
"I know."
"No." He shook his head. "You don't."
He stepped closer until only the dying fire separated us.
"Rogues hunt for survival."
He reached behind his back and slowly drew a long sword from the leather sheath strapped across his shoulders.
Its polished blade reflected the firelight in flashes of silver.
"But these men..."
His expression hardened.
"...hunt because they enjoy it."
A chill settled deep in my bones.
The wolves stepped into the light one after another.
There were twelve of them.
No...
Fourteen.
They wore black leather armor stitched with crimson thread, each bearing the symbol of a wolf's skull across the chest.
Their movements were disciplined.
Silent.
Nothing like the desperate rogues from earlier.
These were trained warriors.
One of them smiled.
It wasn't a pleasant smile.
It was the smile of someone who already believed the battle was over.
A tall man emerged from the center of the group.
His hair was streaked with gray despite the strength in his broad shoulders, and a long scar ran from the corner of his eye to the edge of his jaw.
He rested a massive axe across one shoulder as though it weighed nothing.
"So..."
His deep voice carried easily through the rain.
"The rumors were true."
His gaze settled on me.
"The last Guardian really is alive."
Every instinct screamed at me to step backward.
Instead, I stood rooted to the spot.
Orion shifted slightly, placing himself between us.
"You'll go no farther."
The man chuckled.
"I expected more from the great Captain Orion Moonfall."
My heart skipped.
They knew him.
The warrior's smile widened.
"You've gotten old."
"And you've gotten careless, Cassian."
Cassian.
The name seemed to amuse him.
"It has been many years since someone dared speak my name without trembling."
"I remember when you still had honor."
Something flickered across Cassian's face.
Gone before I could understand it.
Then his features hardened again.
"Honor doesn't feed the dead."
Silence settled between them.
Rain dripped steadily from the branches overhead, pattering softly against leaves and armor alike.
I could smell wet leather.
Steel.
Smoke from our fire.
And beneath it all...
Blood.
Old blood.
The scent clung to the Shadow Fang warriors like a second skin.
Cassian lowered his axe.
"Hand over the girl."
"No."
"I wasn't asking."
"Neither was I."
For the first time, Cassian sighed.
Almost... disappointed.
"I hoped this wouldn't become unpleasant."
Orion smiled faintly.
"It already has."
Everything happened at once.
Cassian lifted two fingers.
The warriors moved.
Three rushed toward Orion.
Four broke left.
The rest came straight for me.
"Run!" Orion roared.
This time, I obeyed.
My boots slipped against the rain-soaked earth as I sprinted into the trees.
Branches whipped across my face.
Twigs snapped beneath my feet.
My lungs burned almost immediately.
Behind me—
Steel clashed against steel.
The ringing echoed through the forest.
Someone shouted.
Another cried out in pain.
I didn't dare look back.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears.
Faster.
Faster.
Faster.
I ducked beneath a fallen tree trunk, scraping my palms against rough bark.
The forest around me blurred into streaks of green and silver.
I had no plan.
No destination.
Only one desperate goal.
Stay alive.
A howl erupted somewhere behind me.
They had shifted.
The realization struck like ice water.
Human warriors were terrifying enough.
Shifted wolves...
They were faster.
Stronger.
Relentless.
I pushed myself harder.
My breath came in ragged gasps.
The cold night air burned my throat with every inhale.
"She's this way!"
A voice shouted behind me.
Panic surged.
They were close.
Too close.
I glanced over my shoulder.
A massive gray wolf burst through a cluster of bushes barely twenty yards away.
Its yellow eyes locked onto mine instantly.
It lunged.
I screamed and threw myself sideways.
The wolf crashed into the tree where I'd been standing a heartbeat earlier, splintering bark with frightening ease.
I hit the ground hard.
Pain shot through my shoulder.
Before I could recover, another wolf landed in front of me.
Then another.
Three.
Five.
Seven.
They circled slowly.
Growling.
Their teeth gleamed white beneath the moonlight filtering through the canopy.
I backed away until my spine struck solid rock.
No escape.
The largest wolf stepped forward.
Its scarred muzzle twitched as it sniffed the air.
Then...
It shifted.
Bones cracked.
Muscles twisted.
Within seconds, Cassian stood before me once again, rain dripping from his dark hair.
He smiled.
"You've caused us quite a bit of trouble."
I searched desperately for anything that might help.
A branch.
A stone.
Anything.
Nothing.
Cassian noticed.
"You have courage."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Your mother had that too."
The words stole the air from my lungs.
"You knew my mother?"
"I killed the men who died trying to protect her."
My vision blurred with sudden tears.
Rage.
Pure, burning rage.
"You liar."
He laughed softly.
"I remember her very well."
He took another step.
"She begged us to save you."
The world narrowed.
Every sound disappeared except the pounding of my own heart.
Something hot stirred beneath my skin.
Not fear.
Not this time.
Anger.
The pendant against my chest began to glow.
Faintly.
Then brighter.
Cassian noticed immediately.
His smile vanished.
"No..."
The ground trembled beneath my feet.
Leaves swirled upward though there was no wind.
The wolves whined uneasily.
My heartbeat slowed.
Strangely...
Everything inside me became calm.
A soft silver light spread from my hands.
I stared at my palms in disbelief.
They were glowing.
The light wasn't painful.
It was warm.
Comforting.
Like sunlight after the longest winter.
Inside my mind...
I heard the ancient voice again.
Clearer than before.
"Do not fear what you are."
My lips parted.
"I..."
The voice continued.
"Remember."
A blinding flash exploded from the pendant.
And suddenly—
I wasn't standing in the forest anymore.
I was watching a palace burn.
- Writer
