Encrypted soul

Chapter 4: Shadows in the rain

Rain hammered against the roof long after midnight.

Lyra remained awake.

The cloaked figure had vanished minutes ago.

Or maybe longer.

Time felt strange when danger lingered in the air.

She stayed beside the window, eyes scanning the darkness beyond the glass.

Nothing moved.

No suspicious shadows.

No hidden watcher.

Only rain.

Eventually exhaustion won.

Her eyes drifted shut.

---

A loud knock jolted her awake.

Morning light spilled through the narrow window.

Someone pounded on the door again.

"Open up."

Darius.

Lyra groaned.

"I wasn't aware I had a choice."

The lock clicked.

Darius entered.

Behind him stood a younger guard carrying a folded bundle.

The guard placed it on the table.

Fresh clothes.

Simple trousers.

A plain shirt.

Nothing fancy.

"What's this?"

Darius crossed his arms.

"Your old clothes are falling apart."

Lyra glanced down.

Unfortunately he wasn't wrong.

Several tears had appeared during her failed escape.

She hated when people were right.

"Am I supposed to thank you?"

"No."

"Good."

Darius looked relieved.

---

An hour later Lyra found herself walking through the territory under guard.

Again.

She hated being escorted everywhere.

People continued staring.

Not as openly as before.

But enough.

Word of her escape attempt had spread.

She could tell.

Whispers followed her wherever she went.

A group of young warriors stopped training as she passed.

One of them smirked.

"Think she'll run again?"

His friend laughed.

"Probably."

Lyra kept walking.

The third warrior spoke louder.

"Maybe we should start taking bets."

That did it.

She stopped.

Slowly.

The warriors immediately straightened.

One look at Lyra's face erased their amusement.

"Do you always talk this much?" she asked.

The first warrior shrugged.

"Only when we're bored."

"That explains it."

His smile vanished.

The nearby guards struggled not to laugh.

Lyra continued walking.

Behind her, one warrior muttered something rude.

Another immediately told him to shut up.

Interesting.

Not everyone hated her.

Just most people.

---

Near midday, Darius led her toward a large storage building.

The scent hit her first.

Grain.

Wood.

Fresh vegetables.

Workers carried crates in and out of the building.

"What are we doing here?"

Darius handed her a broom.

Lyra stared at it.

Then at him.

Then back at the broom.

"No."

"You live here."

"Barely."

"You eat here."

"Against my will."

Darius ignored her.

"You're helping."

Lyra folded her arms.

The captain waited.

She waited.

The guard beside them waited.

Several workers watched curiously.

Five minutes passed.

Darius never moved.

Eventually Lyra grabbed the broom.

She hated that he seemed unsurprised.

---

The work was exhausting.

Not because sweeping was difficult.

Because everyone kept watching her.

Every mistake earned attention.

Every dropped crate.

Every stumble.

Every sigh.

A middle-aged worker named Tomas showed her where supplies belonged.

Unlike most people, he didn't seem interested in insulting her.

"Those sacks go over there."

Lyra dragged one into place.

Then another.

And another.

The fourth nearly slipped from her grip.

Tomas caught it before it fell.

"Careful."

"I had it."

"You didn't."

"I almost had it."

Tomas laughed.

The sound startled her.

It wasn't cruel.

Just genuine.

She wasn't used to that.

Hours later she finally sat down on an empty crate.

Her muscles ached.

A shadow fell across her.

Lyra looked up.

Selene.

Of course.

The woman wore a beautiful dark green dress today.

Not a drop of dirt touched her clothing.

Life wasn't fair.

Selene's eyes moved over the storage room.

Then landed on Lyra.

"Working suits you."

The compliment somehow sounded insulting.

Lyra remained seated.

"Thank you."

Selene looked mildly disappointed.

Perhaps she had expected an argument.

"You seem comfortable here."

"I've spent the entire day lifting grain."

"Exactly."

The smile returned.

Sharp.

Careful.

Dangerous.

"You know your place."

There it was.

Lyra slowly stood.

The room seemed quieter suddenly.

Several nearby workers found reasons to be elsewhere.

Smart people.

"I wasn't aware I had one."

For a second, Selene's smile faltered.

Only a second.

Then it returned.

"Everyone has a place."

"Do they?"

"Yes."

Their gazes locked.

Neither looked away.

Finally Selene stepped closer.

"Some people belong inside these walls."

Her voice dropped.

"Others don't."

Lyra understood the message perfectly.

Before she could respond, Tomas appeared.

"Lady Selene."

The older man bowed respectfully.

Selene's expression softened instantly.

The transformation was impressive.

And fake.

"Good afternoon, Tomas."

The worker smiled politely.

"Storage records need your approval."

A lie.

A terrible one.

Everyone knew it.

But it gave Selene an excuse to leave without losing face.

After a moment, she turned away.

The tension disappeared with her.

Tomas released a breath.

"So."

Lyra raised an eyebrow.

"So?"

"Maybe don't provoke her."

Too late.

---

That evening Kael reviewed patrol reports in his office.

Most were routine.

One wasn't.

His eyes narrowed.

The northern patrol had discovered claw marks on several trees.

Large ones.

Unusual ones.

A knock interrupted him.

"Enter."

Darius stepped inside.

The captain looked serious.

Never a promising sign.

"What happened?"

"We found tracks."

Kael immediately stood.

"What kind?"

Darius placed a sketch on the desk.

The tracks were larger than a normal wolf's.

Far larger.

Kael studied them silently.

His wolf stirred beneath his skin.

Uneasy.

Alert.

Not fear.

Warning.

The feeling unsettled him.

"Where?"

"Near the border."

The same area where Lyra had been found.

Kael looked toward the window.

The forest stretched endlessly beyond the territory.

Dark.

Silent.

Watching.

Nothing about this felt like coincidence.

---

That night Lyra woke suddenly.

No noise.

No sound.

Just instinct.

Years of survival had trained it into her bones.

Something was wrong.

She sat up immediately.

Moonlight spilled through the window.

The room remained empty.

The door remained locked.

Yet the feeling persisted.

Danger.

Slowly she approached the window.

Outside, the courtyard lay silent.

Then she saw it.

A figure.

Standing near the far wall.

Watching her room.

Again.

The same height.

The same cloak.

The same stillness.

Lyra's pulse quickened.

This time the figure didn't leave.

Didn't move.

Didn't hide.

Just watched.

A cold sensation crawled up her spine.

Then—

The figure slowly raised one hand.

And pointed directly at her.

Before disappearing into the darkness.

As if it had never been there at all.