The Last Pendragon

Chapter 2

Lyza woke to the sound of her dorm room door being torn from its hinges. White Serpents, special guards who were basically the police force among mage-society, stormed inside. From what little Lyza could count, there were six of them and more in the hallway outside the door.

“Lyza Pendragon, formally known as Lyza Moon, you are under arrest by order of the Mage Families.” The commander who had spoken pointed at her directly and immediately two White Serpents charged toward her to grab her arms.

Fear and panic thudded deep inside her as their arms grasped hers tight enough to cause pain. She groaned, tugging and jerking to try to escape. Her mind had worked too slow to think of any magic to attack and free herself. Why hadn’t she bothered to learn a teleportation spell? The commander stepped forward and pressed something against her neck. A sharp stabbing pain made her cry out as the needle injected her with some type of liquid. Its warmth spread through her veins, dulling her emotions and thus, turning off access to her magic. “N- no,” Lyza slurred, tired from the d**g. It fogged her mind, making her thoughts even slower.

The world around her was a blur as the guards dragged her to the Verity Chair. Before she knew it, she was chained to it by tight iron shackles that clamped around her wrists and ankles, rubbing her skin raw. Lyza winced and whimpered, tears streaming down her face. The Verity Chair had a spell cast on it years ago; it would force anyone sitting in it to tell the truth. Lyza herself and many other Mages had seen it at work when condemned criminals were brought for interrogation.

“Lyza Moon, are you or are you not related to the Pendragon family?” In front of her was a thick crowd with hundreds of Mages, familiar faces that she had once counted as friends. An older woman that always gave Lyza her coffee in the morning stood to the far left of the crowd. Just three people over from her, a middle-aged man who always sat in the Mage Tower Library.

In front of the crowd, gathering around her on the dais in a semi-circle, were members of the six Mage Families and the patriarch of each family patiently stood to represent six of the seven Mage Families. Only the Pendragons, the seventh and final Mage Family, were missing a representative. It was Norak’s father who stood before her, who interrogated her.

Norak himself stood behind his father, hands behind his back, glaring at her.

Lyza’s heart pounded as magic seeped from the chair into her skin. Her stomach twisted as it wormed its way into her thoughts, picking out images of the correct answer. She whimpered as pain surged through her mind, throbbing through her entire body. The pain forced the images from her mind and into her throat until they came out as words, words that she had no control over. “Y - Yes. I am Lyza Pendragon, Arthur Pendragon’s last known direct descendant.”

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd, until Norak’s father raised a hand to silence them. “How long have you known this, Lyza Pendragon?”

Lyza bit her lip and whimpered as the pain in her skull increased. She closed her eyes, not wanting to say it, not wanting to face what was going to happen, not wanting to see the crowd of her friends now glaring at her in hatred. “F—four years. I found out for an assignment in high school and have kept it secret ever since.”

Norak’s father glanced at the other men, leaders of their precious Families. “We have a Pendragon among us. With her death, there will be only a few Pendragons remaining and the curse will be that much closer to being broken!”

Cheers erupted in the crowd at his speech and then everyone began chanting in a chorus of s******c words. “Death! Death! Death!”

Lyza opened her eyes, meeting the gazes of people she had called her friends. Azame was there, raising her fist in the air, calling for her death. Beside her was Yorin and behind them was Dr. Nave.

Norak stepped forward as two White Serpent guards unchained Lyza and dragged her forward.

“Norak… You can’t,” Lyza whispered in a whimpering plea. “You can’t do this. You—you love me. We’ll be married in two months. Norak!”

“You lied to me, Lyza. You’re a Pendragon.” Norak glared at her as if she was his enemy, and as she met his once familiar blue eyes, it was as if they were strangers. She didn’t recognize this Norak or know him anymore; maybe she never really had.

The White Serpents forced her onto her knees, clanging the shackles still around her wrists and ankles. Lyza sobbed, crying hysterically. Pain twisted her stomach, forming a lump in her throat that she couldn’t swallow. It hurt to even look up, to even try to imagine Norak standing over her, readying the spell of Death. The crowds’ words, calling for her execution sent waves of agony pulsing through her aching body. None of it was physical pain. No, this was the bitter agony of betrayal, the throbbing ache of shock, and the sharp sting of fear.

Lyza opened her eyes, despite how heavy they felt, and met Norak’s gaze. The runic words he chanted brought terror deep inside her soul.

“Betrayer, criminal, death awaits you. I call upon the magic within to end your life.” Norak’s voice wasn’t his anymore; Lyza couldn’t comprehend it.

Just as his hands glowed black, the energy that would instantly kill her slowly snaked toward Lyza. Inch by inch, it neared her as her heart hammered in her chest and terror consumed her. She didn’t want to die, not here, not like this. Not betrayed, not with each and every friend she ever had wanting her death.

No.

Suddenly, Eira leapt up onto the dais and threw her hands toward Lyza. Energy swirled around her, forming a portal, making Lyza’s stomach swim. “What are you doing?” Lyza shouted frantically.

“After her!” Norak’s father urged the White Serpent guards, who all lunged toward Eira.

“I’ve known your secret, Lyza. You’re my best friend; I’ll always protect you!” Eira cried as her hands fumbled to keep up the spell surrounding Lyza. White Serpent guards grabbed Eira’s arms, but she still somehow held the spell up.

The portal circled around Lyza and slowly began to close, teleporting her to a completely different location. “Eira! No!”

Norak shot the black energy toward Eira, instantly killing her.

Lyza screamed.

Eira’s body collapsed to the ground just as the portal closed.