Rise Of A Fallen Kingdom

CHAPTER 2 — BEFORE DAWN

LYRA

Something was wrong with Anani, and I knew it because I had spent almost my entire life with that woman. If there was one thing I could recognize, it was when she was keeping something from me, although keeping secrets seemed to be one of her greatest talents.

She had barely spoken to me since yesterday, and whenever I entered a room, she suddenly found something important to do elsewhere. At first, I thought she was angry because I had gone riding without telling her, but even Anani couldn’t stay angry over something so small for this long.

Well, perhaps she could, considering she had once refused to speak to me for two days because I accidentally broke her favourite vase. In my defence, the vase had been sitting dangerously close to the edge of the table, and I was simply the unfortunate person who discovered that.

“Are you going to keep staring at me, or will you eat your breakfast?”

I blinked and looked up to find Anani standing beside the table with her hands on her hips.

“I wasn’t staring.”

“You’ve been watching me for the past ten minutes.”

“Perhaps there’s something interesting about your face.”

“Lyra.”

I sighed and picked up my spoon, recognizing that familiar tone. I had come to believe Anani could say my name in at least twenty different ways, and somehow, every single one meant I was in trouble.

“You’re acting strange,” I said.

“I’m acting perfectly normal.”

“That’s exactly what someone acting strange would say.”

She ignored me and walked toward the kitchen, leaving me watching her with growing suspicion.

Yesterday, when I told her about the man I met on the eastern road, she had looked as though she’d seen a ghost, and now she was avoiding me. I didn’t believe in coincidences, especially when Anani was involved.

“Anani!” I called.

“What?”

“Are you hiding something?”

A moment passed before she answered.

“Finish your breakfast.”

I smiled to myself because that was definitely a yes.

By midday, I had grown tired of sitting around the house. Anani had disappeared into her room after breakfast, and when I went looking for her, I found the door locked, which only made me more suspicious.

Since she clearly had no intention of speaking to me, I decided to visit the marketplace.

Anoila was beautiful at this time of year, with green hills stretching into the distance, flowers blooming along the roads, and the sweet smell of fresh bread drifting from the village bakeries.

It was nothing like Ichra, or at least that was what I told myself.

Sometimes, when sunlight touched the rooftops in a certain way, I remembered the palace gardens and the fountains where I used to play as a child. Other times, the sound of a bell was enough to make my heart race, reminding me of the night my father died.

I hated bells, and I had hated them ever since that terrible night.

“Lyra!”

I turned toward the familiar voice and saw a young woman standing outside a fabric shop, waving excitedly.

“Mira!”

She smiled as I approached, looking as cheerful as ever.

Mira was one of the few people in Anoila who could make me laugh even when I didn’t feel like smiling. We had met shortly after Anani and I arrived in the village, and although she could be terribly nosy, I had grown rather fond of her.

“Where have you been hiding?” she asked.

“At home.”

“Doing what?”

“Trying not to lose my mind.”

She laughed. “That sounds like you.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re supposed to be my friend.”

“I am your friend, which is why I tell you the truth.”

We walked through the marketplace together, passing stalls filled with colourful fabrics, fresh fruit, spices, and handmade jewellery. For a while, I almost forgot about Anani and the strange man from yesterday.

Almost.

“Have you heard?” Mira asked suddenly.

“Heard what?”

“About the strangers.”

I stopped walking and turned toward her. “What strangers?”

She lowered her voice as though she was about to reveal the greatest secret in Anoila.

“Some men arrived near the northern border yesterday. They claimed to be merchants, but the guards wouldn’t let them pass.”

“Why not?”

“Apparently, they didn’t have permission to enter Anoila.”

That wasn’t unusual because Anoila had always been careful about outsiders. Unlike other kingdoms, its rulers had little interest in welcoming strangers, and even merchants needed permission before crossing its borders.

“So they were turned away?” I asked.

“That’s what everyone thought.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Mira glanced around before leaning closer.

“Someone saw them near the old watchtower this morning.”

A strange feeling settled in my stomach.

“Perhaps they were lost.”

“Perhaps,” she replied, although she didn’t sound convinced.

I tried to dismiss the conversation, but my thoughts returned to the man I had met on the eastern road. He had been a stranger too, and there was something about him that still bothered me.

It wasn’t his rude behaviour or even his strange warning, but the fact that I couldn’t see his future.

“Lyra?”

I blinked and looked at Mira.

“What?”

“You’re doing it again.”

“Doing what?”

“Thinking too much.”

I smiled. “Someone has to.”

She gave me a playful shove, and I laughed, feeling normal for the first time that day.

Then I saw it.

A sudden flash of red crossed my vision, making my smile disappear as the marketplace faded before my eyes.

I was standing on a dark road where several men sat on horseback, their faces hidden beneath black hoods. One of them carried a banner that moved slowly in the wind, revealing black cloth marked with a crimson symbol.

My breath caught because I knew that symbol.

I had seen it before, on the night Ichra burned.

A sharp pain shot through my head, and just as suddenly as it had appeared, the vision vanished.

“Lyra!”

I stumbled, but Mira caught my arm before I could fall.

“What’s wrong?”

I looked around in confusion, finding myself back in the marketplace where people continued laughing, bargaining, and going about their day as though nothing had happened.

I pressed a hand against my forehead.

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“I just felt dizzy.”

“Should I get someone?”

“No!”

My answer came out louder than I intended, making Mira stare at me in surprise.

I forced a smile. “Sorry, I think I need to go home.”

“Are you sure?”

I nodded, but as I hurried away, one thought kept repeating in my mind.

Dachura.

After all these years, why was I seeing their banners again?

When I returned home, the house was unusually quiet.

“Anani?” I called, but there was no answer.

I checked the kitchen and sitting room, finding both empty. I was about to head upstairs when I noticed a large travelling bag beside the back door.

I frowned because Anani rarely travelled, and whenever she did, she always told me beforehand.

Curiosity got the better of me, so I moved closer and opened the bag, finding folded clothes, dried food, a small pouch of coins, and several things carefully wrapped in cloth.

My heart began to beat faster.

“Looking for something?”

I jumped and turned around to find Anani standing behind me.

“Good heavens! Must you sneak up on people like that?”

Her eyes moved to the open bag.

“Why are you touching my things?”

“Why are you packing?”

She didn’t answer, so I folded my arms and waited.

“Anani.”

“Close the bag, Lyra.”

“Are we going somewhere?”

“Not now.”

“Then when?”

She looked tired, and for the first time, I noticed the dark circles beneath her eyes, making me wonder whether she had slept at all the previous night.

“There’s nothing for you to worry about,” she said.

I almost laughed.

“Do you know what’s funny? Every time you tell me not to worry, something terrible usually happens.”

“Lyra, please.”

“No, Anani. You’ve been acting strangely since yesterday, you won’t tell me anything, and now you’re packing our belongings.”

I stepped closer, studying her expression.

“Does this have something to do with the man I met?”

Her face changed slightly, but I noticed.

“Did you see him again?”

“No.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes!”

She let out a breath, and I stared at her in disbelief.

“Who is he?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re lying.”

Her eyes snapped toward mine.

“Watch your tongue.”

“Then stop treating me like a child!”

The words escaped before I could stop them, leaving an uncomfortable silence between us.

I looked away, regretting my tone but not my frustration. I was tired of secrets, tired of being afraid, and most of all, tired of feeling as though everyone knew something about my life except me.

“I’m not eleven anymore,” I said quietly.

Anani’s expression softened.

“I know.”

“Then why won’t you tell me what’s happening?”

She looked at me for a long moment before reaching for the travelling bag.

“Because some truths are dangerous, Lyra, and some secrets can get people killed.”

A cold feeling spread through my chest, but before I could ask what she meant, Anani picked up the bag and carried it upstairs.

I stood there, staring after her, certain that something was happening and that whatever it was, Anani was frightened.

That scared me more than anything.

I couldn’t sleep that night because every time I closed my eyes, I saw the black banner from my vision, its crimson symbol seeming to burn against the darkness.

Dachura.

I hadn’t spoken that name aloud in years, and there was a time when I couldn’t even hear it without remembering my father’s face, the blood on his clothes, and the terrible moment he fell before me.

I had spent years trying to bury those memories, but some things refused to stay buried.

I turned onto my side and pulled the blanket closer, wondering whether the vision meant nothing or whether I was simply thinking too much about the past.

But I knew better because my visions were rarely meaningless.

A sound outside my window made me sit up, and I listened carefully until I heard it again.

Footsteps.

I slipped out of bed and moved toward the window, carefully pulling the curtain aside.

The courtyard was empty, with moonlight covering the garden while the trees swayed gently in the night breeze.

I was about to return to bed when I noticed movement near the gate.

A shadow.

Someone was standing there.

My heart jumped as I leaned closer, trying to see through the darkness, but before I could make out the figure, it disappeared.

I stepped back, wondering whether I had imagined it.

After standing there for several moments, I finally returned to bed, although sleep did not come easily.

And when it finally did, it brought another dream of fire.

“Lyra.”

Someone was shaking my shoulder.

I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head.

“Go away.”

“Lyra, wake up.”

“Five more minutes.”

“Now.”

Something in Anani’s voice made my eyes open, and I found her standing beside my bed, fully dressed with a dark cloak wrapped around her shoulders and a travelling bag hanging from one arm.

I sat up slowly.

“Anani?”

“Get dressed.”

I glanced toward the window and noticed it was still dark outside.

“What time is it?”

“That doesn’t matter.”

I frowned. “Has something happened?”

She moved toward my wardrobe and pulled out a travelling dress.

“Put this on.”

I stared at her, feeling my uneasiness grow.

“Anani, you’re frightening me.”

She stopped moving and looked at me with an expression I couldn’t understand before crossing the room to take my hands.

“Listen carefully, Lyra. I need you to do exactly as I say.”

My stomach tightened.

“Why?”

She looked toward the window, and when she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper.

“Because they’ve found us.”

I felt the blood drain from my face.

“Who?”

Anani didn’t answer immediately, choosing instead to squeeze my hands.

“Get dressed, Lyra.”

“Anani, who has found us?”

Her eyes finally met mine.

“We must leave Anoila before dawn.”