Lyra

Father and mother were the least of my worries. My body ached with green fire flashing behind my eyes. Every moment I pushed it down, the more it seemed to burn inside of my veins. What had that shapeshifting spell done to me? I should have never tried to shift, mother warned me what happens when halflings attempt to do what full-blooded elves can do. Magik was forbidden for half-breed elves, each one cursed to use their own life force as seed of magik, instead of the planetary energies like the elves. I hated my half breed nature. Hated myself for not being good enough to emerge from my parents' shadows, instead I was doomed to learn from my mistake. I should have listened. Like a child I chose to believe I was different. Pathetic.

Soon my parents will be made aware of my foolish delusions of control, I would have to admit to practicing magik and changing my form, inviting in the curse I thought would never touch me. I winced as another shot of fire went through my veins, then finally pushed the doors open to their house, Kaelen on my heels.

“Lyra, good morning. You look—well like you slept in a hog pen. Are you doing ok dear?” My mother asked as I sat down, her hands shoving tea in front of me and pointing Kaelen to the corner, where the servants were waiting.

“You look beautiful as well mother, I actually need to talk to you,” I looked at father, “Both of you.”

Father cleared his throat, “Go on then. We’re listening.”

Taking a deep breath in and then letting out a deep sigh, I told them the story of the chimera. Their faces go from cheerful to grave within a few words. My mother started to stifle a few tears, and my father looked at me as if I had stabbed his heart. I could feel their emotions fill the room, choking out any other feelings of peace.

“How could you, Lyra. You are so foolish!” My mother hissed, turning her face away from me, tears rolling down her cheeks. Kaelen tried to speak up to defend me, “It showed up out of nowhere! We never thought you two would find out about the magik…”

“Your punishment is yet to come young man.” Father cut him off, coldly, “But you have no idea what our daughter has done to her own soul by shifting. She saved herself from that chimera, but has doomed herself to burning from the inside out.”

”What?” Kaelen protested trying to move from his spot, only to be pointed back by my mother. He dipped his head and spoke once more, “I apologize for speaking out of turn, but what exactly are you talking about?”

Mother broke into sobs, and father looked grim. I winced as the despair filled my mind, “Because I am half elf, I do not have the blood connection to the planet to do actual magik without condemning my soul to burn.”

”And you knew this while I let you go practice with me there? Why did you do this to yourself? Do you have a deathwish? ”

I didn’t want to admit it to him, but yes. I would rather be dead than not practice magik. He was hurt. I was selfish.

“I wanted to be special. I wanted to know what it felt like to be magik. I thought it wouldn’t apply to the daughter of the Wild Mage.” I looked him in his eyes, “I was wrong.”

I turned to face my parents again, “But this is much bigger than my soul. We have to go with Elysia and Elara and get word to Sky Haven, or give up any hope of a normal future, even one without me in it. I made my own choice to practice this magik, but the isle did not choose to have its children vanish. I have to go, I will go! Damn my soul, and if it burns, at least it won’t be for nothing!” Did I really mean these words? Or did I want to just run into the woods and die away from the disappointment in my parents eyes.

Silence filled the room. You could cut the tension with a sword, and each moment seemed more quiet than the next.

Finally, my father answered me.

“Lyra, we have tried to protect you, we have tried to keep the world outside away from us. We have tried so hard. We have failed.” His shoulders dropped, “I hate to let my little girl go off to possibly die, but what choice do we have.”

Mother reached out and grabbed my hands, her eyes filled with tears,

“Were my warnings not enough? The childhood stories and warnings. You knew what this would do. Was my own renouncing my magik ever made clear to you? Lyra you careless…” she trailed off her sobs over taking her once again. I winced as another shot of flame burst through my veins, slightly gasping as I held mothers hand. She cried out,

“Lyra!”

And pulled me into her chest.

“I am okay mom. I will be just fine.” I pushed myself out of her grasp and held her shoulders firmly, “We have to go now if we want to leave with Elysia.”

******

Mother made me wear hand carved glyphs on my neck to slow the fires inside of me, one of each on bones of beasts she defeated long ago. I grasped them mindlessly as Zephyra followed along behind my cousin and her bodyguard. They had left the compound yesterday morning after a weary goodbyes and supplies were given. Now, they trotted along, the forest too thick to fly above without altering the sovereign. Though very dark, the birds still sang, still enthralled in late spring.

Elysia and Elara rode upon another griffin, Lyra had never seen one like this before. Its head was that of a parrot, blue and yellow with wild eyes lined by zebra stripes. Its wings were a rainbow of colors, but mostly blues, greens, and yellows, the span smaller than Zephyra’s, but larger than the manticore that Kaelen rode. Its hind legs were that of a jaguar, spotted wildly and easily blending into the undergrowth they passed over. I had heard of tropical griffins, but figured she was too far north for them to ever be seen. I had to know one thing.

“Elara, your griffin.” I asked.

“Aurelia.” She yelled cooly back at me. I held my tongue for a second then started again.

“Elara, your griffin, Aurelia, what type is she exactly? I have never seen one like her before.”

“She is from the islands of The Azure Waters. I was given her as a hatchling when I was young. My people don’t let outsiders take our griffins, so that is why you haven’t seen one like her before, and probably will never see one again.” She flipped her long chestnut hair over her shoulder, “Unless you make it to the Azure Waters, but that takes going down the sides of the floating isles and going to the lower lands above the shattered earth below.”

I stopped talking. That was very far away. She had traveled that far? Just to be a bodyguard? Elara must have more to her, but Lyra had lost interest in prodding and slowed her griffin down to match the pace of Kaelen and Ember.

“She’s weird right, it's not just me?” I asked him quietly.

“Yeah, she’s weird. But not like you are weird.” I shoved my elbow into his ribs. Fucker.

******

We set up camp in the dark. The two weeks of the new moon were upon us and we would have to settle for only traveling during the day. Elysia blessed our spaces, and Kaelen made a stew for all four of us, the mounts allowed to go hunt for their meals as we sat. Elara emerged from her tent and then the chorus of crickets and frogs was silenced when Kaelen exclaimed,

”WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR LEGS?”

Pointing terrified at Elara’s lower half, now uncovered, exposing two white spotted goat legs. Elara snorted and swiftly covered her legs, “I am a satyr, thank you. I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t point at my body, creep.” Swiftly she pulled a warp off her bed roll, and pulled it around her waist.

Kaelen dropped his hand and covered his mouth, muffling an apology. We had both been raised very protected from the outside world. It didn’t surprise me that he acted this way seeing a different race than elves or humans for the first time. It was mostly my parents fault for only letting him learn about cooking and gardening.

I spied a look at her backside, a small tail wagging beneath the skirts she had wrapped over herself. Cute. I thought as I brought my gaze back to the fire.

******

Night terrors kept me from sleeping. Green fires burnt down the forests around me, but as I looked to escape all I could see was the fire, slowly realizing I was the flames eating up the lands that I loved.

Shooting up, I wake in a cold sweat next to Zephyra, her large golden wing resting across me. The fire is dead as I look out at the distant cosmos above me, I wince at the fire in my veins and focus on the only dark spot in the sky, the two halves of the split moon above. How small it made me feel, as I watched the sky slip by as the first sun started to rise, soon to be followed by the second.

I should make coffee.

I gathered the material needed and started up the campfire once again. Grinding up the beans with a rock I scrape them into a pot and wait for the water to boil. The smell seems to wake up Kaelen, who wanders over slowly to sit by me. The coffee comes to a boil, we let it do so for a short while before Kaelen pulls out a filter to help clear the grounds. The warm pleasant aroma fills the camp and the others join us as we both fill our mugs and add cream and some lilac sugar cubes.

At least I have coffee before I combust.

I think as I take my second cup. The caffeine already makes me feel more aware though my lack of rest.

“Where exactly are we going, Elysia?” I ask looking at my cousin, her auburn hair pulled up into an intricate braided bun atop her head. I wait as she blows on her coffee, takes a sip then replies.

“We have to make it to Everglade, but it seems our map isn’t as accurate as the scholars back at the Celestial Cathedral told me.”

“Oh, so we’re lost.” I said coldly.

“No, we know we are headed east towards the edge of the isle. All we have to do is make it to Everglade.” She retorted then sipped her coffee once again.

******

Soon, after our drinks were done, cups cleaned, and camp all packed we were off to the east. The dual sunlight beat down upon us as we worked our way deeper into the thickening forest. This growth must have been older than the isle, each tree’s roots seemed to grow into the others. Twisting and pulling each other into a knot of Wood and dirt. I doubt many have traveled this deep, not any from the compound at least.

How brave we are.

I looked over at Kaelen stuffing a few bread rolls in his pockets.

Not brave, foolish, more like.

I looked back at the ancient canopy, controlling the access to the suns above. What a glorious testament to the planet. Even though it had been broken apart, trees like these somehow still thrived. We all traveled through, silent, listening to the sound of strange birds, and beasts mingled with the thoughts in our heads.

******

”Let me look at the map Elysia” I demanded, leaning over to Aurelia’s double saddle to grab at the parchment. She leaned away from me and slapped a hot hand onto me.

“Bzzzshh.” She hissed as I pulled away, “No. Trust Elara and I. We know where we are going.”

“No you don’t, admit it. We are lost. You said it would take a day and we are nearing the end of the third, our food is running low. Let me see the map!”

Our fight is cut short as a deafening scream silences the noises around us. I whip my head to look behind me at the now pale white Kaelen, practically shitting Ember’s saddle. I raised my finger to my lips, and we all listened. Elysia clung to Elara as the mounts seemed to prickle with anticipation of what was in the now darkening forest around them.

“What the fuck was that?” Whispered Kaelen.

“Shhhht” I hissed. We fell quiet once again and the scream did not return.

“Well, whatever it was, it seems to have moved on,” Elara dismounted from Aurelia, swiftly pulling the camp supplies off, “It’s best we build a fire while we still can gather wood to burn. Build it big to keep whatever that was far away, most beasts will avoid making contact.” She was right. I followed her lead and started to gather wood around us and pile it near.

******

“You lay stones below the earth so you don’t catch the roots on fire,” Elara explained, covering them in dirt and laying stones around the perimeter.

“Here, wood.” I dropped an armful of kindling and tinder at their feet, “That should at least get it started.” Elara thanked me and got to work putting a spark to the twigs and brush.

Soon enough a large fire was born, providing a dome of light to protect from the darkness around them. It flickered and danced as they fed it log after log, none of them seeming up for chatter. Kaelen prepared some bacon and gave us all a roll from his pockets, we ate linty sandwiches in silence as we listened.

Snap.

I saw Zephyra’s ear tufts perk, and turned to face the forest.

“Did you hear that?” I asked when all of the sudden the largest wood elf I had even seen came sauntering into our camp, as myself and the rest of the party starting to scream loudly. He raised his hands and spoke over our cries for help.

“Hey hey hey! Don’t worry guys, I’m here for peace!” I was braced with my hoopsword, and I saw that Elara was also at attention, staffblade braced and ready, with Elysia behind her, hands locked in prayer to the sun celestials.

“Alright old man, who are you?” Elara demanded, her weapon pointed at the elf’s chest, his hands now above his head.

“I am a friend, I promise. Put the weapon’s down.” He pushed the blade down from his chest and pointed at the fire. “I saw the light and wandered towards it. I mean no harm, I hope you all are in the same boat, or I will have to get you out of my forest.”

“Your forest?” Kaelen spoke up from behind me, instantly shrinking when the stranger met his gaze.

“Yes, my forest. You are trespassing, I would appreciate it if you would leave. This old growth is the heart of the island's forest, and any kind of outsider interaction will screw up the web of life here.”

He spoke so calmly for someone who had found four adults, and three beasts on his land. I, however, found my voice breaking as I spoke,

“Well—sir. We would be long gone, but someone,” quickly I shot a glance at my still praying cousin, “got us lost for two days longer than we expected. If you could just point us in the right direction we will be out of your land in no time.”

The stranger moved slightly closer to the fire, his true large stature made more clear by the light. Roughly fifteen or sixteen hands high, the elf looked as old as some of the trees woven into the canopy. His skin was rough, dark, and adorned with tattoos of glyphs, none I could recognize, and vines, interwoven together across all of his exposed skin up to his neck.

“You are welcome to sleep here for the night,” he swung around away from the fire, “but be aware that the centipedes come out in buckets right before first dawn.”

Kaelen whimpered behind me. I also had a shiver run down my back as I imagined waking up to hundreds of centipedes crawling on my face.

He turned around to face the party one last time.

“Or—come stay at my camp. I have more than enough room for lost travelers for at least the night.” Facing away from our fire again he started to walk off into the darkness.

“Hey wait!” Elara yelled, “Yes, we will go with you.”

“What?” Protested the rest of us. Elara put up a finger to put a stop to it.

“We are better off at least trying to find higher ground to sleep on, and he seems harmless. I am taking myself and Priestess Elysia with him. You two can do as you please, but I would prefer if you came along instead of making me forcefully take you.”

I gulped. I was strong, but not ready to take on a trained warrior from the Azure Waters. I bent down and started gathering my things.

Kaelen looked at me, “Lyra, you can’t be serious.”

“It’s the only choice we have. We go.”