The Guardians

Chapter 3

Lyra was sitting on the hard cot, her back against the cold stone that was the wall of her cell and hugging her knees. She was afraid of what would happen. What would the others do to her? Would the First Knight insist on her telling him that Alora had cast the spell on her? Would they kill her? She wiped a tear away. She jumped when she heard the cell door being unlocked and her heart jumped to her throat. Her heart settled back down when she saw that it was only Talish bringing her food.

"Talish!" she cried, hoarsely. Her throat was dry and she hadn't spoken to anyone since her arrival. She slowly unfolded herself. She stood and ran to him, glad to see him.

"Food first. Then you can hug me," he said with a smile. "You really need to eat, even when I'm not here to make you." He set the tray on the tiny table and Lyra complied. After he saw that her plate was indeed clean, he then allowed her to hug him. They'd become friends during the journey and he was the only Paladin she trusted. "Are you alright, Lyra? Corrin told me you hadn't eaten or spoken to anyone since Mathros spoke to you."

"He wanted me to tell him something that I can't tell him."

"He asked you who bound you?"

She nodded.

"And you're afraid that if he sends anyone after her, she'll find out where you are?"

"I don't want anyone else to die because of me."

"If it'll help..."

She was surprised he hadn't commented on her slipped statement. "It won't help anyone. Just trust me on that."

"How powerful are you?"

"Right now, I'm powerless. With my staff, I... I really don't know."

Talish bit his lip in thought.

"Why?" she asked.

"Do you know the binding spell she put on you?"

"Where are you going with this?" It was unique to Alora, one that she'd perfected over the years and could be removed only by someone that knew the spell... Lyra suddenly understood what he was saying. "Wait. Are you suggesting I remove the spell myself? What if I'm not powerful enough?" If she wasn't powerful enough, the attempt would kill her.

"I'm going to talk to Mathros. But I may have an idea. Don't get your hopes up."

"I don't even know what that is."

Talish gave her a lopsided smile before leaving. Lyra hugged herself and rubbed her arms, immediately feeling alone, lost, and afraid again.

Talish waited for his turn to see the First Knight. He kept running his request in his mind. If he worded it right, then perhaps it would be granted. If not, he'd be on latrine duty for Gaia knew how long for even suggesting it.

"Knight Gemini, the First Knight will see you now."

Talish took a deep breath and entered the office. There was no turning back now. Mathros looked up from some paperwork, his spectacles on the end of his nose.

"Ah, Talish." He removed the spectacles and placed them on the desk before rising. "I was about to send for you. Your promotion has been approved, Sergeant Gemini. Congratulations."

Talish blinked. Sergeant? He'd actually won the promotion? "Thank... thank you, sir."

"Surprised, I see."

"It was unexpected."

"So what brings you to see me?"

"Lyra, sir. I have an idea and a request."

"Let's hear it." No turning back now.

"When we tried to remove her collar, I had the feeling were weren't using the right spell. Since Lyra was the only one present when the spell was cast, I figured she'd know the spell. Hopefully."

"You're wanting to see if she's powerful enough to remove it herself."

"Yes, sir."

Mathros turned away from Talish. "Sergeant, what I am about to tell you is not to leave this room."

"Yes, sir."

He turned back to Talish. "I know who Lyra's mistress is just by her reaction when I asked her who she was. If Lyra can remove the collar herself, she will be one of the most powerful sorceresses in all of Veloce."

Talish could feel the color drain from his face. He knew who Mathros spoke of.

"I won't send anyone to kill her mistress. Nor will I kill Lyra. And since none of us can hold a candle to Lyra's mistress and she won't free her, the only option is for Lyra herself do it."

"Which brings me to my request."

Mathros nodded.

"She relies on the staff for her magic. If we can teach her to not rely on it..."

"You wish to teach her to be an arcane warrior?"

"Yes, sir. I do." Talish all but held his breath and Mathros considered his request. The First Knight's silence dragged on and Talish was certain that he was about to lose his new ranking.

"Then you and I shall teach her," Mathros finally said.

Talish blinked, taken aback that his request had actually been approved. "Sir?"

"She trusts you. I trust your judgment. But I do not trust anyone save the two of us to do this. This is a gamble we are taking. The fewer people involved, the better. Understood?"

"Understood, sir."

Lyra looked around the small room. She couldn't understand why she'd been moved from the dank, dark cell to the comfortable, warm room reserved for the family of the First Knight. She had never seen anything so fine in her life. Even the clean clothes laid across the bed were of fine make. She was afraid to even touch anything.

"Settling in?"

She turned and saw Talish, who was smiling. "How? Why?"

"I'm going to tell you a secret about Paladins, Lyra. You've heard about how we don't fear magic, yes?"

"Yes."

"And I told you that we don't hunt down and kill spellcasters?"

"Unless they give you a reason to, yes."

"That's because we are spellcasters." Talish demonstrated by moving a vase from one side of a table to the other and Lyra gaped. "Many of us channel our power into our strength. There's maybe a small handful that still actually use their magic."

"But you don't use staves!"

"Exactly. We are arcane warriors. We channel magic through ourselves. Magic comes from within us, not from a stick."

"I want to learn to be an arcane warrior. Can you teach me?"

Talish laughed, seeing her excitement. "Why do you think you're here and not still in that cell? Mathros agreed to allow me to teach you. And when my duties take me away from the Keep, Mathros himself will teach you."

"You talked him into it?"

"It was my idea."

Lyra turned to see the First Knight himself standing in the doorway.

"The training was his idea but the trainers were mine. You still will not have the freedom to roam and, as I have no family of my own, you will be confined to this room, but I or Sergeant Gemini will train you. And since you two seem to be good friends, he will do most of the training."

Tears filled Lyra's eyes, realizing that the two were going to help her see if her power could match Alora's. There was a small glimmer of hope in her heart, something she'd never had. It felt a bit odd.

"Thank you. So much." She threw her arms around Mathros.

To Talish's surprise, he returned her hug, his expression changing slightly and he could see sorrow in his eyes. He couldn't help but wonder why.