The Guardians

Chapter 52

Despite being fully in Aisling, Lyra spoke. Lex explained that when Dreamwalkers go to Aisling purposely, whatever their spirit says, so does their body. Aiden had tensed several more times, no doubt in response to whatever the Dreamwalker who had him trapped was doing, crying out the last time. Everyone was on edge, breathlessly praying that Lyra would succeed. Her breath suddenly hitched and she said a name that caused Saren, Daylen, and Kara to look at one another with worry and dread.

"Kyrie," Lyra's voice showed fear for the first time any of them had ever heard.

"Gaia's holy pizza kitty!" Kara breathed. "She's a Dreamwalker?!"

"Who's Kyrie?" Will asked, confused.

"One of Arlan's spellcasters," Saren answered, his voice full of dread. "Evil bitch. She enjoys torturing people."

Daylen took up the explanation. "If Arlan couldn't get what he wanted out of you, he sent Kyrie to do it."

Shara shuddered. She'd never been on the receiving end of Arlan's interrogations, but hearing what Saren and Daylen were saying and seeing the looks on their and Kara's faces made her thank Gaia that she wasn't.

"Lyra can't possibly face her!" Kara cried. "She's powerful. I haven't seen Lyra do anything close to her."

"Has it ever occurred to anyone that Lyra holds back?" Will asked, his words out before he could stop them.

"Why do you think she's holding back?" Saren asked.

Will cursed himself for allowing that to slip.

"You think she's more powerful than she lets on?"

"She broke through Lex's barrier in Aisling," the young Druid argued. "She kept Kara out during the Trial. She blocked my father from seeing her memories. And you saw that sword spell she used when we were ambushed. You doubt her power?" He kept to himself that he could sense how powerful she was.

~~~

Aiden found himself in the middle of a forest. The air smelled like rain and it looked like it had rained recently. Lyra was struggling to remain calm, having transported them away from Kyrie. He could feel her hand trembling on his arm.

"Lyra?"

He'd never seen her like this. She was a bit nervous before her first battle, but this was near panic. He could tell she was afraid of her own sister. Which also explained why he'd mistaken her for Lyra at first. Lyra's tactic for calming down didn't seem to be working.

"Lyra!" Aiden grabbed her shoulders and she looked up at him. Her entire body was trembling. She was more than afraid of Kyrie. She was terrified of her. "Focus now, panic later."

Lyra seemed to finally calm down a bit. "She knows how to find you now. She won't stop until she has what she wants."

Aiden realized what she was going to do. "Then let me help you."

"I can't. You don't know what she can do."

"You don't have to do it on your own."

"She's won't have you!" There was a fierceness in her voice when she said that. A fierceness he had never heard before.

"Oh, little sister! Come out, come out, where ever you are!"

Lyra looked at him in a way he'd never seen her look. And he knew she was about to do something he wasn't going to like.

"Lyra, don't."

"I'll follow you if I can."

"No, you won't."

"Trust me, Aiden. I will if I can. But this is personal. I can't let her hurt you anymore. Find and hurt the others. I have to stop her." Lyra placed a hand on his chest. "Unite Veloce." She said the spell to send him back to his body just as Kyrie found them sending a blast of energy at them.

The world blurred and his eyes shot open. "Lyra! No!" Aiden shot upright.

"Merciful Gaia!" he heard Neve exclaim. "She actually did it."

"What is she doing?" Saren asked. "Why didn't she follow you out of Aisling?"

Aiden only cursed. He looked down at Lyra's still form just as her body tensed. "She's taking on a spellcaster named Kyrie."

"Someone from her past?"

"Oh, for crying out loud, Neve!" Aiden turned to look at the assassin. "She's taking on her sister to protect us, you idiot!"

"That evil bitch is her sister?!" Daylen said.

"Did you not hear the fear in her voice?" Lex said. "She's facing someone she's afraid of. For us."

"She's more than afraid of her, Lex." Aiden placed his hand on Lyra's cheek, worried. "She's terrified of her."

"Everyone, shut up!" Shara finally cried. "I've heard enough arguing about her loyalty to the Guardians. So she has a few secrets that she didn't want to reveal and listening to you carry on about the ones you have found out makes me realize that she may have been right in not telling you a damn thing."

Lyra's back arched, pain coming across her face and she gasped.

"She's fighting to keep what just happened to Aiden from happening to the rest of you!" Shara continued her rant. "By Morrigan, give her some bloody credit!"

Neve looked ashamed. Aiden, having been the only one besides Saren and Will to still trust her with their lives, nodded in thanks.

"I don't know her very well and I don't trust easy, but I feel I can trust her." Shara looked at the others. "I'd pray that she's as strong as Will thinks she is."