The Guardians

Chapter 61

Aiden heard the wing beats. "She's here!" he cried.

Lyra nodded and they took off in a run. The screams began and they could smell the wood burning. Lyra sprinted faster, Aiden not far behind her. They topped the small hill and saw Deandra circling the village. As they ran, they saw her spit a fireball. Screams of panic and pain followed.

"We have to find a way to stop her!" Talish cried.

"We can't kill her!" Shara answered. "Look at her neck!"

Aiden saw a glowing blue band around the base of her neck.

Talish let loose a curse. "She's bound!"

Aiden saw the look he and Lyra shared. They'd seen this before.

"We need to lead her away from the village," Lyra cried. "There's no doubt that she was sent."

She darted forward and screamed, bringing Deandra's attention to her. Shara ran past her and gave her own scream, waving her sword and a dagger in the air. Deandra started going towards them. The two women darted away but the Matriarch was quicker. She landed in front of them. She swung her head at Shara and her tail at Lyra. They both jumped forward in unison, Deandra barely missing them. The rest of the group started to surround her and shout.

"Keep your distance!" Lyra cried.

From a distance, Will was distracting her with his vine and earth-moving spells, which forced the others to keep their distance from the dragon. Kara held an illusion of their doubles but it didn't take long for the dragon to see through the ruse. Lex's entropy spells had no effect. Grace joined Will in distracting her with her own elemental spells. Suddenly, Deandra took flight. She landed hard behind Lyra. The Guardian spun around just as Deandra swung her tail.

"Lyra!" Aiden cried. "Look out!"

Lyra wasn't able to duck in time and the full force of Deandra's tail hit her in the side. She flew a few feet through the air before landing hard and rolling. Fear coursed through Aiden.

"Lyra!"

"Stay where you are, Aiden!" Shara called. Lyra wasn't moving. "Pay attention to the Matriarch!" She darted towards Lyra.

Aiden forced himself to focus on the dragon. Will darted away from the dragon, shouting. The earth buckled under the dragon. She roared and took flight. A vine exploded out of the earth and wrapped around her back leg. Aiden looked over at Will. His arm was out and his fist balled as if he were holding onto the vine. He was gritting his teeth and Aiden knew that Will was using all his strength in the spell.

"Daylen! Neve! Grace! Cover Will!" he cried.

The Matriarch's attention was now on Aiden. He knew that he needed to keep her attention. He shouted and waved his sword in the air. The Matriarch inhaled and Aiden knew he was about to die. He saw the fireball race towards him and he turned and knelt, covering his head. But it never hit him. He looked up to see a massive magical barrier. He turned to see Lyra with both arms in the air and Shara behind her with her mouth hanging open. He was sure his face mirrored hers. Lyra had to be even more powerful than they all originally thought.

"Enough, Deandra!" she cried. "We're not here to kill you."

Deandra ceased her attack. "Why not?" she asked as she landed.

"Because I know who commands you." Lyra dropped the barrier. "Will, let her go."

Will released his hold and sagged, Daylen catching him before he fell.