Lyla sat in the noisy hall, her face scrunched deep in thought. She did not hear the person calling her or hear them approach, but when they laid their palm on her shoulder, she reacted. Turning from her seat, she grabbed the person's wrist and twisted it.
"Fuck! Lyla!" a familiar voice cursed
"Aeneas? Sorry"
"Good to see the lessons paying off," he said, rubbing at his wrist
"Sorry, I just…Sorry"
"What's up?" he said, taking the seat next to her
"What are you doing here?"
"The meeting is almost over, and there's the party after, which I have the pleasure of accompanying you," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Oh, I almost forgot about that."
"Spill it, what's wrong?"
"Something weird happened earlier."
"Weird? Weird how" his voice held slight alarm
"I was taking a stroll earlier," he raised his brows in question, but she ignored it, "and I bumped into this man, and a few of his things dropped. I reached to grab one and I felt the strangest thing. It was almost like I got electrocuted, but I didn't feel any pain, but my magic recoiled." he straightened at that.
"What do you mean?"
"It felt like my magic was telling me to get away, like whatever it was was wrong."
"What did the thing look like?"
"It was black and it felt like a block of glass about the size of my palm and two inches thick."
"Mmm, I don't know what it might be, but if you magic reacted like that, then we have to be on the lookout. Let's find my brother first."
She nodded, following him out.
They managed to find Lysander and explain what had happened. He listened intently with an expression she had seen many times on Aeneas whenever he was deep in thought.
"Do you remember what he looked like?"
She nodded, "short blond hair, brown eyes, tan skin, about 5'11, oh, he also had this small scar on the left side of his chin."
"Okay, I'll tell my men to be on the lookout, you do the same, Ans, and make sure she's safe," he cut a glance at her.
"Aww, worried about me, bear?"
He gave a withered look, "Just be safe."
They left Lysander to his work and headed back to the hotel. She needed to look presentable for the party, although she doubted the Keeper would allow her to enjoy it.
*
The slow sound of music welcomed them to the hall where people chatted with glasses in hand. In the middle, a space had been set for anyone who would like to partake in a dance, and a few were already there, swaying their bodies to the sound of the harp and cello.
Aeneas led her to the table, filling her plate before leading her outside to a courtyard.
A few men and women in uniform filled the space, the insignia of a sword with a star at its tip, plastered on the left side of their blazers.
"Lyla!" It was Rueben who called with a bright smile on his face
"Reuben, hi," the male walked over
"I didn't know you were here."
"Surprise"
"Hi, Markus," she waved to the ever-cold-looking male. He simply dipped his chin.
"Is he always so serious?" she whispered to Aeneas
"Only about 80% of the time," he responded, making her chuckle. The sound skittered over his bones, warming his heart
Aeneas made it a point to introduce her to everyone there, and she took note of their names, storing them at the back of her mind. She chatted with them, drank, and laughed without a care in the world about the responsibilities that always weighed heavily on her shoulders
She joined them in playing different games, danced with Rueben and Aeneas, and teased Markus, who, to the surprise of many, had laughed at a joke she made. Lysander had joined them at some point and reluctantly joined her for a single dance
Aeneas smiled as he watched her. It had been long since he saw her so genuinely happy, and it did something to him, that light in her eyes, the sound of her laugh, all of it settled deep in him, making his heart clench
"It's good to see her so happy," his brother said beside him
"It is"
Lysander looked sidelong at his younger brother, watching the smile on his face as his eyes sparkled, taking in the lady currently throwing grapes as Rueben attempted to catch them with his mouth. That look said enough, more than he knew his brother would admit. He chose not to dive into it.
"Your friends are cool," Lyla said, approaching the two
"They seem to like you."
"Well, bear, many people do find me likable."
"Wait until they find out how annoying you are."
"That's only reserved for you," she winked before her face turned serious.
"Did you find the guy?"
"Not yet, but I have eyes out for him."
She nodded gravely before excusing herself. Aeneas attempted to follow, but she stopped him. He deserved to have a bit of fun without her being a liability.
Lyla had just gotten out of the washroom when she spotted a familiar figure exiting through a door. It took her ten seconds to decide what to do.
Passing through narrow paths, Lyla had been following the blond-haired man for fifteen minutes now. The man walked fast, not bothering to look behind him, too focused on where he was headed to sense someone after him. She thanked the heavens for that mercy, spying was not part of her training, although she supposed she should ask Aeneas to include it.
Aeneas was probably freaking out by now. She chose not to think about what the Keeper would do to him or her. She will have to make up for it later.
The man stopped and entered a building that looked like a warehouse, a classic bad guy move, Lyla thought, looking for any windows that would give her access to look in
Blondie was talking to someone covered in a cloak; they seemed to be in a tense argument before the person removed something from their cloak and handed it over. Lyla sucked in a breath; it was the same object from earlier. Blondie pocketed it before leaving. Lyla followed
She kept her steps as silent as possible. The man didn't seem to be in a rush; now he walked at a normal pace, which meant any sound from her could mean her end. She gulped. This was dangerous. Not only was she following a man with strange objects at hand that made her magic recoil, but she was also in a city she knew nothing about. She could very well get lost; she didn't even know how she would get back — if she got back. She pushed the thought away.
A familiar sense tingled through her skin, and she didn't have to look up to know what lay ahead, but there it was, the Wall tall and as menacing as ever.
The man stopped before it, removed the objects from his pockets, and placed one on the ground before moving about six steps and placing the other. A zap sounded, and something that looked like lightning connected the objects.
Lyla stood in shock as she watched a hole form in the wall. She watched as the hole got big enough to fit someone as tall as Darius. But that wasn't what made her blood run cold, not as she witnessed creatures that seemed straight out of the deepest pits of darkness emerge from the other side.
Lyla had just turned to rush and notify the protectors when a scream sounded, and all hell broke loose.