I ran down the corridor and slipped into the armory. The magic cloaks hung along the wall, and I didn't hesitate; this is the only way I can get to the werewolves without burning to death. I grabbed one, shoved it into my bag, then searched through the shelves until I found what I was really looking for; silver bombs. Small and dangerous that once inhaled the wolves lose their strength.
I didn't want them dead… just weakened enough to stop hurting my people. Still, I tucked a handful of bombs into my bag and sprinted out the door.
"Lyra?" A familiar voice called.
"Dad?" I forced a smile. "Hey, baby girl, you alright?" he said, his voice soft.
"Yeah, I just wasn't paying attention." My fingers nervously brushed the strap of my bag. I studied him for a moment, he looked exhausted.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better than before, but still weak. I can feel my strength slowly coming back."
"Don't overdo it, dad. Please get some more rest."
I stepped forward and hugged him.
"You said you loved me too much to lose me," I whispered against his chest. "Well, I love you too much to lose you."
He hugged me back, tight and sincere. "I know, honey."
His eyes gazed onto my bag. "Where are you heading?" he asked.
"Oh just out for a walk. I've been cooped up in the castle." I tried to force a smile to look less suspicious.
"Be safe. I love you." He rubbed my head as if I were still a child. He will never learn.
"Love you too, dad." I tightened my grip on the strap and slipped out the castle doors.
I pulled the cloak around my shoulders, and when I stepped through the border of the domain it felt like the world had flipped, the blue sky, bright sun, the kind of light Lily had been dreaming about. For a second I wanted to text her and tell her how beautiful it was. But I didn't. There was no time.
I tucked the bombs deeper into my bag, and unfolded the map. Two days on foot? I thought to myself. Why should I waste my energy when I can fly? I morphed into a bat and soared through the sky. Witches and their creation of these cloaks was a glorious invention indeed, not to mention the domain's ability to block out the sun.
Six hours later, as the sun started to set, I landed at the edge of Lunaris and took off the cloak. My heart pounded. The plan was simple, get in, place the bomb in the den's center, and slowly watch the werewolves weaken. That should bring them to justice.
Hiding in the bushes, I watched the den. Wolves celebrated, voices drunken with laughter, and a portrait of my father propped up where it was easy to see. I watched them throw tomatoes at it. My fists clenched. How dare they.
"Hi, Lyra."
I spun around.
Lily stood there, squinting with a light flush on her cheeks from running. What the absolute hell?
"Lily, what the hell are you doing here?" I hissed.
"I wanted to see what it was like outside the palace. The sun was beautiful." She blinked as if her being here was a perfectly normal thing.
"You're not supposed to be here." I whispered, shoving her behind me.
"I just wanted to see." She stuck out her lower lip, acting like a child. She is brave and stupid at the same time.
"This area is dangerous." I lowered my voice. "Stay with me. No wandering."
"Not with you," she said, squeezing my hand.
I exhaled. "Did you forget what happened to dad?"
"Oh, right." She shivered.
"Listen, stay with me, no matter what," I ordered. She nodded.
"What are you doing with that?" Lily said, looking over my shoulder.
"I'm going to put this in the center and make the wolves weak," I said, holding up the bomb.
"Lyra revenge won't fix anything. It'll only make the wolves hate us even more."
"Who's side are you on? I snapped.
"Vampires," She answered, loyal.
"Good. Then shut up and let me do my thing."
A sniff from nearby. A wolf's voice. "Hey, do you smell that? Smells like vampires."
Panic rose from Lily. I clamped a hand over her mouth and guided her behind a boulder. We had to move.
I threw the bomb into the den's center and ducked. The device hissed, exposing a silver mist. Seconds later it erupted. Wolves started coughing, falling to their knees. Chaos filled the area.
"Jonah!" Someone shouted.
Lily began to cough; I dragged her into the smoke and shielded her. "We need to get out!" I yelled.
We rushed towards the exit, choking on the silver mist, but wolves were already scattered, blocking the way out. The den was closed leaving us trapped.
"What do we do, Lyra?" Lily gasped.
"We hide now." I shoved her into a narrow crack between the rocks and covered the rest of her body.
"They wolves can smell us," Lily whispered, hands shaking.
"Not if the silver has done its job," I murmured. The mist had only thickened. I could see the alpha moving through the smoke, powerful and calm.
"Jonah's dead!" Someone screamed. "He's not breathing!"
My heart dropped. I hadn't meant for anyone to die. I'd told myself the bombs were to weaken, not kill but the thought had only blurred. I felt sick to my stomach.
"Alpha! Vampires are here Leo smelled them before the blast," a voice growled.
I clamped a hand over Lily's mouth as she gasped. "Be quiet. Breath slow."
"Alpha, four injured and one dead. Jonah sacrificed himself." The heartbreak in their voice only crushed me.
My chest tightened. I had killed a wolf.
Footsteps pounded. Wolves shouted orders, and the alpha's voice cut through the den. "Guards! Search every crack and crevice you can find. If you suspect any scent, use it."
I searched the den with eyes full of fear and fury. No open path. No. Way. Out.
"Footprints someone sneaked in," a guard called.
The alpha's voice hardened. "Their speed outmatched the wolf-eye. They must still be nearby."
I held Lily tighter. She sneezed quietly, god of course she would.
"Over there!" Someone shouted.
I turned around to find the alpha tall, eyes like coal. She smirked, voice cold.
"Found you," She said.