Lyra's POV
I opened my eyes slowly and tried to adjust to my surroundings. A sharp pain throbbed in my head. When I touched it, my fingers came back bloody. What the hell?
I tried to move, but my hands were chained above me, fixed to a wall in what looked like some serial killer's basement. Then everything came rushing back in a blur, I'd been kidnapped right inside my apartment. My phone was useless since I couldn't reach it.
What psycho kidnaps a broke college student with nothing to offer? And how did they get past the tight security? I remembered seeing those gold-like eyes and immediately shoved the thought away. No normal human has eyes that shine like gold. I had to be hallucinating… or maybe it was just light reflecting.
I was still drowning in my thoughts when I heard a voice that made my heart skip, Aunt Sasha?
That made zero sense. She lived in Pennsylvania. How would she even know I was kidnapped?
"My dear Lyra, we've gotta get you out of here now," she said, and before I could speak, she began muttering strange words. The chains broke from my wrists instantly. I gasped so hard my chest hurt.
A million questions went through my mind. Since when did my séance‑obsessed aunt cast actual spells? Was that even real?
I gave her a look that practically screamed what the hell is happening, but she just shrugged, grabbed my left hand, muttered something else, and..
Puff.
We vanished.
What the hell. Did we just disappear?
---
Aunt Sasha's POV
I was sitting on the floor, communing with the spirits of fortune, when I felt a cold presence behind me.
"Luca? Prince of the Seven Realms. What brings you here?" I asked.
"The child. Where is she?" His voice rumbled like thunder.
"Somewhere you will never find her," I replied.
He grabbed my throat and slammed me against the wall.
"We must kill the child. She is the ultimate destruction to our realm, the key to unlocking a great evil."
"She won't be killed. And how are we even sure the prophecy is right? What if she isn't the key?" I said, though my voice shook.
"Za‑e nam‑azu‑ka su‑ba‑an‑ti. We will come for her."
He disappeared.
I closed my eyes and began a chant.
"Dingir‑gal‑gal‑ene dumu‑ĝu‑ra ḫe‑em‑ši‑ḫul‑e, tukum‑bi ḫa‑ra‑an‑gál‑la‑a‑ni mu‑ra‑ab‑sar‑e."
A great wind rushed through the room, and the voices of the past mothers of the child spoke at once.
"Hurry. Save the child. You must not let her reach the dark lord, for she is the key."
I inhaled sharply and began the teleportation spell.
"Mu‑mu‑dingir‑azug‑ga šu‑ĝu‑ni‑ta ĝeš‑ta‑ĝu‑ni‑še."
And in an instant, I was standing before her.
---
Xavier's POV
I chained Lyra to the wall beneath the home of the dark lord. She was meant to be sacrificed, and then my mother would finally be free. At least… that was the promise.
I walked into the inner chamber where the dark lord, the king of vampires sat.
"The child you seek is here," I said with a bow.
"You have done well, warlock. The blood of Asham Kan runs in you. He was a noble pawn, a loyal thing to me," he said, sipping blood from a jar. Innocent blood. Power he used to strengthen his dark magic.
"You dare not mention that man to me," I snapped as my eyes shifted from amber to gold.
"You sound just like him, Xavier. A demon of destruction," he roared.
"My mother. You promised to release her once I brought you the child," I said, fury shaking my voice.
He hissed.
"I waited long enough. I've sent her on a very long journey, one she will never return from."
"No!" I screamed. "This wasn't part of the deal!"
"Leave my castle at once, warlock. You really thought I wouldn't kill your mother?" he said, laughing.
I stormed out of the castle, rage burning through me.
I shouldn't have brought Lyra. What have I done?
---
Lyra's POV
I found myself back in my apartment with Aunt Sasha. I had no idea how she got me here, but questions were eating me alive.
"Rest, child. You have school tomorrow. Don't miss your finals," she said.
"What was that back there?" I demanded.
"What, child?" she asked, smoothing my hair like everything was normal.
"Your spells. They've gotten stronger. You teleported us. I've never, ever seen you do that."
"I've told you, I'm a diviner. The spirits of good fortune guided me. Enough questions now."
"I can't find my phone. I think I dropped it. I need to call Xavier. And my boss is going to kill me if I miss work tomorrow," I said.
"I'll get you a new one."
She hesitated.
"Xavier… who's he?"
I bit my lip. "He's my best friend."
"Well, best friends don't endanger each other. Especially when one of them shouldn't get too close to the truth," she muttered under her breath.
"What truth?" I asked.
She ignored the question and stood up. "Sleep, child."
"What are you not telling me?" I asked, completely confused.
"All I can tell you is this; you are powerful. A girl with immeasurable strength, unlike anything you've ever imagined."
My brows knitted. She turned to leave, but then she froze, her voice taking on that eerie tone she used during readings.
"Stay away from Xavier. He's a trap."
A trap…?