I shoved the pantry doors open and pulled out my knife. It took everything in me to be able to speak, “Let her go, now.” I pointed my knife at Short-Hair, who looked absolutely surprised by my presence. The Braid did too, for a moment. Lyria only looked frightened, making my blood boil. I squeezed my knife in my hand, “Let. Her. Go.”
They laughed. The Braid snorted and then started laughing, Short-Hair joined in.
“Look at the hero, come to save the day!” The Braid walked toward me. I brandished my knife at him, nothing more than a pocketknife. His pink eyes bored into me, a predator sizing up its prey. It suddenly felt like holding a pocketknife at a bear, whispering at it to run off. He took one look at my knife and grinned, pulling his own out of its scabbard on his hip. One look at it had my stomach twisting.
The knife was sharpened on one side, curved just slightly, and the hilt was decorated, a knife too beautiful to be used for killing. He held it out as though asking me to inspect it. “Beautiful, isn’t it? I could slit your throat with a flick of my wrist. Naia, our friend upstairs, has one just like it. She’s going to use it to kill the parents when I give her the signal.”
Lyria squirmed in Short-Hair’s grip, “What? No, no, no, please no!” She began begging them frantically.
The Braid rolled his eyes, “Sweetheart, we can’t very well have them running about after you’re dead. We always planned to kill them quick first and then have a bit of fun with you. Now, this young man,” He pointed at me with his knife, “he’s an unexpected addition to our affairs. I wonder…” He came toward me, I shot out with my knife hand trying to stab at him. His face changed from amusement to cool calculation in a second. He grabbed my wrist with his free hand and squeezed so hard I yelped and dropped my knife. He kicked one leg out from under me making me drop to one knee. He twisted my arm behind me and held me on the ground. He pulled the hood off my head and the mask off my face, revealing me to all of them.
Short-Hair looked shocked again, but Lyria…
“Julian… Julian, why…” Her tears were quiet but her confusion was loud and clear, written all over her face.
The Braid leaned in close until his lips touched my ear, “Look at you, foolish child. I thought it might be you. I can feel it, you know, in your mind. The tether, like a leash. Can’t you feel it, Julian? Can’t you feel him?” He pressed on the bottom of my skull with his thumb so hard that it hurt, but an image flashed in my mind. Those eyes. Those ice colored eyes that haunted my dreams. “We just can’t figure out how you got there, so out of place. Though, apparently, you’re good at that.” He nodded to Short-Hair, earning a grin in response.
“Do it, Naia!” Short-Hair shouted.
I tried squirming out of the Braid’s hold on me. Lyria realized what was happening and started thrashing in Short-Hair’s hands. He wrapped his arms around her and she started screaming as she threw her legs about. Two screams sounded from upstairs, suddenly cut short by something unseen, but I knew. My heart fell out of my chest. Lyria’s screams mixed with sobs.
The Braid smiled against my ear, “I guess we’ll get to bring both of you back to kill. The King and our Master will be very impressed by our work.” He forced me up onto my feet, looking around to make sure everything was in order before leaving. He kicked my knife further away before looking over his shoulder.
“Well, what’s in the bag, Mr. Julian?” Lyria followed his gaze to the duffel bag sitting in the floor of the pantry.
No. I wouldn’t let them kill her parents and then let her find out this way. I wouldn’t let them kill her when she had so much to live for. She would live a wonderful life and I would make sure of it. I looked at Lyria, her eyes meeting mine. She looked terrified, confused, angry. My mind was made up, I would get us out of that house.
I squirmed a little to get the Braid’s attention. He turned back to me, just like I had wanted. I rocked my head back as hard as I could, hitting him in the nose and mouth. He shouted in pain, releasing my arms and giving me time to get away. I grabbed my knife from the floor and went after Short-Hair. I swiped my knife through the air, he took one arm from Lyria to try and grab at me. She made up her mind as well.
Lyria was able to move around just enough to bring her foot back and get him right in the balls. He grunted in pain and relaxed his grip on her. She moved free of him and kicked him in the neck with the bottom of her bare foot. I wanted to be impressed by her, but there was no time for that. I grabbed her hand and dragged her behind me as I ran through the living room and out the front door. We just had to get to Kara and she could get us away.
I screamed in pain as those eyes flashed in my mind.
“NO!” The Lord’s voice of power screamed inside of me. I had to ignore it somehow, just until we reached Kara. I stumbled, the Lord’s voice bashing into me as we ran. Each time felt like I was being punched in the stomach over and over.
“Julian!” A woman’s voice yelled, it seemed so far off. The car came to a screeching halt beside of us and Kara stared at me from the driver’s seat. I jerked the back door open and pushed Lyria inside, climbing in beside her. Kara kept trying to ask questions, but the Lord’s voice was all I could hear. I could barely hear anything except him screaming inside my head.
Then, a far more peaceful voice, a woman’s voice came into my mind. It was smooth, melodic, “Don’t say I never did anything for you.” It was all she said. I knew what she had meant. The Lord’s voice disappeared, like the leash had been cut. My mind was finally silent, the yelling and the bashing was gone. My relief was short-lived though. The three white haired people came running out of Lyria’s house and stood on the porch, glaring at us. Lyria whimpered beside of me.
The Braid held up his hand, a flame appearing above it. “What the hell?” Kara shouted. The flame grew and seemed to leap out of his hand, engulfing the house in flames. Lyria screamed, sending a chill straight through me.
“Go!” I screamed at Kara. She wasted no time stomping on the gas and getting us away from the fire.
The three did not follow.
We reached the pawn shop quick, Kara not stopping for anything. She had been just as shaken up as me by the time we were out of there. Neither of us could compare to Lyria, who had been silent for some time. I did not try to speak to her on the ride home. She needed time, I understood.
We went downstairs, Kara immediately yelling for Desmond when we got down there. He came out of his room, his eyes going wide at the sight of Lyria and I. He started asking me questions, frantic as he checked me over for injury. I winced when he grabbed my arm, sore from the rough treatment from the Braid. Kara went to Lyria, speaking softer than I had ever heard. She started pulling her toward an open room to let her at least try to sleep. Desmond would deal with that in the morning. He wanted to know everything that happened, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it, especially not in front of Lyria.
“Hey,” I said, “Lyria.” She turned around, her eyes distant as she looked at me. I stepped toward her, but she took a step back, the look on her face turning to rage.
“Don’t,” She demanded. Desmond put a hand on my shoulder, trying to pull me back. Lyria shook her head, “Why,” Her fists clenched at her side, “why were you in my house?” I tensed, my heart nearly stopping in my chest. I hadn’t even thought about that since we left the house. I never thought of what she would think of me being there the same night that they showed up and murdered her parents. What was I supposed to say?
Right, sorry, I was robbing you. No biggie.
Yeah, right.
“Julian,” Desmond warned. I didn’t even care. I wouldn’t lie to her anymore.
I backed up from her and shook my head, “Not for the reasons you think, I swear.”
She spat out a laugh, “So, it was just a coincidence that you were in my house the same night my parents were killed?” Desmond looked mortified when he heard those words. “Who were they, Julian?”
“I don’t know, Lyria, I swear. I saw them earlier in the day, but I have no idea who they are. I was there because…” I trailed off. It was harder to tell the truth than I had expected. I figured telling her the truth would come easy.
“Why? Why were you there?” She demanded.
I looked at her face, the hate that masked her pain sent guilt running through me. If she hated me after hearing the truth, then so be it. At least I wouldn’t be lying anymore.
“We’re thieves. I was robbing you. I didn’t know it was your house, but… that’s why I was there.” Desmond couldn’t have cared less that I was breaking our biggest rule. He had no idea that this was the second time I had broken it. He was too caught up in what Lyria had said. I was just trying to get through the look on her face, the blatant disgust and horror that was replacing all that hate.
“You’re a criminal?” She asked. I nodded, unable to get any words out. She backed away from me, “You steal from people. Oh, my god, do you sell the stolen stuff in the pawn shop?” I nodded again. Desmond caught her before she could run. He led her away, speaking quietly and consoling her as they walked away. She never even glanced back at me, and just like that, I had lost her all over again.
Desmond put Lyria in a room far from mine and got her to calm down enough to tell her what they would do in the morning. He came to speak with me about everything that had happened before going to her with his plan. She would go to the police and tell them that she escaped murderous robbers that came into her house and killed her parents then burned their house down. She would not mention me, or Kara, or the shop. She agreed to the terms and Desmond left her alone, locking her door so she couldn’t run to the police and rat us out.
I just lied in bed, happy to be rid of that feeling in my head, but crying over everything else. She had lost her parents and nearly been killed herself. Her entire world had just fallen apart around her and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Those were the thoughts that followed me into sleep and brought about the nightmares of flames and blades.
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