SWNOVELS Chapter 20
Taking a shaky breath, Lyra nodded. She stared down at their joined hands, drawing strength from the connection. “The prophecy… it’s been hanging over me my entire life. The Evernight Coven has guarded its secrets for generations, passing down the knowledge from mother to daughter. But I never wanted it. Never asked for this responsibility.”
She looked up, meeting Fenris’s gaze. The understanding she saw there gave her the courage to continue. “My mother was the coven’s leader, a powerful witch respected and feared in equal measure. From the moment I was born, she was grooming me to take her place, to be the one who would fulfill the prophecy when the time came.”
“And you resented it,” Fenris said softly, not a question but a statement of fact.
Lyra nodded, a rueful smile tugging at her lips. “Resented it, rebelled against it, did everything I could to prove I wasn’t the chosen one they all thought I was. I wanted to chart my own course, to use my magic for something other than preparing for some nebulous future catastrophe.”
She paused, lost in memories. “I even ran away for a time, tried to live among regular people. But the magic… it’s part of who I am. I couldn’t deny it any more than you could deny your wolf nature.”
Fenris squeezed her hand gently, encouraging her to go on. Lyra took a deep breath, steeling herself for the most difficult part of her confession.
“Two years ago, everything changed. There was an attack on our coven. Dark forces, drawn by the power of our artifacts and the whispers of prophecy. My mother… she sacrificed herself to protect me, to ensure the mission would continue.”
Tears flowed freely now, years of pent-up grief finally finding release. Fenris said nothing, simply offering his silent support as Lyra’s shoulders shook with quiet sobs.
When she had regained her composure, Lyra continued, her voice hoarse with emotion. “In her final moments, she placed the burden of leadership on me. Made me swear to see the prophecy fulfilled, to gather the five elemental artifacts and prevent the cataclysm that threatens to tear our world apart.”
She looked up at Fenris, her eyes shining with a mixture of determination and fear. “So you see, this quest isn’t just about saving the world. It’s about honoring my mother’s sacrifice, living up to the legacy she left behind. And I’m terrified of failing. Of letting her down, of letting everyone down.”
Fenris was quiet for a long moment, processing everything Lyra had shared. When he spoke, his voice was filled with a compassion that made her heart ache. “Lyra, I had no idea you were carrying such a burden. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
She shrugged, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “I suppose I was afraid. Afraid that if you knew the true stakes, the personal cost… you might decide it wasn’t worth the risk. That you’d leave, like so many others have.”
To her surprise, Fenris chuckled softly. “Leave? Lyra, I’m an exiled werewolf with more baggage than a merchant caravan. Where exactly did you think I was going to go?”
The unexpected humor broke the tension, and Lyra found herself laughing despite the tears still drying on her cheeks. “When you put it that way, I suppose we’re quite the pair of misfits.”
Fenris’s expression grew serious once more. “Listen to me, Lyra. You don’t have to carry this burden alone. I may not fully understand all the magical intricacies of this prophecy, but I do know what it’s like to feel the weight of expectation, of duty. And I promise you, I’m not going anywhere.”
Lyra felt a warmth blooming in her chest, a sense of connection she had never experienced before. “Thank you, Fenris. You have no idea how much that means to me.”
He smiled, a genuine, unguarded expression that transformed his usually stern features. “Well, don’t go getting all sentimental on me now. We’ve still got a world to save, after all.”
Lyra laughed, feeling lighter than she had in years. She reached into her pouch and withdrew the Moonstone shard, holding it up so that it caught the dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves. “One down, four to go. Any ideas on where we should start looking for the next artifact?”
Fenris leaned in, studying the shard with interest. “Well, according to the legends you’ve shared, each artifact is tied to a different element, right? We’ve got the Moonstone for… what, spirit?”
Lyra nodded, impressed by his recall. “That’s right. The others are tied to earth, air, fire, and water. Traditional elemental magic, but on a scale beyond anything most witches can comprehend.”
“Alright then,” Fenris said, his tone becoming businesslike. “If I were hiding an artifact of immense power, I’d want it somewhere hard to reach. For earth, maybe deep in a mountain. For air, atop the highest peak. Fire could be in an active volcano, and water… well, the bottom of the ocean seems like a good bet.”
Lyra couldn’t help but smile at his practical approach to their mythical quest. “Those are all good suggestions. But the prophecy speaks of guardians for each artifact, beings or forces that have protected them for centuries. It won’t be as simple as just going to the most extreme location for each element.”
Fenris nodded, accepting the added complexity. “Fair enough. So how do we start narrowing it down? Does that shard give you any clues?”
Lyra closed her eyes, focusing her magical senses on the Moonstone fragment. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, she felt a faint pulse of energy, like a distant heartbeat. Her eyes snapped open, wide with excitement.
“I think… I think it’s trying to show us something,” she said, her voice hushed with awe. “Quick, give me your hand.”
Fenris complied without hesitation, his large hand engulfing hers as they both touched the shard. The pulse of energy grew stronger, and suddenly, they were assaulted by a series of rapid-fire visions.
A mountain peak shrouded in storm clouds, lightning arcing between floating islands
of rock. A vast desert, its sands shifting to reveal the ruins of an ancient city. A chasm of fire, bridges of cooled lava spanning its width. An underwater city, its crystal domes glowing with bioluminescent light.
As quickly as they had come, the visions faded. Lyra and Fenris looked at each other,
both breathing heavily from the intensity of the experience.
“Did you see…?” Lyra began, her voice trailing off in wonder.
Fenris nodded, his expression a mixture of awe and determination. “I saw. Four locations, four artifacts. But which one do we go after first?”
Lyra closed her eyes again, concentrating on the lingering energy from the vision. One image stood out more strongly than the others – the storm-wreathed mountain peak with its impossible floating islands.
“The Air artifact,” she said, opening her eyes with newfound purpose. “That’s where we need to go next. To the Skyspire Mountains.”
Fenris stood, offering Lyra his hand. As she took it and rose to her feet, she felt a surge of confidence. The path ahead was still fraught with danger and uncertainty, but for the first time since beginning this quest, she didn’t feel alone.
“The Skyspire Mountains it is,” Fenris said, a hint of excitement creeping into his voice. “I don’t suppose you have any magic that can help us fly?”
Lyra laughed, tucking the Moonstone shard safely back into her pouch. “Not quite. But I do know a few tricks that might make the climb easier. We’ll figure it out together.”