Instinctively grabbing my bow, I push it forward into the incoming blow,

The surge of lighting from his punch, charges the bow which lets out a wave of energy knocking us both apart.

“Apollo!” Lyra shouts,

“He’s on our side let him be!”

“Something about his energy feels off,” the blonde man murmurs getting back to feet,

“Why would after all these years, someone topside decide to change their mind and help us!?

He’s probably a spy!

Lighting strike fist!”

His fist sparks as he charges towards me

Loading an arrow I fire at him, as it launches from the bow, it glows releasing a blast

Vwashh! lightning surges as it connects, sending the man flying back

“You’re a magic user!?” he sputters

“I.., I don’t know,” I gasp “but I can tell you that I’m not a spy for the Holy city!”

Loading a next arrow, aiming at him I say, “I’m not even from this kingdom I’m just trying to find some answers, that’s all!”

“Hmph!” he grunts getting back up, “Lyra, if you vouch for him, I’ll have to take your word, but I’ll keep an eye on him, he has the eyes of a killer.”

The young man stomps off clearly pissed at getting knocked down…

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….

“He’s not usually like that, I promise,” Lyra assures

“That’s Apollo he’s usually a goof, but most here see him as a leader, since he’s the only member of the royal family left, after prince Omari went missing.”

“Your prince dead.” I say bluntly strapping back my bow,

“Huh!?” She retorts, “what would an outsider, know of the prince, stop being so cynical,

Come on let’s carry on!” she changes the subject

“Where’s the short man?” I ask noticing him missing

“Huh Pinoki?”

“Check your pockets quick!” Lyra orders

Checking I find that my pouch of coins has disappeared

“That scoundrel,” Lyra scowls

“I’ll pummel him next time I see him!”

***

“Here we are,” Lyra directs, we approach the northern-most house in the settlement, it’s by far the biggest, compared to the ones we passed on way here, the path through the settlement, desolate and unsightly, Lyra explained how since there’s no day or night here, the people of different settlements rotate between sleep times….

……The wooden floor creaks as I enter the house, lit up in dreamy orange lights,

“Patricia!” Lyra shouts her voice ringing through the quiet house

A slender girl with jet black hair swings her door open

“Have you no manners Lyra! You dare call the queen by name!”

“Stop being such a stuck-up Karina,” Lyra chirps

“Where is the Queen, I want to see her.”

Karina eyes me distrustfully, “who is he?”

“An outsider ‘I rescued’ from the topsiders,” Lyra brags, “the poor soul would have been one of them by now if weren’t for me,”

Karina rolls her eyes disbelievingly, “the Queen’s upstairs,” she says then abruptly slams her door.

“This is an orphanage run by the Queen,” Lyra explains as we walk up the wooden staircase,

“The Queen took in all the children who lost their parents during the civil war, ten years ago,

Although not much of us stay here anymore”-

-“Lyra?” A dainty brunette woman with sullen red eyes sits with a pipe, in her small bedroom,

Immediately I recognize her face.

“Omari’s mother?”… I blurt out

The queen looks at me alarmingly,

“Do you know me?”

“Only from a portrait”-

-“This is Kage, Lyra introduces, “he’s from outside the city, I managed to save him before he got ‘dedicated’, like every other outsider that enters the city.”

The queen gives a fake smile, “pleased to meet you,” she says

Her eyes seem disappointed, does she still expect Omari to return?

“Queen….”, I try to put into words,

“I come bearing the will of your dead son.”