The dark still held claim over the sky, which gave Lyra more time before morning arrived. Head still resting on her pillow, she held up her arm and watched as a magical representation of Ruvan ran over her skin. A soft red glow that contrasted the rest of the female loving quarters filled with sleeping Rangers.
Only a few others were occupying other beds, giving Lyra some space. She recalled her time approaching Timberwood with Tinesi after their match, discussing what to do with Ruvan. Her connection with the spirit animal bound them for life, just as she had done with the dagger under her pillow.
Surprising both her and Tinesi, Ruven had pounced on her leg, vanishing. On the verge of panic, they reappeared as she saw them now on her body. Free to roam, Ruvan could hide from prying eyes while able to jump out at a moment's notice. Thoughts of joy, mischief, and anticipation bled through the connection.
Careful not to wake the others nearby, Lyra whispered, “Me too, Ruvan. My objectives may have changed, but the goal at the end of the road remains true.”
A door opened, letting candlelight leak inside. Noticing her unique magical aura, Lyra watched the Ranger enter and said, “Hello, Shaerwyn. Is it time?”
Shrouded in the darkness, Shaerwyn walked over to Lyra’s bed and said, “Yes. Haera wants to get going. The town reported a missing elf who was supposed to arrive yesterday. It will be our job to find out why and eliminate the threat if any exists.”
Working quickly in the dark, Lyra got dressed, strapped the dagger to her hip, and followed Shaerwyn. They met up with Haera, who stood with Elemalu and Nasir. Seeing Nasir left her feeling conflicted. She wanted to believe he had nothing to do with what happened to her family. The thought of proving Tinesi wrong helped toward agreeing to the entire plan of joining up with the Rangers. That conviction crumbled the more she interacted with him.
Debating if he was responsible for those deaths had to wait. That’s not something she could just ask him. How would that even go? Hey, Nasir. My friend, who is part of a secret organization that none of us have heard of, claims you joined yet another secret organization full of dark mages who thrive on death and misery and sacrificed your brother and his son to earn your place. What she knew for sure was that Nasir was obsessed with proving his superiority and that’s not enough to go by.
Lyra didn’t reach the top of her group during her five decades of training without proving she could outmaneuver everyone else, including this pompous fool of a brother-in-law. He needed a reminder of why she stood over him in their youth. This outing would leave no question of who deserved more respect. Not that it would be difficult to come out on top. Lyra could already gleam how her fellow Rangers felt about Nasir from the few interactions she witnessed during her initiation.
“Listen up, everyone. We received a report that a trader the town expected never showed up last night. I was hoping to replace a normal patrol for the evaluation, but this takes precedence. If I didn’t think you were capable, I would have replaced you. Don’t make me regret my decision.”
Haera shifted her focus over to Nasir and nailed him to the wall with her gaze. The only reason I haven’t replaced you is because Lyra requested your presence, and you’ve got experience working with Elemalu. Follow orders and we will get along. Understood?”
Lyra picked up on his agitation. From the way he talked about her, it was clear he feared the elf, and with good reason. The veteran Ranger outclassed him in skill and experience.
“Understood.”
His reply felt forced and automatic. A behavior drilled into him with brutal efficiency. Haera looked over at everyone and said, “Meet me in front of the compound's entrance ready to go,” then vanished.
Elemalu laughed, shaking his head in amusement. “She sure does enjoy doing that. So, are you all ready to go?”
Lyra nodded in the affirmative while Nasir scoffed as if the answer was obvious and unnecessary. Ignoring Nasir, Elemalu said, “Great, let’s go,” and moved toward the exit with Nasir and Lyra hot on his heels.
Waiting impatiently out front, Haera set the pace as soon as they reached her position. “Our priority today is to locate Lyklor and the two warriors who help protect him as he travels between settlements. Between our Ranger patrols and their battle prowess, it’s usually enough to keep them safe. Until we determine the threat, I will be in charge.” Haera paused, looked over her shoulder at Lyra, and continued, “This is your evaluation too, Lyra. So, if you detect any danger, speak up. Prove to me that your senses weren’t a fluke when you detected my teleportation spell yesterday.”
Expanding her magical sensing net out around them, Lyra grinned and said, “There are three wolves chasing a deer in that direction and a rabbit is hiding in a bush there.” Pointing as she identified each as she gave her report, Lyra winked at Nasir.
Grinning at this display, Haera adjusted her path away from the wolves, letting her actions speak for her. The sun crept closer to its zenith in silence for the duration of their trek. That is until Lyra stumbled when she detected the telltale sign of dark magic up ahead and not a small amount. Hand clutching her chest, Lyra forced herself to calm down. Ruven wrapped her mind in encouragement. The heat of his presence on her skin was a comfort.
“Speak up. What troubles you so Lyra?”
Focusing on Haera, she answered, “Corruption and not a small amount. There are too many crowded in one place to know the exact amount. We need to proceed with caution.”
“Noted. Remain here. I will be back.”
Vanishing, Elemalu stepped up and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, causing Nasir to sneer, but her glare shut him up before he could say anything. Feeling the change in the air, Lyra said, “She’s back.”
Appearing in the same spot she had been prior, Haera looked troubled. She took a deep breath and let it out. Focused on the three Rangers, she said, “You were right. There is a murder of crows in a tree above the remains of our missing trader and his two defenders. I recognized his cart.”
Shifting to her no-nonsense persona, Haera gave them her orders. “Lyra will take point with Nasir aiding her in the front. Elemalu will stay back, offering support and healing. Without him, our chances of surviving go down drastically, so I will focus on defending him.”
“But Haera!”
Before Nasir could expand on his objections, Haera teleported behind him, gripped his neck, and slammed the Ranger into the ground. Still holding Nasir tightly, Haera said, “I warned you. It appears my discipline hasn’t sunk in yet. If you survive this, we shall have to revisit your worth in our organization.” Standing back up, she pointed at Nasir and said, “Elemalu, patch him up while I chat with Lyra.”
Leaving their healer to his work, Lyra joined Haera. Going over her abilities and the previous fight against the undead birds, Lyra came up with a plan. Finding her own resolve, she said, “We need to kill or ground as many of them in our initial attack. It’s the only way we can avoid being pecked and clawed to death. Tainted as they are by magic, we can expect their attacks to carry something deadly.” Haera nodded, giving Lyra the confidence to keep going.
“I will create a wind funnel around the tree light it on fire and hold the spell for as long as I can. Nasir can keep me safe while I concentrate, and then the two of us can go after the survivors. If my spell threatens the rest of the surrounding trees, I will help put out the fires.”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Haera clapped Lyra on the shoulder and nodded toward the others. Nasir was rubbing his jaw. Blood smeared from the broken nose Elemalu had to heal. “Listen up. Lyra will begin the attack with a fire and wind combo spell. Nasir will keep her safe while I protect Elemalu. Any objections?” Nasir shook his head from side to side silently with everyone’s attention focused on him.
“Good. If the crows react before Lyra can pull off the spell, we will retreat." Focused on Lyra, she said, “If it comes to that, you have my permission to light up the air with magic. Preferably ice if possible. That is your strongest element, is it not?”
Conjuring a ball of water in her palm, Lyra spun it in her hand, tossed it up in the air froze it in the shape of a dagger, and caught it as it fell. “Yes. It is.”
“Good. Now show me your worth,” said Haera, a glint in her eye hinting at the expectations she had for her newest recruit.
Careful not to make any noise, Lyra closed the distance to the crow-infested tree. Imagining the spell in her mind, Ruven’s presence comforted her, allowing a deeper concentration. Commanding the wind in her left hand, Lyra encompassed the tree in a vortex of wind spinning at bone-breaking speeds. In her right hand, she channeled Ruvan’s flames into the spell, transforming the spell into a flaming vortex of wind.
The crows from within erupted into a torrent of chaotic activity. Desperate attempts to force their way through their fiery tomb ended in countless crows caught in the spell until the flames devoured them. The hope that her effort might be enough to end it without a fight rose only to burn up when a loud “Caw” sent a chill down her spine.
Punching a hole as it dove through, a giant crow adjusted its flight and aimed its talons at her in its rage. Hesitating if she should abandon the spell or not, Lyra watched Nasir leap up to intercept. Sword drawn; he slashed at the crow's wing unsuccessfully. The crow's wing tossed Nasir away with one mighty beat, his sword bouncing off.
Sensing her imminent peril, knowing she had no way of avoiding the blow, Ruven jumped out, blasting the crow in the face with a blast of fire strong enough to redirect it away from Lyra, giving her enough time to jump out of the way. Unable to maintain the spell, the flames flickered out along with the wind. In its place was the surviving murder of crows badly injured and hungry for revenge.
Lyra could sense that Elemalu was healing Nasir when Haera said, “Lyra, you and your new friend will kill the leader. Nasir will keep the rest of you. I will keep Elemalu safe. Go!”
Nasir growled in obvious frustration. Lyra could tell he wanted to say something but followed orders instead. Thoughts of her brother-in-law filtered to the back of her mind. Focused on her prey, Lyra pulled out her dagger and transformed it into a spear, giving her reach.
Ruven, I need you to attack it from the sides.
She felt its acknowledgment and charged in toward the giant black bird. From the failed attack by Nasir, she assumed its wings would be too difficult to damage, so Lyra focused her thrusts on its chest, avoiding or partying its talons and diving out of the way from its beak. Unbalanced from Ruvan’s constant barrage of flame attacks that did little to harm the magical avian, the crow still had to deal with the force behind the blows.
A force in his own right, Nasir dashed around Lyra, cleaving through every crow he encountered, sometimes several at once. There could be no denying his prowess with a blade using his strengthening magic. It was a shame he had a rotten personality.
The crows harassing Haera and Elemalu fared no better. Teleporting between each strike, the veteran Ranger left a growing mound of dead crows around the healer. Haera may not be on active duty, but make no mistake, the elf could go toe to toe with the best.
No wonder she is in charge of the newest members. She has the skills and dedication to weed out those who aren’t qualified to face the worst their world dished out.
Unable to pierce its body deep enough to cause a significant wound, Lyra found herself in a precarious position. More and more of the magical beast's brethren fell to Nasir and Haera’s blades. Before the last fell, Lyra watched her opponent fly up and spread its wings out. A spell which felt unclean formed revealing a cloud of feathers waiting to crash down over the party of Rangers. Shrinking back into a dagger, she returned it to her hip and reached out to her friend.
Ruvan, help me create a fire barrier!
Thrusting her hands out, Lyra conjured a dome of pure flames over her companions with Ruvan’s help. Braced for the impact, Lyra gritted her teeth when the magical feathers rained down. Unable to feel anything else crash against her spell, Lyra released her spell.
Only those who hid in the tree survived the onslaught of feathers. As for their leader, they dove not for her, but toward Nasir. His eyes glazed over in some kind of trance; he did nothing to avoid the attack. Hating herself but doing it anyway, Lyra dashed forward and shoved with all her worth.
Nasir snapped out of his stupor in time to see the crow slash its talons into Lyra's back. Crying out in pain, Lyra crumpled to the ground next to Nasir. She felt a dark spell take hold around the wound that dug deeper into her flesh. Elemalu sent healing energy to close the wound. Soon Lyra felt her skin close.
What she didn’t voice after his magic faded was the wound tearing open once more. Forcing herself up, she looked at Ruvan and said, “Let’s end this.”
Knees shaky, Lyra retrieved her dagger, transformed it into a bow, and positioned her hand as if there were an arrow and a bowstring present. Relying on a pure mana strike as an arrow, Lyra pulled the magical arrow back and aimed it at the crow barreling down on her position. Thinking back on the last time she relied on pure mana to fire an arrow the night her father died, Lyra let loose.
The arrow tip became coated in blue flames courteous of Ruvan, which enhanced the lethality of the arrow that shot out faster than any normal eye could follow. The impact sent shockwaves out, knocking her down. With her last bit of energy, she pushed off, avoiding the crow's body that had been where she had been moments before.
The dust had settled over the battlefield. Any crow that had survived the battle thus far flew out of the tree away from the Rangers. Lyra reached out to where the bow had fallen. Crying out in pain short of her prize, she curled up. The wound had grown wider. Blood soaked the back of her shirt.
In her pain-filled haze, Lyra heard several footsteps rushing over to her. A gentle hand touched her back, sending healing energy toward the gash, stitching it up once more. When she could speak, Lyra said, “Foul magic won’t let you heal me. We need to get back.”
Cutting her off, Haera turned to Nasir and forced him to his knees with the force of her aura alone.
“What is wrong with you? Because of your ineptitude, one of our most promising recruits since I joined may die. Not from her shortfalls, but yours. Give me one good reason I shouldn’t kill you now.”
Amidst Haera’s rant, Ruven lifted the bow and nudged it in Lyra’s direction. Letting it fall in her hand, she smiled gratefully and put it away. With Elemalu’s help, she stood up and asked, “May I speak?”
Still fuming, Haera said, “Speak.”
“That wasn’t his fault. The magic coming from the crow caused him to fall into a daze. That’s why I had to push him out of the way.”
“Fine. Nasir can make himself useful and check that the crow is dead."
Able to get back up, Nasir kept his head down as he turned toward the crow and walked off. Ignoring the Ranger, Haera moved up next to Elemalu and asked, “Can you keep her stable long enough to make it back?”
“Yes. I think so.”
“You think?” Eyebrow raised, Haera eyed the healer.
“I don’t know what that spell is doing inside her. The best I can do is keep the wound closed.”
Focus switching from Elemalu to Lyra, and more importantly, her flame spirit friend Ruvan, Haera, took a slow breath and said, “You better have a good reason for keeping knowledge of that to yourself.”
Pushing through the pain being mediated through Elemalu’s constant trickle of healing energy, Lyra said, “Ruvan is my best friend. He formed from my mana and is bound to me. I still know little about him and rather lean towards keeping his existence a secret.”
“Fine. It hasn’t tried harming any of us, so I will let it slide. We need to get going.” Hands cupped to her mouth, Haera said, “Nasir, we are leaving! Keep our rear safe.” Hand gripping Elemalu’s shoulder, she said, “Keep Lyra on her feet. I will take point.”
Lyra felt Nasir’s gaze on the back of her head for most of the journey back. It got harder to concentrate through the pain every time she moved. Elemalu did his best to keep the wound closed, but he only had a finite amount of energy he could tap into.
The sun touched the horizon by the time they came within view of Timberwood. Lyra was being half-carried between Elemalu and Haera during the last part of the trek. Unfortunately, that is when the healing magic dried up and Elemalu lost his ability to support her.
Lyra’s legs buckled, slipping from Elemalu’s grasp and collapsing to the ground. To her surprise, Nasir rushed over and picked her up, letting her head rest against his chest. She heard, “I got this. Can you teleport and let them know?”
The next moment she felt the wind as Nasir ran toward the compound. Going in and out of consciousness, Lyra reached out to Ruvan.
Come back to me, my friend.
She heard Nasir yelp in surprise a moment before Ruven crashed into her and returned to his hiding spot. Credit to Nasir for not dropping her. When they reached the compound's entrance, Haera met them with the healers who placed her on a piece of cloth attached to poles.
A surge of healing rushed into Lyra, allowing her to relax and let sleep swallow her up. Before the black void dragged her under completely, she heard a voice whisper, “Don’t leave me.”