The Lores of Lyra - Burning Star [Book III]

Chapter 15 - A Death Worth Dreading

Chapter 15 – A Death Worth Dreading

“What?” Eric asked, his brain trying to keep up with this new information. “What did you just say?”

He couldn’t believe his own ears. Errai actually planned to use him to trick Amelia into killing herself. He shook his head. She wouldn’t do that—she couldn’t. It was awful enough to have been captured, leaving her to fend for herself, in the first place. But to discover he was going to be the cause of her death, as well. It was too much for him to handle. He would go insane from the sheer thought of it.

“You heard me,” Errai said, walking over to him. “And I do believe you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Errai’s lips curved in a terrifying grin, his eyes narrowing with glee over others misfortune. The sight alone made Eric want to vomit. “You’re a monster,” he muttered.

“Why, thank you.” Errai beamed. “I do try.”

“You won’t get away with this,” Joshua said.

“Who’s going to stop me?” Errai turned away from Eric, his eyes shooting daggers towards Joshua. “You? In case you hadn’t noticed, I have the upper hand here.”

“That doesn’t ensure you succeed, though,” Joshua said. “If I remember correctly, you’ve always been a step ahead of us. Yet, we’ve caused all of your effort to be in vain. This time is no different.”

Eric couldn’t see what Errai did next. He walked out of view, and Eric was left staring at the kneeling Tom. The man was still praising the earth, waiting for some command—like a submissive slave trying to please its master.

Maybe that wasn’t an entirely wrong description of the failure of a man in front of him. Eric couldn’t deny the fact that the thought of him alone, only increased his nausea. Something caught his attention from his peripheral vision, and Eric moved his head to see what was happening.

A giant black lion was pacing back and forth in the distance. Dread filled Eric; he hadn’t counted on that thing being alive. He recalled the injuries on the Star Lion, and they’d only been fighting for a short amount of time.

“Ah,” Errai’s voice pierced through his thoughts. “I see you’ve met my pet. Don’t worry. I assure you—she will bite.”

“Why do villains always have such a bad humor?” Joshua asked. “Seriously, all of those clever insults you throw of—they’re not clever at all.”

Eric couldn’t respond. Joshua did a fantastic job at keeping Errai busy, but Eric was unable to open his mouth. His eyes interlocked with the lion’s eyes. That thing was stronger than a Star Lion. He shivered.

“She’ll kill you, Eric. You know that, right?” Errai said. “I can sense your fear, and it makes me happy.”

“Yeah?” Joshua said. “I doubt you even know that feeling.”

‘Are you okay?’ Joshua’s voice sounded inside Eric’s head. ‘Don’t let him scare you. We’ll figure it out.’

Errai gasped. “Where are my manners?” He clapped his hands. “I haven’t even told you what my master plan entails.”

“Yeah. You’re a terrible host,” Joshua said. “I’d like to give a formal complaint.”

Eric wasn’t paying much attention to their banter. He tuned them out for the moment and concentrated on the sky. There were no Stars in sight, but according to Joshua’s thoughts, it was only an illusion. The Stars were still listening. He closed his eyes and prayed.