Midnight (Book 1)

Lyra

Midnight - Antila
Year 937 - Heat season

Kaat Ziera

Today has been... Well, it sounds wrong to call it eventful but that's what it is. It's really horrible.  don't know where to begin but Corale and I went to the bakery and found it empty. We searched the whole street and after a while an old lady asked if she could help us with anything. She told us she'd seen Lynx kneeling before Lyra's parents' stone memorial, and that we should probably hear what had happened from Lynx. We were also told they kept their memorials at the outskirts of the village on the top of a hill to the south. The sight that met us when we finally got there is one of the most heartbreakening scenes I've ever witnessed. Lynx knelt before the memorial, head lowered and in her hand was a single black rose. When we came nearer we could distinguish the prayer she whispered

Into the night she walks
To never again return
Forever gone
Towards an endlessly forgotten world
Where eternal harmony reign
~
To be united with you, her ancestors

I ran for her. I embraced her, squeezing her tight just as she lay down that rose. Quiet tears ran down her flushed cheeks that indicated she'd been crying here for a good while. Corale hugged her from the other side with glazed eyes. I began rocking Lynx gently and Corale soothed her. Lynx calmed down after a while and we steadied her while slowly making our way back to the village. Seated at a cafe with some hot milk and newly baked bread, Lynx began telling us what had happened.

When we departed last night Lynx and Lyra had decided to go for a walk. Before they knew it they were far, far away from the village. Just as they were about to turn back they heard something further away at the tree line. Lyra was curious about what it was, amazed as she was about every living being, while Lynx wanted to return to the village as soon as possible. But with Lyra running off towards the sound Lynx had no choice but to follow. When Lynx caught up with Lyra, it was too late. Lyra had stopped midway through a clearing in the forest, eyes wide and legs shaking. Instinctively, Lynx hid behind a tree.

Because facing Lyra was an Orc.

As I've mentioned, Orcs usually don't bother hunting humans but this one had seemed strange. It's actually easier to pick on the ones of their own size. Orcs are the biggest creatures and we humans are too small and too quick for them to catch. Could it'd been the first Orc mutant? It was slightly smaller than the normal ones. The eyes were red rimmed, almost as if something were pursuing it. Desperately, Lynx tried to come up with something to do. She thought that with some pure luck she might be able to make it chase her to the cliff where Lyra and Lynx used to dive into Lake Canis. Since Orcs aren't known for their good swimming skills she thought she could escape into the depth of the lake. But just as she was about to show herself, the Orc had also decided to make a move. Lyra fell to her knees as the Orc approached her. Her eyes stared beyond the Orc, into nothing and her body had gone still as the darkest night. Depsite the Orc being smaller than they use to be it still towered over Lyra and Lynx could do nothing. No matter how she tried and tried to get its attention it didn't as much as glance at her. The Orc picked up the now hysterical and screaming Lyra by the leg and swung her back and forth like a doll. When it grabbed her second leg too she went silent and stopped trying to wrestle out of its grip. The sight of Lyra being teared apart in half might never fade from Lynx's memory. Lynx didn't stay to see what happened after but the sound of someone chewing loudly made it clear. Lynx ran and ran, panting for breath, until she was at the memorial of Lyra's parents. Only then did she stop. She stayed there, kneeling, until she didn't know if it had been hours, days or weeks. 

When she finished telling them the bread lay untouched but the milk was gone until the last drop. My mind franticallt trying to find a scenario where no one died, where no one got hurt. I stared into the table. I couldn't. Slowly I raised my gaze to meet hers and I told her how brave she'd been, how utterly brave and that she'd done nothing wrong. It wasn't her fault the Orc hadn't adverted his eyes. It wasn't her fault Lyra had run for it. It wasn't her fault they had gone for a walk that night. When I finished my throat hurt and voice was barely more than a whisper. Lynx just nodded silently. No one knew what more to say and the heavy silence surrounded our table. The other Mortals around us laughed and enjoyed their break, no one noticed the bitter atmosphere in the corner of the cafe. A waitress came and cleaned the table. I passed her some aras without a word and she disappeared. At last, I said she at least deserves a ceremony and the other agreed. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be able to retrieve her body, if there's even something left. We discussed the ceremony a little but none of us really felt like talking about it although we all agreed to have it at the lake. We'll bring it up with the village's headmaster tomorrow.

Lynx suggested we'd stay at her house for the rest of our visit and we wouldn't have to pay her. I think part of it was because she doesn't want to sleep alone which is something I understand. That's how we ended up here, in her house. It's really cozy, not big but comforting. There's three small rooms separated by homemade rugs. The first is a combined living space and kitchen while the other two are bedrooms. The biggest of the rooms belonged to Lyra's parents and Lyra and Lynx shared the other. No one's been in the parent's bedroom since their unfortunate deaths. The house if furnished in a simple way with only the most necessary. Everything is made out of wood or yarn. It's not among the most modern considering there's no chimney nor washroom. When cooking you have to go outside by the western wall where there's a fire pit with a shaggy roof above. There's no warm source inside the house but there's plenty of warm blankets. In the middle of the village is a facility where you can clean yourself up a bit and find some toilets. Not many of the houses here are modern since there's mostly Elder Mortals living here who doesn't have the strenght to recondition their houses. On the contrary, in the capital, Cassopeia, almost every house is of the most modern types. They're made of brickwork and have some sort of "wire" (or what they call them) beneath the floor to keep it warm even during the arctic season. Only the richest and most important Mortals are allowed to live within the protecting wall of the grand capital. Or so they say. Even the great Cassopeia has its flaws. Half the city consists of slums where they throw away the failures who were born inside the walls. The failures are children of important poeple who didn't succeed their education or heirs to family industries who aren't able ot refuses to take over the business. They may be geniuses but as long as they don't serve the purpose placed on them by the rulers, they are failures. But even those slums' got better standard than us outside the wall. Getting into the capital is difficult but getting out is even more suspicious. Why would anyone ever want to leave the flourishing capital for the terrifying world beyond?  This knowledge, of course, aren't open to everyone. Euthalia had friends everywhere and she always told us the latest new from the capital. The news no one was supposed to talk about. It actually was Euthalia who saw to it that Corale and I got our apprenticeships. 

I've been thinking about Lyra. I can't imagine what it would be like to watch something like that. I deeply hope I'll never have to. The mere thought of something as horrible as that happening to me makes my whole body shiver. Though our grief must be nothing compared to Lynx's who have known her for so long. They only had each other, just like I only have Corale. I can't imagine losing her, a life without her. It's not right to leave Lynx like this, nonetheless we have to move on. We've never liked staying for long anywhere and there's no guarantee how much of that material there is. We'll stay for Lyra's ceremony but not long after that. I contemplated asking Lynx to come with us. They said they were interested in what we were doing and I hoped Lynx hadn't changed her mind. Maybe it would do her good to get away from here, for now at least. It would definitely help her to be around people who care now.

I brought it up during lunch. When I asked her if she still wanted to know more about us and what we're doing she nodded so I began to tell her our story. She deserves to know about us now that we know so much about her. I told her of our parents, how they went on the same journey as her father did. I told her of our life with Euthalia. And lastly, I told her about our desire to change the world. If not the global world, then our tiny view of it. When I didn't remember, Corale told the story. Lynx didn't say much, a couple of questions here and there, she listened quietly. By the time we were done the sun had shone its last ray and the moon glowed bright. Lynx remained quiet for some time and said at last that she wished to make us company and that she'll learn how to hund and wanted to study herbs with Corale. Her brown eyes were lit with determination. 

Now we're laying on our blankets and Corale and Lynx are talking herbs. I'm glad Lynx'll be following us. I've realized I would miss her. During the short we've known each other, barely a day, we've come together perfectly all three. I wish I could say all four... I'll always regret not getting to know Lyra, from that short encounter she'd seemed kind and cheerful.

More updates tomorrow

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Author's note

I hope you like the new chapter. Things are starting to go downhill now, aren't they?

Please comment what you think about it so far! <3