The Juras Complex (Book 1 of the Darkfell Chronicles) #wattys2019

IV

The familiar purple sky loomed above, Lyra let out a groan as she sat up from the bush she had found herself in. She observed her surroundings, debris was scattered around the forest, trees were either knocked over, uprooted or completely destroyed. Lyra winced as she staggered forward, holding her side when her back cried out in protest. It was a miracle she was even alive. She paused when she heard grinding metal when she moved her arms. She looked down at her right one and found that it was hanging loosely by a single wire, the metal plating heavily dented and broken. Lyra closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before looking up at the sky.

"Do ye have something against me?!"  She yelled up at it. "Is that it?"

The sky gave a clap of thunder in response.

She wandered through the wreck, nothing but silence and the soft breeze filled the clearing. Some of the metal and wood jutted out of the ground, making the scene look like some cruel graveyard. She couldn't see anyone or any bodies which she expected since everything within a thirty-metre radius of the ship was now smouldering. She looked down at her hands, and the bonds around Lyra's wrists flickered and then vanished, which meant either one of two things. The human who had cast the spell was dead or (which Lyra thought was more than likely) he was lying somewhere unconscious because of his brilliantly stupid idea to jump out of a crashing airship.

She let out a guttural growl, realising that if he hadn't let her out of the holding cell she would have become deep, crisp and even.

"Of all the stupid, idiotic things-"

She picked up her belt which had her twin blades sheathed and managed to buckle it around her waist with only working hand. Her face was burning, repaying favours was not her forte.

"If he dies before I find him, I swear to all Creation..."

She stepped through some bushes and into a small clearing where she found Xander hanging upside down, spinning around slowly. He glared at her.

"What?"

She watched him spin for a solid minute in silence, then she turned and started walking in the opposite direction.

"Don't just leave me here!"

And Xander continued to complain for the next ten minutes after Lyra cut him down. She managed to ignore him for the most part, even the string of racial slurs and swearing that would occasionally slip out whenever his foot was caught on a root or stuck in a hole. Lyra resisted an eye roll. Some knight he turned out to be. The sound of leaves rustling and twigs snapping made Lyra pause, thrusting out an arm to stop Xander from going any further. She tilted her head, distant footsteps and muffled voices were heard. She strained to hear the conversation, only hearing the end of it.

"...survivors. If we find any, we're to kill on sight."

"What is it?"

"Haud yer wheesht!" The footsteps were getting closer.

"Lyra-"

She clasped her hand over Xander's mouth and tackled him into some bushes. The men had stopped talking.

"Shut up or you'll get us both killed!"

Xander struggled under her weight, his cries of protest muffled by her hand but seemingly conceded and settled for glaring at her.

~

Xander had never felt more ashamed. There he was, lying in a bush with a dark elf sitting on top of him with her hand covering his mouth for silence. And it was all because he was too deaf in elf standards.