Lyra Dracorider's Arc

Chapter 11 of 15

Lyra woke to the sound of boots on frost and a voice she didn't recognize demanding entry at the front gate. She pushed herself up from the floor of the outdoor enclosure where she'd fallen asleep beside the new creature and crossed the hospital grounds before whoever it was could start shouting again. The woman standing on the herringbone wooden floor by the cherry tree wore a golden leather saddle slung over one shoulder and held a heart-shaped stone that caught the dawn light. Her blonde hair was tied back with a ribbon that matched the engraved patterns on the saddle, and her green eyes swept over Lyra like she was examining something broken. "I'm Sierra Leonmane," she said, not waiting for Lyra to speak. "Matthew brought you a creature yesterday that belongs to me. I want it back now." She lifted the golden stone. "This was in its nest when I found it. Proof enough?" Lyra looked past her toward the outdoor enclosure where the creature still lay bandaged and barely stable. Its breathing was steady, but moving it now would undo everything she'd spent the night fixing. "That creature nearly died," Lyra said. "It's not going anywhere until—" Sierra cut her off. "I didn't ask for a medical report. I asked for my property." She stepped forward, boots loud against the wood, and the creature in the enclosure lifted its head at the noise. Lyra felt her jaw tighten. She could hear its breath quicken, the way it always did before panic set in. "You need to leave," Lyra said, keeping her voice level. "Right now." Sierra didn't move. She stood there with the saddle and the stone, waiting like she'd never been refused anything in her life. Lyra turned and walked back to the enclosure, knelt beside the creature, and started humming—low and steady, the same rhythm she'd used with Brighton and the wyverns. The creature's breathing slowed. Sierra's boots scraped against the wood behind her, and Lyra heard her huff in frustration before the sound of her footsteps faded toward the gate. When Lyra looked up, Sierra was gone, but the golden stone sat on the ground near the edge of the wooden floor. Lyra picked it up and set it on the perimeter wall where it wouldn't be forgotten. The creature was hers to care for now, whether Sierra understood that or not.