Lyra Wanderlight's Arc

Chapter 1 of 14

Lyra stopped walking when the amulet at her throat went cold. Not the usual hum that had pulled her across three valleys and a dried riverbed toward the Shimmer Veil. This was different. Wrong. The citrine-amethyst crystal twisted against her skin, tugging upward instead of forward. She looked up. A creature swept overhead, silent and gold. Its wings were made of leaves — bright yellow oak leaves that rustled without wind. The thing had no business flying, yet it glided smooth as water. The moment it passed above her, the amulet lurched. Hard. The violet light inside the crystal flared so bright it hurt to look at. Lyra grabbed the pendant with both hands, but it pulled her up onto her toes. The chain dug into her neck. She'd never felt it do this before. The creature banked left, circling back. The amulet followed it, dragging her around like a compass needle chasing north. Lyra planted her feet and held tight. Her pulse hammered in her ears. The crystal's facets pulsed with each beat of those leaf-wings. Whatever power the amulet held, it wanted that thing. Bad. Around her, the ground began to glow. Pillars of pale yellow light rose from cracks in the stone, their edges sharp with amethyst shards. The air smelled like rain about to fall. The creature dove. Lyra braced herself, but it didn't attack. It landed ten feet away and folded its wings. Up close, she could see its eyes — black and bright and watching. The amulet's pull softened to a steady throb. Lyra let out a breath and lowered her hands. The creature tilted its head. She had no idea what it was, but the amulet knew. And for the first time since she'd started chasing the Shimmer Veil, something had found her first.