Princess Nymeria's Arc

Chapter 31 of 32

The king pressed a chest of gold into Nymeria's hands before dawn. It was heavier than it looked. Valor loaded Lyra's white spotted mare for himself. Nymeria mounted her own black horse with the purple saddle. The wolf paced beside them, ears up. They rode fast and steady, no words between them. The gold weighed against Nymeria's leg the whole way, and one thought filled her mind: let Lyra be alive. They reached the meeting place at dusk, an empty clearing far from the spires. Elara stood at its center, hood back, blonde hair catching the last light. A knife hung at her belt. Behind her, Lyra sat bound against a stump, wrists tied, a bruise on her cheek. She lifted her head and saw them. "Took you long enough," Lyra called. Her voice cracked, but the joke held. "I was starting to think you liked the quiet." Nymeria's heart lurched. Even bound, Lyra teased. That was how you knew she was still herself. Elara raised a hand. "The gold. Set it down and step back. Then she walks." Valor dismounted, fury tight in his jaw. Nymeria caught his arm. "Let me," she said. She lowered the chest to the grass and opened the lid. Gold gleamed inside. Elara's eyes flicked to the coin. In that half-second, Nymeria moved. She did not use charm. She used fire first. A ribbon of purple flame snapped from her palm and struck the knife from Elara's hand. The blade spun into the dirt. Elara lunged for it. Nymeria threw a wall of flame between the assassin and the weapon. Heat roared up, purple and bright. Elara stumbled back, arm raised against the glare. "Run and the fire finds you," Nymeria said. "Stay and it doesn't, any other movement and I will use my charm." Valor was already at Lyra's side, cutting the ropes. Lyra rubbed her wrists and stood. Elara looked at the flames, at the wolf's bared teeth, at the two elves. She did not run. She raised her empty hands. "The gold, then," Elara said. "I only ever wanted the gold." "You get chains," Valor said. He bound her wrists with the same rope that had held his sister. But before he could finish two big men came out from the woods “You thought I’d come alone.” Elara said smiling Nymeria let herself breathe a moment and calmed herself. Smoke drifted up from scorched grass. She went to Lyra and gripped her shoulders. “You okay?” "I'm insulted, mostly," Lyra said laughing. "Kidnapped by someone I trusted. Bad taste in friends. Present company aside." She almost smiled. Then she leaned into Nymeria and held on. They rode home under a rising moon, Elara bound and stumbling behind Valor's mare. The gold rode in the chest, untouched. Nymeria kept close to Lyra, watching her breathe. At the gate, Lyra caught her hand. "I am glad you came and I am even happier I got to see you fight.” Nymeria held her friend closely.