Princess Nymeria's Arc

Chapter 32 of 32

The two men stepped between Nymeria and the trees, blocking the only way out. They were broad and armed, blades already drawn. Behind Nymeria, Valor pushed Lyra toward the horses. Elara laughed against her ropes. "You thought this was over," she said. "Kill the elves. Leave the demon for the boss." Nymeria's fire had already scorched the grass. She could throw more. She could burn them down and be done. But her hands shook, and not from fear. She was tired. Tired of fighting, tired of flame, tired of the smell of char. She looked at Lyra's bruised cheek and made a different choice. She hated her charm. She feared what it made her. But she was done bleeding for people who wanted to drag her friend back into a cage. She let her eyes open wide and let the power rise. Her eyes glowed purple, bright as coals. The two men stopped mid-step. Their blades drooped. Their faces went slack and soft. "They won't fall for that," Elara grunted. "They're paid men. They don't—" But the men had already turned. Nymeria pointed at the nearest tree. "Tie yourselves to it," she said, her voice low and certain. "Tight. You will not chase me. You will not remember you came here. Tell your boss you found nothing." The first man dropped his sword. He walked to the trunk and looped his own rope around his chest, pulling it snug. The second man followed. They knotted themselves to the bark, side by side, and let their heads fall forward. Their eyes went empty and calm. Elara stared. Her mouth opened under her hood. "What are you?" Lyra stepped forward, rubbing her freed wrists. She grinned wide despite the bruise. "My best friend is what she is." The words landed harder than any blade. Nymeria let the glow fade from her eyes. She had used the thing she feared most, and no one had flinched from her for it. Lyra had only smiled. Valor came to her side, watching the bound men with wide eyes. "I have never seen charm hold on paid men," he said quietly. "You compelled them to forget. That is not a small thing." "It frightens me too," Nymeria admitted. But her voice held steady. They mounted quickly. Valor bound Elara to his mare again. The wolf circled the tree once, sniffed the two slack men, then loped after Nymeria. The men did not stir. They would wake with no memory, only rope and shame to explain. As they rode from the clearing, Lyra pulled her horse close. "You could have burned them," she said. "You chose the other way." "I was tired of the burning," Nymeria said. But a cold thought followed her out of the woods. The men would return to their boss empty-handed. And a boss who hired assassins and armed men would want to know exactly why. Someone powerful had paid for this.