Lyra and Kieran were alive but bruised and battered after the cave explosion. The shards of the shattered crystal sprawled across the forest floor, shimmering with a faint moonlight reflection that made it appear as if those tatters were damned mementos of their conflict. The last words of the silver-haired woman reverberated in Lyra's memory: It's not finished.
Kieran's touch was soft and strong as he lifted Lyra to standing. Let's have to travel. That could well have attracted more people.
Her body quaked, exhausted, and a jolt of the last remaining energy in her, Lyra nodded. "Kieran, she whispered, "it's not over, is it?"
He didn't reply; his mouth clamped shut. "No, he yielded, his voice dark. "Still, we'll fix it. With each other.".
They hid out briefly in a hollow tree amidst dense foliage. The flickering flames that Kieran constructed stood in such contrast to the damp, chilled hopelessness of the air around them.
Lyra sat beside him, curling her knees to her chest as her thoughts reeled and skittered over fears and unanswered questions.She suddenly spoke up, "Kieran," in a sudden break in the silence, "do you ever wonder if this move is too big for us?"
His dark eyes softened as he looked at her. "Always. But then I remember for what I fight."
"Could I have the light?" she thought, though she knew it already.
"For you, "he said steadily. Just that. For you. "Every step, every fight, it's all for you, Lyra." I will go round every shade to make sure you're safe.
She gasped and felt her chest lighten for a split second. "Your voice shook," said She. "You cannot always defend me." "What if I fail? What if I'm not tough enough?"
He reached out and stroked a hair that was falling out of place on her head. "Lyra, you've already proven your strength. You faced that monster head-on. You didn't just suffer; you succeeded.
Don't let doubt take that from you.".Their eyes locked and broke them out of the tension building since the first moment. Kieran inched slowly, hesitantly closer. His lips would touch hers now; her heart felt a plexus of both softness and desire. And the world simply disappeared as the two faded.
Kieran leaned his forehead against hers now as they stepped back. "His voice a promise," he added, "we'll take it no matter what."
The woods were unsettlingly silent the next day. Missing the familiar symphony of birdsong and rustling leaves, there was an odd silence.
Lyra and Kieran moved slowly with sharp awareness.Lyra could feel a curious tugging in her chest as they traveled, as if something invisible was directing her. "There's something close by," she said, her voice having an edge.
As for her vision, Kieran's hand shot out instinctively to the pommel of the sword. What is this?
"No, I have no idea,"
"But it feels. normal.
Out into an open space overseen by some ancient, ruinous altar, they pushed into the undergrowth. Carvings on the stone pulsed faintly: their light a perfect match to Lyra's heart rate.
"This place, she said in a low tone as she continued, "I have seen. In my seeing.
Keenly staying close, Kieran scanned around for any signs of danger. What do you recall?
With a mix of wonder and fear, she said, "It is where the Keeper first locked the shadows.
"This is where everything began.".A swift surge of energy ran through Lyra as she stepped forward toward the altar, and she went blind. She saw flashes of a battle long ago; soldiers are wielding both light and darkness fiercely in an all-out battle to save the earth from the oncoming darkness.
Through it all was a woman with her hands raised as she spoke the last curse, looking rather uncannily like Lyra.She fell to her knees, panting, when the vision faded. Kieran's hands were immediately at her side, steadying her.
"What happened?" he asked, worried in his voice.
Lyra stared. "I saw her. The original Keeper. She… gave up everything to seal the shadows. Her light, her life; it was the only way.
Kieran turned grim. He said firmly, You're not doing that. We will find another way.
And the air dropped, and the shadows got darker as they left the clearing. The forest felt full of hate; every step reminded them that they were monitored.
Kieran," Lyra said, her voice taut with terror, "we are not alone.
Figures stepped from the blackness, wrapped and hooded in curtained shadows, before he might answer. Their head, a guy with stunning golden eyes, emerged; his face was inscrutable.
"Keeper," he said softly but threateningly. "You have generated quite the ripple."
"Who are you?" Lyra asked, her voice kept calm.
The guy said, We are the Harbingers, "servants of the Shadow. We have come to give you options.
Kieran shifted to the front of Lyra, his sword raised. "Really not into her," he snapped.
The man laughed, looking at Kieran. "Ah, the loyal defender, I am told."
"But this is not your choice to make."
Lyra moved forward, her heart pounding. "Which is the correct one?"
The grin of the man grew. He said, Join us. "Accept the darkness and let us remake this world together, or reject it and watch all you love be devoured.
Lyra's blood turned cold. She asked, her voice shaking, "Why me?"
"Because you are the Keeper," said the man flatly. "Without you, too, the light cannot hold."
In time to open her mouth and utter a reaction, the Harbingers assailed. Kieran flew like lightning, his sword excruciatingly striking the edge of the enemy. Harnessing her magic, Lyra drove pieces of light to push back the dark shapes.
It was a desperate fight, every moment a storm of magic and steel. Grasping their last strength, the Harbingers surged forward in waves, millions upon millions of them.
"Lyra, go!" Kieran shouted, red streaking across his cheek. "I can hold them here!"
Then she screamed, unwilling to leave him to die. "We fight together."
Gathering what little energy was left, Lyra sent a flare of blinding light up into the sky. The Harbingers retreated, their shapes running together in the darkness as magic splattered them. The clearing was empty but for Lyra and Kieran when the light faded.
Gentle, Kieran turned to Lyra, drawing in their breath; his face was torn open. "He said quietly you did not have to wait here," he said. "Anyone might have got away."
She said, her voice breaking, "And leave you behind?" "Absolutely not."
He looked less jerky, but in his eyes there was a hint of remorse. "Lyra, there's something I have to let you know.".
"Is that it?" she inquired, her heart sinking with his voice.
He paused and then took a long breath. The agreement I made with the shadows was not only for me. It was for a person I adored. Someone I can't save.""
Lyra's breast clenched. Who? An adverb used to ask questions points to a subject or object.
"My sister, he said, agitated. I failed to use the strength the shadows gave me to keep her safe. And now they are using her against me.
Her fingers entwined his hand. She said firmly, "We will save her. "Whatever it takes."
Kieran turned to her, hope shining in his eyes. "You need not do this."
"Indeed I do," she said. "Not to lose you," Not to those guys. Not toward the shadows.
Just as they were leaving, a gust of icy wind came blowing through the clearing, bearing on it an ominous whisper: "The Keeper Fall."
Lyra and Kieran exchanged a look, hard set in their eyes. The fight was far from over, but they stood ready together for whatever darkness awaited them.