First | Previous | Chapter Index | Next

Indaturan’s touch on Lydia’s mind was gentle, like a soft blanket wrapping around her. “You have a good mind, Lydia-ida,” he said after a moment. “Very orderly. I like it. It’ll make shielding you easier.”

A moment later she felt him start laying down some sort of ward around her. From the inside she could see through it with no problem but she could sense that from the outside, it would create a sort of psychic smoke and mirrors that would make her seem to be somewhere else to anyone seeking her psychically. Read the rest of this entry »

First | Previous | Chapter Index | Next

“Okay,” Alaryia said. “Tak and I are going to start peeling off the first layer of this thing. When we hit a booby trap, we’ll stop and let Indaturan and Ystelyan deal with it before continuing.”

“That seems reasonable,” Matthias said. “Is there anything we can do? I mean, Sonia’s learning new wards and Lyd is resting, but the rest of us?”

“Not really,” Alaryia said. “Contact your other allies and tell them what has happened, maybe? I suspect they are wondering where you are.” Read the rest of this entry »

First | Previous | Chapter Index | Next

“Do you think you can extract it?” Matthias asked. “I mean, I presume there was a reason no one removed the one in that key of Hannah’s.”

“The imp?” Takilyan asked. “Well whoever made this wasn’t as skilled as Likadrian, so we should be able to remove it and render the rapier inert. It’s going to be doing it without destroying the imp before we can identify its creator that’s the problem.” He stroked his fingers over the rapier. “It would be difficult at the best of times and I’m fairly sure that this is booby trapped to prevent that.” Read the rest of this entry »

First | Previous | Chapter Index | Next

“Malice specifically aimed at Lyd?” Daniel asked.

Adrian nodded, hefted the rapier and impaled his own hand on it without even flinching. A moment later, he pulled it off and raised his hand to reveal no wound. “It’s somehow been made to only damage her. I mean, it will damage inanimate objects as well but not living things, and even now it’s trying to move itself to aim at her. I don’t think it can actually do that but there’s an imp empowering it so I wouldn’t like to swear to it.” Read the rest of this entry »

First | Previous | Chapter Index | Next

A gnawing sense of alarm grew in Lydia’s stomach as she waited for Melissa to return with Sonia. She didn’t think Xantaria would try and kidnap her again but the sense of being watched was making her skin crawl. She tried to keep calm but her anxiety suddenly peaked into an uncharacteristic panic, making her leap to her feet and flee the room just in time to run into her mother and Melissa.

“Lyd! What’s wrong?” Her mother asked as Lydia clung to her. Read the rest of this entry »

First | Previous | Chapter Index | Next

“We do need to do something about her before she does anything.” Matthias tutted to himself. “And I’m still bothered by how easy rescuing Lyd was. She’s managed to be one step ahead of us every step of the way, so why wasn’t she expecting us?”

“Someone helped me,” Lydia said. “I don’t know who she was but she said she was a friend of Anndarian’s.”

“Yes, you said,” Matthias said. “But I still don’t like it. What do you think, Sonia?” Read the rest of this entry »

First | Previous | Chapter Index | Next

“Kaz is definitely a bad choice,” Daniel said. “They know she’s been lying to them about her identity for years now. They’re unlikely to trust her.”

“That’s true, Matt,” Sarah said. “The Merryweathers are nasty but they aren’t stupid, they’ll realise she’s up to something.” Read the rest of this entry »

First | Previous | Chapter Index | Next

“So where are Dad and Kaz?” Daniel asked.

“I’m not sure,” Sonia said. “Matthias grabbed Kaz first thing this morning and said he needed her help with something. He’d been talking to Sal so I think she knows what’s going on.” She led them across the Briarthorne campus to where Sarah was staying.

Sarah opened the doot before they reached it. “Hi! Looking for Matt?” she asked before looking over Sonia’s shoulder to Lydia. “Lydia! How are you today?”

“Better, thank you,” Lydia said. Read the rest of this entry »

First | Previous | Chapter Index | Next

Two different kinds of hunger woke Lydia the next morning: both the not-unexpected hunger for energy but the more normal hunger for physical food. She lay there staring at the ceiling as she tried to decide which she should deal with first. She still hadn’t decided when there was a quiet rap on the door. She sat up and realise Karen wasn’t there. Had she already got up or had she not come back last night? She looked back at the door as the knock was repeated. “Come in!”

“Morning, Lyd.” Her mother came in carrying a tray with Lyrrekka behind her. “How are you feeling?” Read the rest of this entry »

First | Previous | Chapter Index | Next

Karen sat on her bed leafing through a novel but if she was honest with herself she wasn’t really reading it. She was hyperaware of Lydia, who had fallen asleep almost as soon as they got home. With her eyes closed, her sister looked unchanged – but her energy told a different story. Even though she knew it was a good thing, there was something distinctly odd about sensing a dragon without their hunger scratching at her skin. The fact the dragon was her sister just made it doubly odd.

“I can feel you doing that you know, Kaz,” Lydia said suddenly. Her eyes were still closed but she had rolled onto her back. Read the rest of this entry »