Chapter 1

Lyra

Lyra jolted awake gasping for air as tears streamed down her cheeks. She hugged her shoulders as she shook her head and desperately tried to force the nightmare to stop spiraling in her mind. A blinding flash of purple and the stench of rotting flesh. The sound of her father’s body hitting the wall and crumbling to the ground. The memories flooded her with the pain and tears she’d known for twenty years. She had never meant to kill him. She was just terrified and hurt. Angry at what he was doing to her; what he always did to her. She had squeezed her eyes shut as she gasped for air and silently wished he would die. She wanted to kill him. But mainly, she just wanted it to stop.

She shivered as a cold, night breeze blew into the cave she was hiding in. She didn’t know where to go. She had just ran away as fast as she could. So, she ran until she had found somewhere to hide, moving to a new spot every day or two. Lyra knew she had to hide from her Uncle Erebus because he was dangerous when anyone angered him, and this was something that would make him furious.

A heavy shuffling broke Lyra’s train of thought. She scooted back into the shadows and held her breath, afraid of what might hear her. A moment later, she heard two heavy footsteps followed by a deep, rumbling groan. The footsteps walked into the cave, hobbling awkwardly. She drew back farther and tried to disappear but bumped into the cave wall. and froze when she whacked her elbow against the cool stone. She bit back a cry as pain throbbed down her arm.

The shuffling stopped, followed by a low growl. A heavy footstep came closer. She closed her eyes tight, afraid of what might happen next. Afraid of who it may be. The silence sat thick in the air of the cave as she waited. Her heart raced as her panicked breathing wrecked her chest. After several long moments, she opened her eyes slowly. She strained to see into the darkness as she blinked.

A puff of hot, rotting stench hit her in the face, blowing her hair back. A small beam of sunlight came through the entrance, illuminating the silhouette of a figure in front of her. The giant head of a mountain troll stared at her from around the corner of the cave wall.

She screamed and tried to back further away, but the mountain troll grabbed one of her scrambling legs and pulled her closer. She screamed again as it dragged her along the rocky floor, and flailed her other leg, wildly kicking at the troll until it landed hard against the troll's knee. With a thud the troll let go and pain radiated up her leg. It roared and lunged forward, grabbing for her again. She jumped up and ran past the mountain troll, and out of the cave as fast as she could. When she finally stopped to catch her breath, the pain in her leg grew. Gritting her teeth, she fumbled her weight from one leg to the other and limped away further into the mountains.

Chapter 2

Alexandria

Alexandria headed up a mountain, farther south and east. In the dream she had of Lyra, her twin sister was in a mountain cave. Alexandria had only found a few caves, but none would suffice for anything larger than a raccoon.  As she searched, she replayed parts of the dream in her mind. She was certain now that they weren’t simply dreams, but the most recent one had felt completely different than the others. It was like she had stepped into Lyra’s nightmare. And this time she hadn’t only seen and felt Lyra’s nightmare, but she had seen where her sister was in the real world.

Asterope had said that some witches possessed the power to see into people’s minds. But why was it only working on Lyra then? And why hadn’t she seen her before? She still had so many questions, and it seemed the longer her adventure, the more questions she had.

She stayed within the tree line, making sure that if anyone was traveling through the mountains, they wouldn’t notice her. She kept an eye on her surroundings and listened for anything that didn’t sound like a bird. Alexandria stopped and climbed up into a tree to eat, sketch landmarks, and get a higher vantage point to look around her. She was getting used to traveling through the forest. Her legs didn’t stay sore as they did the first few days inside, and she felt like she was moving faster as well. Now she was certain she could cover the width of the forest, from the Cloaked Mountains to the tallgrass field leading to the castle, in a matter of a day, instead of several. She was still achy and exhausted at the end of each long day, but she was happy her body was adapting.

Her fingers traced the lines of several of her wounds as she looked out over the forest from the tall branch. They were all healing. Some with bumpy scabs, some already turning into scars, some with the first signs of scabbing, and others in various colorations of bruises. They were going to be her first scars, and some of them were thick. Some ran several inches long. As her fingers slid across one, she thought of what caused it. Pride warmed her slightly at the thought. They were reminders of the fights, the battles she had won.  

After continuing the search and not finding a cave, and with the sun beginning to set, she decided to call it a night. She hunted a doe, and cooked the meat, making sure not to waste anything and show respect. She climbed up a tall oak and made herself comfortable for the night on a strong branch.

She leaned back against the tree thinking about what to write as she pulled her journal out of her bag. She had only been reading her mother’s book during the day, being careful to keep from using any light at night that would attract unwanted eyes. But she still journaled for a few minutes just before sundown. She opened it to a fresh page and paused, unsure what to write.

Then, instead of addressing it to her mother, as she normally would, she wrote to Corwin. She wrote about the last couple of days, and everything she had learned. All the questions she still had, and how much she missed him. A tear slid from the corner of her eye, drying on her cheek. She thought of holding Corwin as he died in her arms, of his last words to her, of everything. She didn’t know if the pain would ever go away. It felt like she had a gaping hole in her, one that would never be filled.

She had admired Corwin since he came to the castle and became her personal guard when they were children. Of course, she had other guards as well, always close at hand. Corwin wanted to help his family, so her father had hired him to keep her company. It wasn’t long before he became an official guard, quickly showing his determination and loyalty. But that wasn’t the only reason she had admired him.

Corwin was always kind and understanding. And no matter how young they both were when he started guarding her, she had always felt safe with him. Even though she had grown up without knowing about magic, as a member of the royal family she would be a target from other kingdoms if the worst happened. She rarely met anyone from another kingdom, but she still knew of the threat. Her father always made sure she understood, that if a war ever broke out, she’d be in danger. But Corwin had always made her feel safe.

He had excelled in pretty much everything he tried, from sword play to horseback riding, to teaching the guard recruits. He treated everyone in the kingdom the same way, with a kind heart, regardless of their title, or lack of title, in the kingdom. The fact that his father had disappeared, and Alexandria’s mother had died, had only brought them closer together in understanding.

She had fallen for him long ago but was always too afraid to show her feelings. She wasn’t sure how he would react, and though he was always kind and understanding, she worried how he’d feel about her feelings for him. Now, she wished she had said something sooner. Maybe they could have had more time together, in love.

Alexandria let the tiny flame extinguish from her finger, put away her journal, and leaned back against the tree. She thought of Corwin. She thought of what her father might be doing. And she thought of Lyra and hoped she was somewhere safe.

Thoughts, and so many questions, roamed her mind as she dozed off to sleep, alone in the dark of the Old Forest.

Chapter 3

Lyra

As the sun rose, Lyra climbed over the last foot of the mountain in front of her. The night before, she had heard the ocean waves crashing into the rocks, and a thought had come to her. Maybe, just maybe, she could make it to the ocean, and then she might be able to find a boat. A way to escape. She was sure, that if she left and sailed off, her uncle would never find her. And she’d be free. Free of her past, forever.

She didn’t know how to sail a boat. She had only learned how to swim while bathing in the nearby stream. But anything was better than staying and getting caught by her uncle’s myrmidons.

She stumbled over the rocks as she walked, and sighed with relief when she finally made it to the sandy bank. She sat and slipped off her shoes, rubbing her leg, grateful the pain had almost entirely subsided. She breathed in the salty air and smiled. She had never seen the ocean before but had always known it wasn’t far away. Her father never let her stray from their home. But if she focused hard enough, she could hear the waves crash against the shore as she laid in her bed.

Now, she looked ahead of her, as the ocean stretched endlessly to the horizon. As she watched, the sun rose and lit up the sky. The first rays of the day shone on her and warmed her skin. Her smile widened as it filled her up and lightened her worries.

That’s the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my eyes on. Her words hung in the air like a feather in the wind as she soaked in the pastel-painted sky. The sun reflected on the waves, turning them peach, and then making them blush under her rays.  She smiled as she thought of how beautiful an escape it was going to be. But first, she decided to sit and enjoy it for a while as she watched the waves crash against the shore.

After what felt like an hour, she got up and went to look for a boat.

She had walked for most of the day and still hadn’t found a boat, she noticed the sun had begun to fall behind the trees of the Old Forest. It was going to be nightfall soon, so she quickly decided to find some shelter for the night, knowing the cold would be coming along with it. She climbed back away from the shore until she reached the other side of the mountain. Searching for a while, she found a small crevice large enough for her to lay in. She pulled some large, leafy branches off a nearby tree, and laid down in the crevice, covering herself with them in hopes of blocking out the cold. Her thin, ragged dress did little to keep her warm.

She laid in silence for a long time, an ache in her empty stomach only helping to increase her spinning thoughts. Thoughts of everything that had happened. Fear of being found. The vision of the beautiful waves crashing upon the shore while the sun rose above the horizon. The stars in the dark sky overhead, as she watched between the leaves of the branches over her. Tomorrow, she would need to find some food. Finally, as she watched the stars and thought of how she’d find something to eat, her eyes drooped heavily as sleep fell over her like a warm blanket.

Chapter 4

Alexandria

Alexandria made it to the last few large mountains and walked around searching. Finally, she eyed a cave part of the way up and halfway hidden by a large tree. She sighed, relieved to have found one that could be the place her sister had been sleeping. She hiked up to the cave and slowly stepped inside. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness within as her hands slid along the interior cave walls.

Lyra? she whispered. She didn’t want to scare her. Who knew what all she’d been through? Lyra? She slowly stepped farther inside the cave and looked around her carefully.

She scrunched up her nose against a raunchy stench that clung to the air like itchy dust. Just as she started to wonder what the smell was, a low roar echoed in the cave. It reverberated off the walls, making it difficult to decipher what direction it came from. She froze, glancing around her. Another roar rumbled louder, nearby. She backed away toward the entrance of the cave, hoping whatever it was wouldn’t attack.

A shuffle of feet and another rumbling roar drew her attention to the wall in front of her, and the large, gray feet on the floor visible from a beam of light streaming through a small hole in the cave wall. Her gaze followed the feet to the legs and upward as she backed away, and her eyes slowly landed on a tall, dark figure. As it shuffled toward her, the beam crossed its body, illuminating a robust chest, far larger than any man. She backed out of the cave, stumbling slightly as she stepped down the embankment. Then, a large, round head, the size of a boulder, ducked out of the cave.

The mountain troll watched her as she stared in terror. It stepped from the cave in front of her and stood looking at the small princess. The mountain troll towered over her, at least three men tall. Its mouth opened in a horrible roar, shaking the ground under her feet.

The beast stepped toward her abruptly, and she jumped down the embankment, sliding to the ground. But as she met the flat ground, the mountain troll leapt down and landed just in front of her. She scrambled to her feet and drew her sword. The troll swung its heavy arm and knocked the sword from her hand, sending a shock of pain up her arm. She gritted her teeth in pain and stared up at the mountain troll.

It grinned, baring yellowed teeth, and exhaling a foul, heated breath that held in the cool air. He lunged toward her, reaching for her arms and