The Lores of Lyra - Rising Star [Book I]

Chapter 17 - Tied Down

Chapter 17 - Tied Down

A biting itch woke Miriam from her slumber. She wanted nothing more than to swat at it and scratch, but something prevented her from using her arm. It took a moment for awareness to settle in, so she felt extremely confused to find herself bound to a tree, a rope wrapping across her torso several times.

She looked around, the plantation before her was not the same place she had fallen asleep. Flowers in vibrant purples, fiery oranges, and electric blues bloomed everywhere, releasing soothing fragrances on the light breeze. Birds called from the trees and zipped freely from bough to bough. The idyllic scene was almost enough to make her forget the unnerving strangeness of waking up tied to a tree.

Beside her, Annabell snored, softly. Though Miriam had sensed her sister immediately in her mind, it still felt good to have visual confirmation that she was, in fact, alive. That left only the boys to worry about… She didn’t see, nor heard, any sign of either Blake or Joshua. She quietly hoped that nothing serious had happened to them.

It was as if someone flipped a switch. Almost instantly, the breeze ceased blowing, and the birds silenced their playful calling. The glen’s pretty tranquility evaporated under darkening clouds. An unexplainable fear clawed at Miriam’s heart, and she fought to keep from shivering. She jumped when Annabell snapped awake, gasping for breath.

“What’s going on? I could… feel you, or your fear. What the Hell? Why are we tied up? Where’s Joshua?” Annabell fired off the questions without waiting for answers, straining against their bonds. She was angry, but Miriam detected anxiety as well and it only increased her own fear.

She didn’t see where he came from. For all she could tell, Blake just appeared in the middle of the glen. She tried to rationalize it in her mind, but the small clearing left no place for hiding. One minute he wasn’t there, and then he was head down, his hair hanging oily and heavy over his eyes.

He let out a dark, menacing laughter as he slowly straightened his back. The sound made goose bumps appear on Miriam’s bare skin. The short hairs stood straight, and she found herself struggling to catch a breath when his black eyes found hers.

“My dear, Miriam,” he said. He sent as wretched skewed and smile that bore no signs of his usual charm, “I apologize that you will have to see me like this.”

He gestured to his eyes and let out a faked sigh, “It was not the plan to reveal this yet, I promise!”

Miriam couldn’t speak, fear had clogged her airway, and she was paralyzed in anxiety. Where’s Joshua? Who is this guy? Where is the real Blake?

Questions swamped her senses, and she watched with horror as Blake started pacing in front of her.

“You know… I almost got killed several times last night,” he said. He was looking away, and Miriam thought he might not be addressing her until he jerked his head around to face her, “That’s something I should write in a diary – that is if I had one.”

“Blake, untie me. Right now!” Annabell commanded furiously. He switched his attention to her.

“That would be absolutely no fun at all. I’ve been listening on you two bantering about hope, love, and prophecies for so long now! And every day, I was forced to wait patiently as your powers grew,” he paused for dramatic effect, “Honestly though, I am sick of waiting. I am hungry, and all this ‘shielding my true nature’ is starving me.”

He walked over to Miriam, squatting down in front of her.

“It would be so easy to consume your light, right now. It would be a divine pleasure,” he whispered. He reached out a hand, aiming to caress her cheek, and Miriam tried to jerk away.