The Guardians

Chapter 64

"What's bothering you?"

Lyra turned her head to look at Aiden as he approached her. She was leaning against a tree watching the others. Most of them were asleep. She, Aiden, and Neve seemed to be the only ones still awake.

"Everything," she sighed.

"You're worried about facing Alora?"

"Once, yes. Now I'm just afraid she'll use you to hurt me."

"What do you mean?"

"If she realizes that I love you, she will use you to try to get me to submit to her again. Kyrie would have done that same."

"How did she know...," he trailed off, realizing that she'd loved him at least as long as he'd loved her.

"She figured it out with the way I fought for you in Aisling. She threatened to make me watch her kill you."

Aiden placed a hand on her cheek. "I'm not going to forsake you. I won't stay behind because you think she'll use me."

"I'm reluctant to pull you into that much danger. I lived with Alora all my life. I was almost fifteen when the Paladins took me in." She sighed. "You don't know what she can do."

"Unless she can read your mind, I doubt she'll know about us." He took her hands. "I have faith that you can do this. We all do." He lifted her chin. "I am choosing to go with you, knowing that she can easily bind me or kill me. I'm doing this because I love you and I will do anything to help you do this." He smiled. "There's nothing you can say to make me decide otherwise."

~~~

Lyra stopped at the entrance to the caverns that hid the old temple. It had been seventeen years since she last set foot anywhere near it. She took a calming breath to push down her fear. She glanced at the others. Shara looked like she was on the verge of panic. The others didn't look much better. And why wouldn't they? They were about to face Alora, for Gaia's sake.

"Last chance to back out," she said.

A chorus of no's followed. She hoped she wasn't leading them to their deaths.

"Let's go and get this over with." She stepped over the threshold into the world she'd run from so many years ago.

It had been decided that three of the Paladins, Kara, Grace, and Lex would stay behind at the entrance in case Lyra failed. Talish and Will would accompany the others. Aiden wanted to make Daylen and Neve stay behind as well, but they protested so much that Saren relented. Lyra led the way, carefully and quietly making her way through the paths. Even after all this time, she knew the way. Suddenly, she stopped and held her hand up.

"Wait," she whispered. "There's wards here. We cross them, she'll know we're here." She reached her hand out.

"You can dispel them?" Will asked.

"I put them there. I can briefly hide our crossing but you must move quickly when I say so." She muttered the spell. "Now!" The group quickly crossed before she let go of the spell.

"Any more wards?"

"Not that I know of. Shara?"

"She didn't place any while I was with her."

Lyra continued to guide them down the right paths. They soon saw torchlight flickering on the walls and Will extinguished the light at the end of his scepter. He didn't have to use it since he could channel without it, thanks to Lyra's training. He chose to use it to keep an element of surprise. Lyra slowed and crept forward, the others following her lead. She held her hand up and everyone stopped. Alora stood on a ledge above them with her back to them. From what Aiden could make out, that ledge had been used to make sacrifices when this had actually been used as a temple. He had a stray wonder on who this temple had belonged to. Her waist-length dark red hair flowed down her back. She wore a golden dress. From what Aiden could make out through her hair, her shoulders were bare. Her sleeves began just above her elbows and flowed to her wrists. A golden-colored staff was casually at her side. Behind her sat Deandra. Lyra grasped onto her magic and opened her mouth to whisper the spell when Alora suddenly spoke.