t w e n t y - s e v e n | l a n a
LANA DIGS HER fingernails into her palm as they walk through the dungeon below Lyon, following the Riders who lead Raz to his cell. Pain laces it's way up her hand as Byran and Skye heatedly argue Raz's innocence while the young man in question just silently marches forward, his eyes wide and glazed over.
Truthfully, She doesn't know what to believe. She recalls Arlo talking about how both him, Raz, and another woman by the name of Samena were fully under Vyanna's control. If that was true, then he could have been controlled by her this entire time. He could be the spy.
But then, would Arlo be suspicious too?
It gets harder to listen to their arguments, and she feels overwhelmed with indecisiveness. She starts to tune them out. She forces everything to fade out except for her surroundings, hoping to have those as a distraction.
Apparently this is the fabled dungeon of Lyon, and it definitely lives up to its name. The cobblestone walls are dark and keep everything cold in a way that puts her on edge, as if this prison is devoid of all sense of joy. The only source of light in this abysmal pit of darkness are the torches mounted along the walls, which cast eerie shadows across the seemingly endless corridors. The halls are lined with cells to their left, most of which are full of dragon hunters. They watch with interest as the Riders make their way past them, and the looks they give make Lana's skin crawl.
It seems to take them decades to make their way to Raz's cell, and despite her efforts to ignore the argument taking place before her, she can't. It scrapes away at her ability to stay calm and she feels herself getting more and more nervous by the second.
Vyanna had gotten into her mind as well. Shouldn't she be restrained just like Raz then?
Finally, they reach the end of the seemingly endless corridor, and an empty cell finally comes into view. The sight of it makes her stomach turn as she thinks of the years she spent in a cell not too different from the one before her. Her vision tunnels slightly, and she freezes, her feet rooted to the spot several feet away from the cell. All the nerves that have been building up during this long walk rise to the surface. She's paralyzed.
The rest of them continue on, oblivious. Ellerin has a furious expression on her face, her eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown and her lips purse as if she's swallowed a lemon. Bryan's on the verge of tears and Skye looks angrier than Lana has ever seen him before. They're all the picture of desperation and all seem to pale as the cell door swings open for Raz.
The door makes a loud rusty creak that rings out through the dungeon like a cry of pain. She can't help but wince at the noise, only increasing the nervous energy within her. The small space...the iron bars...it all brings her back to the Sea Terror.
"Wait..." She tries to say, but her words get caught in her throat and it only comes out as a whisper. Both fear and her own self incrimination silencing her.
The Riders push Raz into the cell, swiftly locking the door and Horace turns towards a furious Skye.
"I'm sorry for this, Your Highness, but it was agreed upon by the council. If anything, you are the one person who can convince them of his innocence but as it stands, all his actions declare him guilty."
Skye purses his lips, simply giving a nod to the Rider, and whether or not he notices it himself, Lana sees the familiar blue glow of light in the tip of his fingers. She'd noticed how his hand came alight at the beach earlier, but again she sees it happening, a part of becoming more worried for him. Was this normal? Or is he not able to control his magic at all?
The other Riders start to move on but as Horace watches them go, he hesitates, his brow furrowed. He seems to study the stunned Raz and then Skye himself, before holding out a key.
"If you truly believe his innocence, then I trust this to you. If not, and you wish to discuss it more with the council, then return it to them. I hope you make the best decision for us all."
Skye's eyes widen as he takes the key from him, and his gaze softens. "Thank you. I won't forget this."
Horace holds a hint of a smile, nods to them all, then follows his comrades out of the dungeons. The four of them watch them go, waiting for the last of the Riders to turn the corner before Skye moves toward the cell door, key in hand.
"Skye, wait." Lana's voice comes out, this time full of strength and volume.
They all turn to her, and Bryan's expression falls at her guilty one. "You don't think Raz is the spy...do you?"
"I just..." she sighs. "Vyanna is able to control people and I know Raz is one of the people she is able to control. I just don't know if we can trust him, as much as I want to."
Bryan looks incredulous but Skye grabs her hand lightly. "Didn't he save your life once?"
"Yes but— "
"Would someone under Vyanna's control do that?"
She opens her mouth slightly to speak, gets lost in her words, then sighs, unable to figure out what she what to say. More specifically, how to ask him.
Raz seems to understand without her saying anything, his voice ringing out in the silence. "You want to know why I didn't tell Arlo that I had found you on Lyra? Why I spared your life when I didn't even know you?"
Silently, she nods.
"Well," he begins, then sighs deeply, "In that moment I could see your future. Not just one future, but many possibilities with entirely different outcomes. Many...I shouldn't say. But I saw one thing that stopped me from turning you over."
Curiosity gets the better of Lana. "Which was?"
"Hope. You and Skye are destined to save Maris and in some futures, you do," he says with a small reassuring smile, "It's something I figured was worth fighting for, even against some of the most powerful creatures in Maris."
It's a simple explanation, but unexplainably, many of her doubts about Raz disappear from it. It's genuine in a way that she can't explain, with a look of vulnerable sincerity on his expression that she hasn't seen before. But there is still one lingering question that nags at her, preventing her from trusting him fully.
"The spy," Ellerin asks. "Do you know who he really is? Or is this all a trick to get us to trust you?"
Raz sighes, leaning against the bars with a tired expression, "I swear on my life I'm not lying. Choose to believe me or not. As for the real spy," he frowns, "I can't figure out who he is. There's some powerful magic at work, enough to even prevent me from seeing who he truly is."
"But you're a Seer," Bryan says, his gaze full of hope. "Shouldn't you be able to see him in the future?"
Raz laughs bitterly. "Yes and no. Sometimes things are clear to see while other times they're...not. Sometimes I can't see certain future outcomes until they come to pass," he answers, a distressed look suddenly coming over his features, "I do know that you will understand the spy's true identity soon. It will change everything."
"What does that even mean?"
"I don't know," Raz replies, looking frustrated himself. "None of my visions would show me."
Lana sighs, feeling slightly more anxious talking to Raz than she had before. It seems that although she got some information, it's only left her with more questions than answers, which was not her intent. All she knows now is there's a spy, and they're all in danger as a result of it..
"Here," She says and takes the key from Skye's hand, handing it to Raz through the bars, "If you see something in the future about the spy, come find us. If you leave this cell for any other reason, well, you would be telling us that we were wrong to put our faith in you. It would tell us that you really are the spy."
Raz stares down at the key in his hand, a surprised look in his dark eyes as he returns her steady gaze. "I won't let you down."
She simply nods, then starts walking away quickly. Lana is afraid that if she lingers or slows down, she might change her mind and take back the key. It was a stupid decision, but she feels oddly good about doing it and as Skye appears by her side, a smile dances on his lips. At least he seems to approve.
She sighs, feeling stressed by her turbulent thoughts and everything she's expected to do. She's supposed to be a powerful Dragon Rider, and save the world. She knows she shouldn't stray from her current path, even to give a key to a potential ally. She knows that she shouldn't think about anything other than saving Maris from it's imminent horrible future. Yet, the path just doesn't seem clear to me. She wishes-
"Lana."
She stops short, looking around for the source of the voice. Ellerin and Bryan are still talking to Raz and Skye looks equally as confused by it. The only person it could be is...
"That's your name, right?" a woman's voice suddenly says from inside one of the cells to her right, leaning against the bars with a mischievous grin, "Lana?"
She stays silent, too startled to even respond. The woman in front of her is exotic looking with dark tattoos etched across her features, their color matching her dark hair and eyes. Her eyes are unnerving. It's like staring into a dark abyss and challenging it to fight. She quickly looks away but her gaze is quickly drawn to the horrible burn marks on her shoulder. Then, with a shock, She realizes what it truly is.
It's the mark of a dead dragon.
Skye stiffens beside her, an expression of anger returning to his features that tells of him knowing her prior to this meeting.
"I've heard a lot about you," the woman says suddenly, still staring at Lana as if she's some interesting piece of art. "We all have. Lana, the girl who appears from nowhere, and suddenly is everywhere."
She starts to say something, but the woman keeps speaking. "Vyanna's got you under her spell, doesn't she?"
Lana's expression gives it away and she laughs. "You're her little puppet. Just like the rest of us."
Skye grabs Lana by her hand, starting to pull her down the hall, and glares at the woman. "Leave her alone."
Yet, Lana digs her heels in, curiosity taking over her. "The rest of us? Did she get inside your head too?"
The woman sneers. "She does it to everyone. Don't feel too special."
"I don't," She tells her, and she laughs, lighting a flame of anger within Lana, "It's not funny."
"But it is. Your Dragon Prince is worried about a Morai army when he should really be worrying about the people standing right beside him."
The way she stares at Lana sends chills down her spine, as if the woman can see her soul and has seen all her deepest fears. It's as if she knows Lana is terrified of hurting Skye because of Vyanna's control over her. Skye tightens his grip on her hand reassuringly.
"Your name is Samena, isn't it?"
The woman widens her eyes at the title and Lana notices a slip in her smug exterior. There's something akin to fear and pain behind the mask she wears, and Lana grasps onto that.
"Listen, Samena, I understand how powerful Vyanna is but she isn't invincible. I was able to stop her from killing my dragon when she tried to force me to do so. You just have to keep fighting."
Lana turns away from her, and her and Skye start to make their way towards the exit.
"Lana," she calls again, but this time with a tone of desperation. Lana stops, not turning to face her, but it's enough to let her know she's listening. She can't stand to look her in the eye again.
"When I said Skye should be wary of the people beside him, I didn't mean you."
Her blood runs cold at that statement, and her mind reels with possibilities. If not her, then who?
When they finally escape the dungeon, Lana starts feeling the chill that had fallen over her disappear as she stares at the happy festival in front of her. It makes her forget about the cryptic words of the strange Dragon Rider woman and the vague message of Raz. It also places a heavy weight on her, knowing that these people are so naive. So free. They, at least, aren't tied down to a world changing destiny.
"Hey," Skye says gently and she pulls herself from her thoughts, started to see Ellerin, Bryn, and Arlo now in front of her.
Arlo clears his throat, "There's a second part to the prophecy."
The brusqueness of his statement startles her slightly, but she assumes that was his intent. The rest are all too surprised to say anything and there's no formalities. Straight to the point.
"There's a hidden copy," he continues despite everyone's starstruck expressions, "It's place on an island you all have been to recently."
She racks her brain for places she's been to, but she's certain it's not much compared to the others. She's been stuck on a slave ship for most of her life, and because of the memory block on her mind, she can hardly remember much before that.
Skye looks thoughtful for a moment, biting his lip lightly, then his eyes widen, "You don't mean..."
"What are you talking about?" Ellerin suddenly cuts in with a clipped tone, irritation because of her confusion evident in her jerky movements and narrowed eyes. Lana can't help but feel the same way and look towards Arlo and Skye pointedly.
The two exchange a glance then Arlo turns back towards them and tells them gravely, "The second part of the prophecy was hidden in the Deptingur Historia on Halsa and it's the key to everything."