Chapter 43 Knight on Smoking Engine
Lyra couldn't believe her eyes. He was really here.
Dax was here and just in time to save her neck.
All hell broke loose the moment Dax stepped in front of Lyra.
One second, Darius’s sword was raised, ready to bring her down, and the next, a massive gray wolf lunged out of the shadows, teeth bared.
Dax planted himself squarely between Lyra and the pack of soldiers, his snarl sounding loudly through the courtyard like thunder.
Darius looked at him with anger and disgust, then he pointed his sword right at him.
“Kill them both!” Darius roared. “Kill the impostor and the mutt!”
The soldiers surged forward at his command, but Dax was already moving. He snapped at the restraints binding Lyra to the stone, tearing leather straps apart with his fangs.
The sound was vicious and loud as he shredded every last buckle that held her down.
Lyra sucked in a sharp breath, feeling the binds loosen until she could finally move. Dax spun back in front of her, shielding her with his huge wolf body until she could finally breathe.
Olga looked at the threat and suddenly raised her hands in an incantation. “Get back!” she hissed. “I’ll handle the abomination myself!”
But it didn’t matter. Every warrior in Ashvale knew the rule: magic had no effect on a werewolf in its purest wolf form. Olga’s spells fizzled into tiny sparks that dropped uselessly off Dax’s fur.
Lyra knew this wasn't the time to think about the Blood King or the consequences of her transformation. She had to fight beside Dax and get out of here alive, and what better way to do that than in her full half-breed form?
She let out a guttural growl that startled even the sorceress as she transformed again. Olga stumbled backward, eyes widening. “Freak!”
Lyra lunged forward, grabbing Olga’s wrist before she could conjure another spell. With a twist and a shove, she threw the sorceress aside. Olga slammed into the ground and went unconscious.
Darius pointed his sword at Dax, his voice shaking with rage. “You won’t walk out of this alive, boy. You’ll die one way or another.”
Dax answered with a howl so loud the soldiers froze for half a breath, just long enough for him to spring forward and tear into the first row of guards. The men screamed and staggered back as he ripped through their shields and armor.
Lyra moved with him, circling around the large number of soldiers. They came at her from all sides, all trying to grab her, yet none could land a fatal blow.
But then suddenly, just when Lyra thought they truly stood a chance, there was a loud bang in the area.
A gunshot tore through the air and she froze.
“DAX!” Lyra screamed.
The wolf collapsed with a yelp of agony, skidding across the ground. Lyra spun, her breath knotting in her throat. Dax writhed, his fur receding as he transformed back into human form, sweat pouring down his face.
“It’s a silver bullet!” she cried out in panic as she saw the lethal effect. “Dax, oh gods!”
He clenched his teeth, breath shaking. “I can’t shift again. If I do, it’ll weaken me even more and make the pain worse.”
Lyra nodded. “I know. Don’t worry, I'll get us out of here. This isn't how I plan on dying this time.”
She rose in front of him, her claws spread wide, shielding him from the soldiers encircling them.
Darius lifted his sword. “What a shame, your little knight on a bike was shot down,” he mocked. “Now I have two spies to kill.”
Lyra didn’t wait.
She leapt at him. Darius was ready for her and shifted mid-air, bursting into his massive jet-black wolf form. But even as Alpha, he wasn’t fast enough. Lyra’s hybrid strength launched her forward, tackling him to the ground.
They rolled across the stone floor, struggling to overpower each other. Darius raked his claws across her arm, drawing blood, but Lyra barely felt it. She struck his side, forcing him to stumble.
Soldiers swarmed around her, but she kept defending herself, even though her strength was slowly thinning out.
The Titanium Pack’s indomitable soldiers weren't a myth. Lyra was witnessing it firsthand. No matter how many she fought, more men rushed in, dozens, trying to restrain her.
Then she heard another resounding bang!
Lyra froze and turned toward the direction of the gunshot.
Standing at the top of the courtyard stairs was Alexander. His face was contorted in rage and his hands trembled violently.
The gun was pointed right at her and Lyra knew he wouldn't miss the next shot.
“Please,” Lyra whispered, raising her hands slowly in surrender. “Alexander, don’t.”
“Don’t you dare call my name, you impostor!” His jaw clenched. “You deceived me. Why should I show you mercy? Why should I spare you?”
Her chest tightened. “I may not be your Irene,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “But I know she loved you. I’m sorry she died, truly I am. But I didn't hurt her. And she has found peace in the afterlife.”
For a moment, Alexander’s expression cracked. Lyra could see the pain in his eyes as he stared at her, the woman who looked so painfully like the girl he had once loved.
Behind him, Darius screamed, “What are you doing?! Shoot her down, that’s an order!”
Alexander flinched, his eyes still on Lyra. But no matter what he now knew, it felt like hurting the same woman he loved. The face, the hair, the eyes—it was all Irene’s.
Alexander exhaled slowly, then shifted his hands the slightest as he fired.
Lyra gasped as the bullet tore through her shoulder and she cried out. It was not fatal, but enough to spin her backward. She fell to her knees, clutching the wound, breath shaking.
Darius lunged to finish her.
But Dax, who was still bleeding and staggering, moved faster. He grabbed Lyra by the waist, lifted her onto his shoulder, and sprinted with desperate strength toward the courtyard entrance.
“SEAL THE GATES!” Darius roared. “NOW!”
The entire pack mobilized. Soldiers poured toward the exit and surrounded it completely. At least a hundred men blocked the gate, shields up and silver guns pointed at them.
Darius stood proudly behind them. “No one dares to make a mockery of the Titanium Pack. There’s no way out,” he snarled. “Surrender now, and I may consider making your deaths quick.”
Dax ignored him. He dumped Lyra onto the motorcycle, swung one leg over it, and barked, “Hold on!”
Lyra clung to him instantly, arms wrapping around his waist, her injured shoulder burning.
The engine roared to life and Darius’s eyes widened. “Stop them!”
Soldiers sprinted forward as Dax twisted the throttle and the bike shot forward in a blur of speed.
They were headed straight to the pool.
“Dax!” Lyra screamed in terror. “We’re going to die!”
“Hold tight!”
It was so risky that one bad twist would end them in that pool. The bike skidded over the stone, splashed across the edge of the pool, and Dax angled it sharply toward the massive gold statue at the center of the fountain.
The wheels hit the sloped base and with much force, Dax forced the bike to shoot upward.
For a terrifying second, it felt like they were flying. The wind pulled at Lyra’s hair and as she looked down, the entire courtyard seemed to be shrinking beneath them.
Darius’s eyes widened as he watched Dax fly across the fence with his motorbike.
It was deadly and almost impossible, but he did it.
And with a final thunderous crash, the bike landed on solid ground beyond the Titanium Pack and disappeared into the dark forest road.