Chapter 27 TARGETED
LYRA
I gritted my teeth and pushed the nightmare image aside, focusing on Tempest’s steady heartbeat in my mind. The wind calmed. We burst through the final gate and landed hard on the far side of the field.
The illusions dissolved. Normal night sky returned, stars sharp overhead.
I slid down from Tempest, legs shaking violently. The world tilted sharply. Dizziness crashed over me like a wave. My knees buckled completely.
Strong arms caught me before I hit the ground, Kai’s arms, warm and familiar. He pulled me against his chest, one hand pressed firmly to my back. “Easy. I’ve got you.”
Yvaine was off Ember in a flash, rushing over. “Lyra! Are you okay? That looked bad, you went pale mid-air and the wind just… exploded. I thought you were going to fall!” Her voice cracked with worry as she hovered close, one hand on my shoulder.
“I’m… fine,” I managed, still leaning into Kai’s steady hold. My heart hammered wildly. “Just dizzy.”
Ser Thorian was already waiting, expression unreadable. “Interesting reaction, care to explain Voss?”
I straightened slowly, Kai’s hand lingering at my elbow a second longer than necessary. Yvaine stayed right beside me, brows still furrowed in concern.
“It was… a tornado,” I said aloud, voice steadier than I felt. “A big one, coming straight toward me through the veil. Red lightning. That’s all.”
Yvaine’s eyes narrowed slightly, she knew me too well, but she stayed quiet.
Ser Thorian studied me for a long moment. “Unusual for a first veil exposure"
Cassius landed a moment later, frowning "That wasn't a normal static. Felt targeted"
Ser Thorian studied me for a long moment, "Report to my office at first light. All three of you. We need to discuss what you saw".
As he walked away, the weight of the trial settled over us
As the field cleared and teams dispersed, Yvaine squeezed my arm. “That was more than a tornado, wasn’t it? You can tell me later if you want. Just… don’t push yourself too hard, okay?” She glanced between Kai and me, then gave a small, understanding nod. “I’ll check on Ember and Tempest. Find me if you need anything.”
Once she walked off, Kai didn’t let go entirely. His hand stayed at my elbow as he guided me a short distance away from the others.
The air was cooler here, carrying the distant rumble of resting dragons. My violet curls, loosened from flight, brushed my cheeks as I faced him.
“Lyra,” he said quietly, green eyes searching mine. “Tell me what’s wrong. Really.”
"If these visions are getting worse, you need to tell someone. Not just my father, me. I'm still your best friend, even if..." He trailed off, jaw tight
"Even if Cassius is around more?" I finished softly.
He looked away, shoulder tense. "Yeah. Even then".
The air around us felt heavy again, full of everything we weren't saying. I glanced around, then pulled him farther into the shadows.
My violet curls, loosened from flight, brushed my cheeks as I faced him. “I trust you,” I said quietly. “Even with Cassius around… you’re still my best friend. The one person I can tell everything to right now.”
Kai’s shoulders eased visibly, tension melting from his frame. The relief in his green eyes was unmistakable.
I told him everything in a hushed rush: the dream in the library, the real book with its missing storm dragon section, Tempest’s partial vision tonight, the corrupted tornado, the shadowy figure, the sense of something ancient and evil stirring.
“She showed me something similar the other day. It’s all connected. But I don’t know the full picture yet, and… I don’t feel like these visions are meant to be shared. Not until I understand more. Not even with your father.”
Kai listened without interrupting, green eyes intense. When I finished, he let out a long breath.
“You’re carrying a lot,” he said softly. “More than anyone should on their own. I’m here. Whatever you need, research, someone to talk it through with, or just… someone to remind you you’re not alone. I’m with you.”
The sincerity in his voice made something warm unfurl in my chest. I watched as handlers alongside Yvaine led Tempest back toward her roost, her scales catching moonlight like distant lightning.
She sent one last pulse of reassurance through the bond before disappearing into shadow.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
KAI
My heart had dropped the moment the vision hit her. I saw it on Lyra’s face mid-flight, the sudden pallor, the way her grip faltered on Tempest’s ridges. For one terrifying second, I thought she was going to fall.
Zephyr surged forward on instinct, but it was too late to stop the burst of wild wind.
When we landed and she slid down, dizzy and swaying, I moved without thinking. My arms caught her before she could collapse, pulling her against my chest.
She was warm, real, smelling of ozone and wind and that faint lavender soap she’d used since we were kids. For a heartbeat, everything else disappeared—the veil, the illusions, Cassius standing a few paces away with open concern on his face.
Something ugly twisted in my chest at the sight of him watching her like that. I held her tighter than necessary, one hand pressed to her back.
When father asked what she’d seen and she only mentioned a tornado, I knew she was lying. I could read it in the slight hesitation, the way her storm-gray eyes flicked away. She was protecting something.
And she hadn’t trusted my father with it.
Later, when she pulled me aside, her words landed like rain after drought.
“I trust you… you’re still my best friend.”
The relief that flooded me was almost embarrassing. She was choosing me. Not Cassius. Not the charming senior who kept appearing wherever she was. Me.
I listened as she told me everything, the dream, the missing pages in the book, Tempest’s warnings about a growing darkness, the feeling that these visions weren’t ready to be shared. Her violet curls glowed faintly in the moonlight as she spoke, loose strands framing her face, and I had to fight the urge to tuck one behind her ear.