𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔸𝕣𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕊𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕛𝕚𝕥𝕫𝕦 ~ L. Garmadon

21: The Cold

"Lyra-a-a-a," Chen's voice called. It echoed through the empty hallways. Lyra couldn't tell where it came from. "I'm going to find youu! You're gonna die-e-e!"

His giggles sounded like a possessed baby. They found their way directly into Lyra's ear and stayed there, replaying over and over again. Lyra pushed herself further into the shadows. Fear pierced her heart like a dagger made out of ice, stabbing over and over again. She was frozen, completely immobile. All she could do was hope that her father didn't find her hiding spot.

The laughter drew closer. "There you are, my daughter. Don't you know you can't escape fate?" Chen's face shifted into a green, blurred mess. His tone lowered as he chuckled. "Before I kill you, however, I want you to watch as your beloved friend dies."

The blurry face was Lloyd. "Help me, Lyra!" he cried in agony. Chen had trapped him. Taken control of him, somehow. "Please!"

Lyra could do nothing but watch as Chen drove a Jade Blade into the back of Lloyd's neck. There was a flash of green, a gust of chilled wind, and then--

"NOO!"

~I~

"NOO!" Lyra shrieked. She jumped out of bed and grabbed her new daggers, ready to stab her father. While panting heavily, she looked around. Her entire room was cast in the soft purple glow of her LED lights.

Her green butterfly, which she'd named Fern, swiftly made its way to her heart. It gently flapped its wings, creating warmth that spread from Lyra's heart to the rest of her body, relaxing all her muscles.

"It was just a dream," she murmured, crawling back in her bed and placing her Blades on her nightstand. "You're safe. Lloyd's safe. There's nothing to worry about. Chen is gone."

Fern stayed on her heart, sensing that she needed more comfort.

"Thanks, Fern," Lyra murmured. "I dunno what I'd do without you."

She pulled her covers over her shoulders, already feeling like she was about to drift off. Her half-sleep was interrupted by a bright flash of light illuminating the room, followed by a breeze that seemed to freeze Lyra's entire body for a moment. Maniacal laughter followed the wind, sounding not unlike the deep tones that had been in Lyra's nightmare.

Lyra sat up straight. "Did you hear that?"

She glanced around. The green had vanished. Fern was still resting on the pocket of her sweater, gently fluttering its wings.

Lyra sighed and sank back down under her covers. "I must've fallen asleep again. It was just another nightmare. Just a figment of my imagination. We're safe."

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong.

~I~

Lyra grinned back at the ninja and swooped closer to the ocean. The tips of her dragon's wings grazed the surface, causing a spray of water to erupt behind her. Lloyd and Kai had to swerve to avoid being drenched.

I really needed this after last night, she thought. Lyra hadn't been able to sleep at all after her nightmare.

Kai laughed as he passed Lyra.

She chuckled. "Getting ahead of yourself, Kai? I'm leading this charge."

Since it was Lyra's first official mission since she'd become a ninja--which had only happened two days earlier, even though it felt longer because they'd just worked on the tea shop all day yesterday and the day before--she was allowed to lead. It meant basically nothing, except that she'd be at the front of everyone else's dragons and would call out the orders. She was best suited to be at the front, anyways, since her sharp eye would be able to see what they were searching for, but the calling orders worried her.