Red String {EDITING}

Chapter Twelve | Purple Dreams

The world was painted in shades of grey, a monochrome vision as far as the eye could see. Sand was soft under her back, the pale grey silt trickling through her fingers as she lifted her hands curiously. Dark grey waters washed up the land a little further away from where she lay, and she turned her head towards the sound of the sea.

It was like tar in the deepest sections, the glossy black surface only ruined by the winds which urged the waves up the shore. Blinking slowly, Lyra sat up, staring at the dark curls which fell in front of her face. They were an off-black colour – the colour having been sapped from them too. Where was she? Lyra tilted her head, looking up and around, blinking as she spotted the empty city behind her and the pale, full moon shining brightly overhead. The stillness was eerie, anticipation building in her gut the longer she lay there. For what, she knew not.

Swallowing back her fears of what the unknown held for her, she stood, glancing between the silent city and the sea on either side. Neither felt particularly safe, but she was used to that by now – so into the city she went. At least there would be more places to hide there.

Her footsteps echoed on the stone pathway she climbed onto, and Lyra hurried inside the grey city, staring at the slabs of concrete which seemed to make everything up. Houses lined the street on either side, each one just as quiet and lifeless as the next as she edged her way further into the heart of the strange city.

Reaching the next junction in the empty streets, she paused, peering down the cobblestones, frowning at the repetitive pattern they made. It felt like one of those ancient ruins she had only ever seen on a screen – only it was no ruin, only abandoned and silent as the grave.

A steady clop, clop met her ears, and Lyra stiffened, heart pounding as a white horse cantered into view. It was fully saddled, headstall glittering even in the dark of night, black reins dotted with silver which glimmered like stars under the pale moonlight. She could only watch as the horse came to a stop by her, a single hoof pawing at the ground, throwing it's head back, white mane fluttering in the breeze which drifted in from the sea behind.

Purple eyes bore into her own, almost seeming to glow in the darkness. Transfixed, Lyra stumbled closer, hands reaching out – freezing only when the horse snorted loudly. And it was then that she remembered the eeriness of that place. Purple eyes weren't natural. Why could she see that colour so clearly when the rest of the world was a dull, boring grey?

It was wrong. Something didn't belong.

Her feet seemed to drag as she stumbled back, a part of her not wanting to leave for reasons she didn't understand. Still, her instincts to flee – to retreat and regroup – overcame that urge, and she ran. Feet slapped against tile, her legs carrying her back the only route she knew.

Cobblestone and pavement turned to sand, and Lyra stared back at the black waters, shivers running up and down her spine as she stared at the sight in front of her. Hairs on the back of her neck pricked, and she turned around, feet sloshing in the inky sea as she spotted the white horse standing on the edge of the bank.

Hands grabbed at her ankles, and she screeched, staring down into those tar-like waters, blinking as she finally spotted her warped reflection. Her eyes were purple. A glowing, deep purple, just like that white horse's.

Ground gave way under her feet, and then she was no longer standing in the shallows as she was tugged under the waves. A watery world met her gaze, her eyes not stinging even as she stared at the murkiness surrounding her like a dust cloud. "Ah, so you finally come," he spoke, voice clear despite the waters around them, relinquishing his grip on her ankles, hands finding her face instead. Chains rattled, thick black metal links dangling from the heavy manacles at his wrists, wrapping around his body like a cloak, vanishing deep into the ocean below where her gaze couldn't reach. Angular purple eyes blinked languidly, meeting her matching pair as she stared at him, confused as a smile broke his thin lips. "My herald..."