314 - The Power of Lady Sindra
Edmund Valemont:
I was completely paralyzed, my mind racing through a thousand ways to handle the situation, yet my body refused to move. And even if I could... that woman was on a level far beyond mine. I needed to grab Viktor and get out of there, but she kept staring at him, laughing.
"You can move," she said calmly. "I'll let you act freely, but let me make one thing clear. If you take a single step, you'll die."
She burst into laughter.
The black serpent slithered by her side as she walked leisurely toward me.
"What a bunch of idiots," she muttered, looking at the orcs who, just like us, were frozen in place. "Go play a little."
The black serpent leapt onto one of the orcs and coiled around it. Its body began to grow, expanding until it became gigantic. It seized the orc in its fangs, slammed it against the ground, and started devouring it, its green saliva corroding flesh and bone. The orc screamed, but it was in vain. Within seconds, it was completely swallowed by the creature.
I swallowed hard and collapsed to the ground, trembling as that monstrosity finished its meal. When it was done, the serpent shrank back to its normal size and slithered back to the side of the woman with pink eyes. She then fixed her gaze on me and began to crawl in my direction, hissing.
My body froze.
Cold sweat dripped down my forehead.
But before the serpent reached me, Viktor charged at the woman, sword in hand.
"I'll kill you!" he screamed, desperate.
I reacted instantly.
I jumped and tackled him to the ground, punching his head with all the strength I had. He passed out immediately.
The woman laughed.
"Hahaha. You're quite smart... I could've killed this boy with a single finger if I wanted to."
I wanted to respond, but I couldn't.
My mouth refused to open.
She approached me, crouching down. Her nails were black like claws, and one of her fingers touched my chin, forcing me to lift my head and look at her.
"When he wakes up, tell him I said 'hi' to his dying mother."
She stood up.
From the forest, men in black cloaks emerged.
"Let me go! Let me go! Idiots!"
A familiar voice.
I turned and saw Thyra being dragged by masked figures.
My heart raced.
She was completely wrapped in chains, struggling violently. I didn't see her using magic or her super strength. It had to be some kind of military equipment, something that suppressed her powers. Even so, she kept fighting.
"Thyra will kill all of you!" she shouted.
Shut up, I thought, hoping she would realize she was in front of someone dangerous.
The woman with pink eyes walked in her direction.
"Thyra will kill you too, you bitch!"
She laughed.
"Thyra will kill every one of you!"
The woman smiled.
"Thyra Vargulfson... the followers and blessed of Fenrir... heir to the tribe of black wolves. Those who were massacred by the lioness queen."
Thyra froze for a second.
Her gaze, once filled with fury, turned into pure hatred.
She broke her own wrist to free her arm from one of the shackles and lunged, leaping at the woman with pink eyes.
In a single movement, the woman struck her in the stomach, grabbed her face, and slammed her head into the ground with brutal force.
"Your mother was much stronger than this," she said, pressing Thyra even deeper into the earth.
"Thyra will kill you, you bitch! When Thyra gets her power back, she will kill you!"
But the woman only laughed, as if it were all just a game.
An anti-mana shackle!
The woman with pink eyes burst into laughter.
"You'll kill me? Just like when you promised to kill the lioness queen? The one who killed your 'mommy'?"
Thyra grew even more enraged. She tried to bite the woman but received a punch to the face and had her head smashed into the ground.
"Let me tell you a secret, Thyra…" the woman whispered close to her. "It wasn't the lioness queen who killed your mother… it was your aunt Victoria."
She released Thyra.
The wolf girl was consumed by rage.
The woman had freed the chains, but instead of fleeing, Thyra charged forward.
"Don't talk bad about Thyra's aunt! Liar!"
She attacked, but the woman dodged effortlessly and brought her down with a single blow.
Kneeling over her, she pressed her knee against Thyra's throat.
"I don't lie, Thyra. Ask your aunt. She murdered your mother in cold blood… your mother begged her not to do it, and then Victoria killed her. All this time, you've been living with your mother's killer. The woman who murdered her own sister."
Her laughter echoed through the forest.
Thyra struggled to get up but couldn't.
I needed to grab Viktor and get out of there, but the black serpent stared at me, as if any movement meant my death.
The woman released Thyra, still laughing.
The wolf girl tried to attack her again, but her strikes missed, or she was met with punches that sent her flying back.
"You know it's true, Thyra. Your aunt has served the queen for years, and you never suspected?"
"Aunt Victoria has a plan! Aunt is helping Thyra get stronger so Thyra can kill the lioness queen!"
Thyra's face overflowed with hatred.
The woman grabbed her neck and lifted her into the air with a single hand.
"It's a lie to deceive you. Your aunt Victoria killed your mother because she wanted to ally with the lioness queen. You saw it yourself… you saw your mother being killed in front of you, saw her beg. Remember? Your mother spoke to that murderous woman with tenderness, spoke as if she cared for her and couldn't believe what was about to happen. You saw everything… and you were so traumatized that you started talking in this pathetic way."
She threw Thyra to the ground and stepped on her.
"Thyra isn't even your real name! Thyra was your mother's name!"
Her foot crushed the girl against the earth.
"Your name is Lyra!"
The kick was so strong that Thyra flew and crashed against a tree.
I was frozen. My entire body screamed to react, but I couldn't move.
"Thyra is Thyra!"
She jumped to her feet, blinded by rage, and charged once more.
The woman sidestepped and struck her in the back, bringing her down again.
"The plan was to take you with me. I came here just to fetch you. Your mother saw the truth years ago and was killed for it."
She leaned close to Thyra's ear and whispered:
"But why would I waste time bringing along a troublesome prisoner? I want you to come to me. Go and ask your aunt, and you will know the truth. The woman you idolize killed your dear mommy..."
She stood up, leaving Thyra crumpled on the ground.
"I am known as Lady Sindra. When you truly want power to seek your revenge, come find me. Or maybe you'll continue being a fool and decide to stay by the side of the woman who killed your mother."
Before walking away, she delivered a final kick to Thyra's face. The impact sent her flying back, unconscious.
I was frozen.
She turned to me.
"You can stop trembling with fear. I don't like feeding on weak food."
Sindra walked back into the forest, where the men in black cloaks awaited her.
Then, something cold and slippery coiled around my neck.
My eyes widened as I felt the squeeze.
The black serpent.
I tried to scream, but the grip tightened, stealing the air from my lungs.
Desperation.
Its scales pressed against my skin as it choked me, its face drawing dangerously close to mine.
Its dark eyes bore into me.
"No..."
I managed a muffled cry, fighting against the crushing sensation. I focused desperately on conjuring thorns through my body, a last-ditch effort to push it away. But before I could activate the magic, another figure appeared in my field of vision.
Lady Sindra.
Her pink eyes shone intensely, and her presence radiated an authority that made me freeze. Her sharp voice shattered any trace of resistance I had left.
"If you harm my daughter, I will rip your organs out with my bare hands while you are still alive!"
The threat came with a hatred so palpable that my entire body turned cold.
"Don't worry..." she continued, her tone disturbingly calm, while her eyes pierced me like blades. "You're only going to sleep..."
I felt the serpent's grip tighten, crushing any remaining breath I could gather. My lungs screamed for air, panic rooted itself in every fiber of my being, but I knew that reacting would mean signing my own death warrant.
"It will only be a faint... or maybe not," Lady Sindra murmured, her voice laced with a sadism veiled in tranquility.
Everything around me began to darken. My body gave in, strength abandoning my limbs, and the last thing I saw before blacking out was the menacing glow of those pink eyes.