//------------------------------//
// Chapter 23 
// Story: Shattered Pentacle 
// by Starscribe 
//------------------------------//

Lyra passed through the cloud, and her clothes soaked through to her skin almost instantly, followed by a fierce wind sucking the heat from her body. She started to sag, but flew on, until finally the clouds parted and she saw the battle she had only heard from above.
Black marks charred into the stone here, forming a ritual circle that somehow remained dry despite the pouring rain. Inside it was a single captive—Bonnie, bound tight by her wrists and ankles to a heavy rock. But Lyra saw no blood—her girlfriend was still alive.
Akiko and Tempest faced each other on the mountain, exchanging spells that filled the air and vanished in the same terrible flashes. Well—Tempest was casting spells. Akiko barely had the time to turn each attack aside before the next one reached her, and she had to duck or disrupt it too.
The battle might not be so one-sided, if it wasn’t for the crown resting on Tempest’s forehead. It tilted sideways in the rain, barely clinging there—but still it glowed with lightning, and turned every attack into an overwhelming strike.
Akiko can’t beat her with that. She had to get that artifact away.
“It doesn’t want her,” Capper said, obviously watching her thoughts. “Its master will have to rewrite its protections himself. That’s why they need a life. These attacks only touch the barest traces of what it holds.”
Lyra circled around behind Tempest, then dropped into a dive. As she descended, she tucked both wings in tight, waiting until she was nearly at the ground before dropping her familiar. He made no protest, vanishing into the dark. Seconds later, she struck Tempest from the side.
It felt more like flying straight into a wall. One wing snapped instantly, spraying blood and filling her mind with pain. Instead of flattening Tempest, Lyra sprawled backwards as though she’d been hit by a small car, sliding through the dirt. 
Akiko was at her side in a second, helping her nervously to her feet. But the damage wasn’t as severe as it looked—Lyra ended her flight spell, returning abruptly to human shape.
The pain wasn’t gone, though. She might not have wings, but that damage reached her all the same, and her whole body was instantly battered, small wounds opening spontaneously in her skin. 
For all that effort, Tempest only wobbled. She took a few steps back, spinning slowly in place. But before she could slip over the edge, she stopped, now leering down at both of them.
“You’re back. In time to see the end. The king of all storms is here, ready to accept my offering. Too bad you won’t meet him.” She spread one hand, energy arcing between her fingers—then she stopped, and her mouth hung open. “Why is it so weak...”
Starlight slipped past her, holding a heavy piece of ancient jewelry in her fingers. “Lyra, catch!” She heaved, throwing the ancient relic towards them like a football. It lurched in the air, changing direction to fly back towards Tempest—then Akiko’s fingers twitched, and it came towards her instead.
For a terrible second, the necklace froze between them, tugged in both directions by incredible powers. Behind Tempest, the sky opened, and a figure took shape from lightning. A temple of stone and chains and locked gates appeared behind him, with space for one atop a throne of silver.
He spoke, but not even Lyra understood his words. They were too low, too hateful, maybe not words at all. This king had sat on that throne for so long, it may have driven him insane.
But with each word, the necklace jerked towards him, just a little. Lightning arced around it, burning the ground in a black trail—one that would instantly incinerate anyone who touched it.
It needs someone worthy to wear it. I can’t. But there was someone here who could.
Akiko didn’t move anymore, other than to gesture feverishly with both hands, muttering Atlantean so quickly it blurred. As clever as she was, her wisdom would be no match to this power.
Good thing she didn’t have to move.
Lyra rose, then called on her enhanced strength one final time. She lifted Akiko right off the ground, then carried her towards the necklace. Lightning arced through the stone, and bits burned her feet black. She healed, leaving burned skin in a trail behind her.
“Dominion is mine,” declared the king. “Begone from my sight, mortal. Today the chaos of the phenomenal world will be brought into order.”
“N...no.” She fought him, just like she’d fought Ventus. “Life is... chaos, usurper. What lives... grows.” She didn’t take the necklace, of course. Instead, she pushed Akiko forward, so one hand touched its delicate chain.
A voice larger than a mountain screamed with a rage older than her whole civilization. Lightning crashed down around her, then vanished from sight. Thunder rolled over the mountains, and was silent. The rain slowed to a sprinkle, and the winds died.
All atop the mountain was still. Lyra wasn’t holding her friend anymore.
Across a rocky expanse, Akiko stood over a fallen Tempest, her tool aimed directly at the mage’s neck.
“Please... master... king of storms... help me...” Tempest begged. Tears streamed down her face, but there was no answer.
“He’s gone,” Starlight said, joining Akiko there. “You know how the Exarchs can be. Fail them one too many times, and you’re not useful anymore. You’re on your own.”
Lyra made her slow way over. She drew her broken tool, and kept it ready just in case. Her girlfriend was still there—but so was the danger.
“Can’t... fail...” Tempest whispered, defiant. “He’s... king. King of storms. God.”
“He isn’t,” Akiko whispered. She gestured, and the mountain changed. They were still high up—but now the sky was deep blue, almost pink. Light filled the air, and many creatures flew overhead, borne on glittering wings.
A ruined castle stood here, broken by many blows. Its towers were tumbled, its windows shattered. Other sections were charred black.
“This is what they did, Tempest—the ones you serve. And this is what we do.” She reached down—but instead of grabbing the fallen mage, a single brick settled into her fingers. Strange words were written on it, truths that Lyra did not understand. Maybe she didn’t have to.
Akiko stepped forward, and slid the brick into where it had fallen. It settled there into the mortar as though it were never missing, and some of the grime seemed to fade. 
Something moved from inside, and a figure of white appeared in the castle gate. But before Lyra could see her face, the vision ended.
“It was a lie,” Tempest whimpered. She curled into a pathetic ball in the dirt, rocking violently back and forth. “Everything he... ever taught me.”
“Yes,” Lyra said. There was no doubt in her voice—how could there be, with everything Capper had taught her? “But you don’t have to keep serving him anymore. There’s another way.”
“Swear on your magic you will not fight or try to escape,” Starlight said. “You can either help us fight the ones you worked for—or you can die. I know Twilight won’t say it that way, so I’m doing it for her. Make a choice.”
Tempest glanced up, over the edge of the cliff. Then she slumped forward again, head into the mud. “I swear as you say. On my magic.”
They didn’t need Lyra’s help after that, but someone else did. She crossed the mountaintop in a few seconds, hurrying over to the ritual circle.
Capper joined her as she did, rubbing up against her leg. “You did good,” he mewed. “You can’t even imagine how significant this is. What you just prevented...”
She nodded. But now wasn’t the time for pride. Someone still needed her.
Her girlfriend lay on her side in the water and mud, soaked through to the skin. “Bonnie?”
She opened one eye, grunting with pain. She struggled with her bonds, but not with much energy. After fighting for days straight, she was finally at the end. “Hey, Harper. Nice to... see you up here.”
Lyra dropped beside her, heaving her up into a sitting position. She kissed her passionately now, holding as tight as she dared. Not because she cared what her friends might think, but out of fear of hurting her girlfriend by mistake. Bonnie had already been through enough tonight, she didn’t need to get accidentally strangled by her girlfriend.
“Nice to see you too.” Lyra glanced down between them, at the tight bonds holding her wrists together. She tugged sharpy, splitting one of the strands clean in half. She tossed it aside, then did the same for the rope around her ankles.
Despite everything they’d been through, Bonnie still managed an annoyed eye-roll. “You couldn’t just cut them off?”
She took her girlfriend by the wrist, then heaved her up into a standing position. “Why? You still think I might be a ghoul? Pretty sure vampire blood wouldn’t work even if I tried it.”
“Vampire blood?” Capper repeated from her ankles. The cat didn’t care about her romantic moment, but now he sounded revolted. “Why would you even suggest something so vile?”
“And cats are still talking,” Bonnie said, pulling away from Lyra long enough to glare at him. “I hoped I imagined that part.” She wobbled, clinging to Lyra for support. But this was more than just physical strength she was lacking this time.
“What?” Lyra prompted. Without a little magic, Bonnie could’ve knocked her over. With it, she held firm. “What’s wrong?”
“You want one answer?” She laughed, her voice straining into the hysterical. “A lot of good people are dead. My organization probably thinks I’m dead. When they find out I’m not... who knows what they’ll do. They’ll want what I know, and they won’t just ask.”
She looked away, trailing off. The implication there was obvious, of course. She knew about Lyra now, and her friends. Even if she wanted to, she could never keep their secret.
“This is usually the part we’d make you forget it all,” someone said, emerging beside Lyra. Not close enough for Bonnie to reach—Starlight had an appropriate level of caution against attacks. “Well not me, but we know a girl. Except...” She gestured at Lyra. “Well, her. And you’re a Sleepwalker now, which means we don’t have to worry about the awkward parts of the Lex Arcanum. We’re not defiling the Mysteries or whatever.”
“We’re not doing anything to her,” Lyra said forcefully, resting one hand on her shoulder. She was always taller, but just now she was stronger too. At least until her enhancement spell ran out of steam.
“You say that like I’m helpless, Harper,” Bonnie muttered, nudging her shoulder. “That witch beat you the first time too.”
Far in the distance, the first light of dawn crested the distant horizon. It was pale still, smothered by the last dregs of storm. Soon the mountains would be bathed in it. Then maybe Lyra could find somewhere safe and quiet to sleep. 
“I wasn’t implying a fight,” Starlight said. “Lyra cares about you, and we care about her. So maybe you could use our help to keep you from getting caught. Turns out it’s pretty easy to start a new life, if you’ve got a little magic.”
“We have quite a lot of magic,” Akiko called, from the cliffside. Curiously she had settled down against a rock. After tying Tempest’s wrists, she made no further attempt to watch her. An oath made on someone’s magic wasn’t something even a former Seer would risk breaking.
Bonnie eyed the two of them, taking another subtle step towards Lyra. She stretched on tiptoe to reach her ear with a whisper. “You trust them? These witches are like you?”
“Like me,” she agreed, nodding weakly. “And we don’t call ourselves that. We prefer ‘mages.’ Shouldn’t throw around a word like ‘witch.’ You might be one soon.”