The sun was high over the Borderlands when they finally secured their transport.
They couldn't use the transport birds as usual, the massive winged beasts were tracked by magic and required a military license to fly. Instead, they had spent the last of their gold on two horses from a shady stable master in Rustwater.
One was a sturdy roan mare. The other was a massive black stallion that looked like it wanted to bite anyone who came near it.
"I didn't think I'll ride a horse after a long time like this" Briar smiled, patting the stallion's nose. The beast snorted but didn't bite her. It respected the predator in her.
"I'll take the mare," Lyra said quickly, mounting up with a practiced, albeit stiff, grace. She looked at Nyx. "Do you know how to ride?"
Nyx stared at the stallion. He looked at the stirrups, the reins, and the saddle.
"It is a biological transport unit," Nyx analyzed. "I assume I sit on top and tell it where to go?"
"You have no idea, do you?" Briar laughed at his response.
"I have never sat on an animal before," Nyx admitted. "In my memories... I usually flew. Or stepped through space."
"Well, no flying today," Briar swung herself into the saddle of the black stallion. She looked down at him, a mischievous glint in her red eyes. "And we only have two horses. Lyra needs the mare for her supplies. So..."
She patted the space behind her on the saddle, the excitement on her voice didn't go unnoticed by Lyra.
"Hop on, Void Boy. Try not to fall off."
Nyx hesitated, then grabbed the back of the saddle and hauled himself up. The horse shifted under the extra weight. Nyx sat awkwardly, his legs dangling, his hands hovering uncertainly.
"You have to hold on, Nyx," Briar said, glancing over her shoulder. "Unless you want to eat dirt when we gallop."
Nyx reached forward. He hesitated for a second, then wrapped his arms around Briar's waist.
Briar stiffened. Through the thin fabric of her tunic, Nyx could feel the heat of her skin and the hard muscle of her core. She smelled of iron, sweat, and cheap soap.
"Too tight?" Nyx asked, his chest pressing against her back.
"No," Briar's voice was a little higher than usual. "Just... don't get handsy."
"I am merely securing my position," Nyx said innocently.
They set off.
The journey was grueling. The Borderlands were a rugged landscape of craggy hills and dry riverbeds. Briar pushed the pace, eager to put miles between them and the Empire.
For the first hour, it was torture for Lyra.
She rode behind them on the mare, clutching her reins until her knuckles were white. She watched the way Briar leaned back against Nyx. She watched the way Nyx's arms tightened around Briar's waist whenever the horse jumped a ditch. They looked like a single unit, fire and shadow moving together.
Lyra felt a cold knot of envy in her stomach. She looked down at her grimoire, tucked into her saddlebag.
I'm the navigator though, she told herself bitterly.'I am the strategist, Briar is the warrior. It makes sense for him to be with her'
But logic didn't stop the loneliness. She felt like the third wheel on a chariot.
"We stop here!" Briar called out as the sun began to dip below the horizon. They had reached a small grove of trees near a stream.
They dismounted. Nyx slid off the horse with a groan, rubbing his legs.
"Inefficient," Nyx muttered. "My legs are numb."
"You'll get used to it," Briar smiled, hopping down. She looked flushed, energized by the ride. She started unsaddling the stallion. "I'll gather firewood. Nyx, water the horses. Lyra, set the wards."
"Right," Lyra said quietly. "Wards."
She walked to the edge of the clearing, tracing symbols in the air to create a sound-dampening barrier. She was meticulous, perfect in her execution. But her shoulders were slumped.
Nyx watched her. He handed the water bucket to Briar.
"I'll help Lyra," Nyx said.
Briar blinked, surprised, but shrugged. "Sure. Just don't distract her, she's doing the math."
Nyx walked over to Lyra. She was muttering variables to herself, her eyes fixed on the ground. She didn't hear him approach until he was standing right next to her.
"You missed a spot," Nyx said.
Lyra jumped, nearly dropping her wand. "What? No, I didn't. The geometric calculation covers a fifty-foot radius with a spherical-"
"Not the spell," Nyx interrupted gently. "You."
He pointed to her hair. A twig was tangled in her silver locks.
"Oh," Lyra flushed, reaching up to pull it out. "Thank you. I... I was distracted."
"You're quiet today," Nyx said. He didn't step back. He stood close, invading her personal space just enough to make her look up at him. "Usually you are telling me the statistical probability of my death every ten minutes."
"I didn't think you wanted to hear it," Lyra murmured, looking away. "Briar is... more fun to talk to. She fights. She rides. I just read books."
"Briar is fire," Nyx agreed. "She burns bright."
He reached out and took the wand from Lyra's hand. Her fingers brushed his, sending a jolt of electricity through her.
"But fire burns out without air," Nyx said softly. "And you, Lyra... you are the air."
Lyra looked at him, her eyes wide behind her bangs. "I don't understand."
"In the sewers," Nyx said. "You put up the shield. You navigated the maze. In the city, you found the supplies. Without you, Briar and I would be lost in a tunnel or starving in a ditch."
He took a step closer. The height difference forced her to tilt her head back.
"You think you are weak because you don't swing a sword," Nyx whispered. "But I think you are the one holding us together. Why do you hide that? Why do you stutter when you speak your mind?" he narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"Because..." Lyra's voice trembled. "Because if I'm wrong... people get hurt. My father taught me that mistakes are fatal."
"Your father is a fool," Nyx said, his voice hardening. "He just wants you to be someone like him, doesn't he?"
He handed her wand back.
"Don't hide in your books tonight, Lyra. you told me you'll teach me things I do not know, remember?"
Lyra stared at him. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it might break her ribs. For years, she had been the 'Spare Princess', the backup plan, the invisible girl.
But in Nyx's golden eyes, she saw her own reflection. And it wasn't small.
"Okay," Lyra breathed, a newfound confidence straightening her spine. "Okay. I'll teach you anything you want."
They walked back to the fire.
Briar looked up from roasting a rabbit. She saw Lyra. The scholar princess wasn't looking at the ground. Her head was up. Her cheeks were pink, but her eyes were bright.
And Nyx was walking beside her, listening intently as Lyra explained the constellations above them.
"That one," Lyra pointed to a cluster of red stars. "That represents the Hunter. And that one... the Broken Chain."
"It's amazing...how they all connect like that" Nyx murmured, looking at the Chain.
Briar watched them, a small, knowing smile touching her lips. She moved over on the log, making space.
"Hey, Brainiac," Briar called out. "Come eat. And tell me if Nyx is actually learning anything, or if he's just staring at the sky."
Lyra sat down between them. For the first time, she didn't feel like a third wheel.
"He's a slow learner," Lyra teased, surprising herself with the banter. "But he has potential."
Nyx sat on Lyra's other side. Their arms touched. Lyra didn't pull away. She leaned into him, just a fraction.
Nyx looked at the fire, then at the two women. The First Shackle was silent. The hunger was gone.
He realized then that strength wasn't just about breaking chains. It was about forging new ones. Stronger ones.
"Tomorrow," Nyx said, "we reach the Forest."
"And tomorrow," Lyra said, her voice steady and sure, "we have to be alert, we still don't know what Ancestor Gaia might have in plan for you"
"But I don't think she will do things like that old dragon and old hag, Lady Gaia is known to be kind and gentle for everyone, regardless of their races." Briar spat making Nyx laugh at her insulting the Dragon and Vampire Ancestors.