Coming From the Shadows Series
Coming From the Shadows: Lydia
A Boiling Point Between Sisters:
“Hello There”
The words hung in the air; Elizabeth recognised who the voice belonged too, she recognised who it was; Keiko – it had only been hours since their last encounter, the encounter Lydia had intervened in to protect her, before she had fallen unconscious, now, stood above the entrance of the mine, Keiko observed with a cruel smile playing on her lips.
Cathryn moved her hand to unholster the revolver; pulling it free and raising it up in Keiko’s direction; Keiko’s hand moved with a blur of motion; a knife left her hand, glinting in the early morning sun as it spun threw the air; it struck the revolver as Cathryn raised it, the blade’s spin catching Cathryn on the back of her hand and causing her to drop it with a yelp.
Before much else could be processed for Cathryn; Keiko had made a leap; drawing her Katana, and she came falling down towards Cathryn; Elizabeth, letting go of her sister, rushed away from Norina and Lydia in a panic; throwing herself forwards to shove her mother aside; but she felt the searing pain as a blade struck across her back; she let out a piercing scream of pain as she struck the ground with a loud thud, she struggled to move her left arm, trying to reach where the Katana had hit her, but even trying felt as though it was making things worse.
Cathryn quickly shot back up and over to Elizabeth; kneeling down by her side with worried eyes as she looked at the blood quickly rushing from the open wound.
The scream though, jolted Lydia awake – her eyes shot open, and realising she was being held up, she shifted her attention to see Norina clinging to her to keep her upright; her eyes then scanned around, hearing her sister, her eyes landing on Keiko who stood over her Mother and Sister.
She recognised Keiko from the encounter during the night, when she had intervened to protect Elizabeth; straightening up, Norina tried to steady her; Lydia however was now focused on only one thing, her injuries mattered little to her, what mattered was Keiko – the act of aggression she had committed had caused Lydia’s rage to build within an instant “I showed you mercy last time”
Keiko shifted her gaze in Lydia’s direction; she knew Lydia had injuries that would hinder her, but she also knew that Lydia far outmatched her, if she wanted to win, she would need to heed the advise she had been given from a Cultist she had met with in her search – she needed to wear Lydia down; moving away from Cathryn and Elizabeth, she didn’t hesitate to make her way towards Norina and Lydia.
Lydia moved her hand, Norina, who had been carrying Lydia’s bag looked at Lydia carefully – she knew what was about to happen; the scabbard, tied to her bag was easily reachable – without hesitation, Lydia wrapped her fingers around the hilt and drew the sword, within one swift motion she made a move to attack, her swing, much to Keiko’s surprise was not weak – not like she was expecting, the speed was also unnerving, she realised that Lydia was not going to be holding back in this second fight – the realisation evident on her face, her eyes widened.
As Lydia pulled away from Norina; she made no hesitant movement; she struck aggressively, her swings heavy and brutal; each strike knocked Keiko’s katana out of the way, forcing her to move it back to block another strike.
The air seemed to crackle with supressed energy; Lydia’s movements they were sharp, dangerous – her eyes, piercing – to Keiko though, Lydia seemed entirely devoid of emotion now, she maintained a serious focus – this wasn’t the same Lydia from their previous fight; the measured and controlled defence, all that had been replaced with a raw, but controlled aggression – she was like a physical force of nature.
Lydia moved with a speed that belied her injuries, she wasn’t bothering with finesse and intricate movements; her attacks her about retribution, with brutal application, her attacks were relentless, each strike was clearly aimed to main, to incapacitate.
Keiko, now purely on the defensive, struggled to even keep pace with Lydia; her sword blurred, a silvery-whirlwind; every strike was jarring, the heavy clangs reverberated.
Panic bloomed in Keiko’s chest; she was losing, and losing badly; desperate, she scanned the surroundings, her eyes landed on Norina – she wore a mask of terror on her face, an idea – vile an opportunistic sparked in Keiko’s mind
With a swift movement, Keiko lunged, grabbing Norina and shoving her directly in front as a shield “Stay back!” she screamed “Or she won’t survive!”
Norina whimpered, her eyes were wide with an unspeakable dread; she recognised Lydia’s rage, but, what she wasn’t sure was just how much control there actually was.
For a heartbeat, Lydia seemed to falter, but only for a moment – Norina’s terrified expression only fuelled Lydia rage even more, Keiko had crossed yet another line that she shouldn’t have crossed “You think that will stop me?” Lydia’s voice was like ice – Norina’s became even more terrified at the very prospect that Lydia would attack regardless “You think you can hide behind her?”
Ignoring risks; Lydia surged forwards, her movements were a blur; then, she sidestepped Norina with an inhuman grace, a manoeuvre that was part of her usual practise; she had honed such movement for things like this – it startled Keiko, she needed to move her weapon in the same direction.
Lydia was on them within an instant, her sword swung upwards on an angle, the silvery-glint of steel was a blur, but Lydia had not aimed for a body strike, she had aimed for the outstretched hand holding the katana.
There was no elegance, no artistry in the strike; it was pure, brutal efficiency, the world seemed to slow as the blade connected, a sickening thud that echoed out; then…, Keiko’s scream rung out; a high-pitched shriek of agony that was cut short – her svered hand, still clutching the katana hit the ground, with a geyser of blood that splattered across the dry earth.
She stared at the stump where her hand had been, her face a contorted expression of disbelief and pain; she used her left hand to shove Norina away as she then clutched her bleeding wrist, her eyes were wide with horror.
Lydia stood over her, the sword dripped crimson; her eyes were cold, devoid of pity, her rage had not subsided, but she still had control.
Norina, now released from Keiko stumbled a little, her eyes darted between Lydia and Keiko; she was shaking, her breath came in ragged gasps.
Lydia then shifted her eyes, her attention now on Norina, a flicker of concern softened her features as she moved to check her “Are you alright?” Norina nodded quickly, she was unable to form any words, still caught in the throes of terror
Lydia returned her cold glare back to Keiko; she could end her now, but there would be little point – she had won, and won in the most devasting way possible, Keiko was robbed of her arrogance, her power – she would never forget this, this act would serve as a much stronger message to Keiko than ending her life.
Without a word, Lydia turned, moving her free arm and wrapping it over Norina’s shoulder, the two now walking towards Cathryn and Elizabeth; it isn’t much longer after that, Damir finally appears from the mine entrance and clearly exhausted.
Lydia, now calming – her body was feeling the effects of her injuries once again, Norina quickly took the sword to return it to the scabbard attached to Lydia’s bag she still kept over her shoulder.
The group; no longer able to remain where they were had to make a decision, waiting for Xian would put them all at risk, they had no clue were he was, nor any idea if he was even alive – needing to get to safety, and make sure Lydia and Elizabeth got the medical attention they needed, they decided to move, they had no choice left.
Written By: Westley H.
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