Coming From the Shadows Series
Coming From the Shadows: Lydia
Previous Instalments:
- Driven by Rage – The Unyielding Rage: Lydia’s Anger
Unyielding Rage
II
Background:
January 1910; Lydia found herself subject to an attack by a man suffering mentally, though, the actions would lead to the Cult of the Minotaur discovering her unconscious form in the early morning gloom; Cultists, recognising who Lydia was would take the opportunity to capture her and report her capture to her father; George Smythe – a Cultist Leader and a member of the Imperium’s council – a Council that represented so many different Cultist groups and worked in the shadows to manipulate Governments since ancient times.
Lydia’s previous escape in 1905 had been seen by George as a grave dishonour, upon his arrival to the place of Captivity in; the Salford Hundred; Oldham – Lydia found herself subject to a renewed abuse from her father as a German Cultist; Sören would wield the whip at George’s command to inflict devastating punishment, the intention; to ‘Break her Spirit’ entirely.
The timely intervention by Thomas – a British Soldier that had been developing feelings for Lydia since their first encounter in the Himalayan mountains in 1907; the intervention allowed Lydia’s escape, though led to a fight between Thomas and George, though even working together, George proved himself to be a dangerous opponent until the rest of their allies led by Lydia’s mother; Cathryn intervened.
While the Cultists would flee – the feelings of burning vengeance wouldn’t alleviate for Lydia, in early February she would track Sören down to Leeds, launching her attack after a painstaking stalking her target from the shadows, though as she prepared to finish her act of revenge, her older twin; Elizabeth came to stop her, seeing Sören as a potential source of information and too vital to let Lydia kill him.
Introduction:
As the wintery wind of February howled along the darkened alleyway, it carried the scent of coal smoke and damp earth – a tense standoff between siblings caused the air itself to crackle, Lydia stood poised to delivery the ending strike, her Jian Sword was held at the ready, its tip pressing against the back of Sören’s neck as he lay in pain on the floor, the throwing knife Lydia had earlier thrown still partially visible in the back of his leg even after Lydia had deliberately stamped it deeper in a desperate desire to make him feel as much pain as she had when she had felt the burning sensation of the whip that cracked against her during her captivity.
Stood across from them was what now became the source of Lydia’s focus; her older twin sister Elizabeth – despite being twins they were starkly different in both personalities and physical appearance, Elizabeth was like the female version of their father; a Cold and stiff demeanour with Long Dark-Blonde Hair she had tied back behind her head, her eyes an icy-blue, they were like that of glacial ice that only served to intimidate those that encountered her.
Elizabeth who had once remained the ‘Loyal Daughter’ had adopted many of her fathers traits, amongst them was a cold calculating approach, she saw the importance of Sören in their need to defeat not only their father, but the rest of the Imperium.
Then there was Lydia – Lydia was the miniature version of their mother, she was a little shorter than her sister, and her exterior was often stoic and emotionless in a bid to hide the pain she always suffered in her desperation to find normality, her Long Raven-Dark Hair had fallen free from the previously tidy bun, and her eyes; Silvery-Grey narrowed on her sister.
“I am asking you Lydia; do not make me do this” Elizabeth’s voice was low and strained, but she felt the need to protect a potential asset regardless of what her sister had gone through “He is a perfect tool for us to get what we need”
Lydia’s eyes blazed, her jaw clenched – the muscle ticking beneath her skin “Back off!” Lydia snapped; her words a snarl, there was an unusually raw emotion present “Do you have any idea what this man did to me?; he was the one who held that whip, his laugh is a constant reminder when I sleep!”
Chapter 1:
“I get it Lydia; I do…, but don’t do this” Elizabeth pleaded “If you kill him, we lose a valuable source of information” she took a tentative step forwards, her eyes never left Lydia’s as their eyes remained locked, she knew how volatile Lydia was at present, she needed to be careful in her approach even as she maintained the revolver trained on her sister “If you kill him, then we have to start from scratch again, this is an opportunity right here and now, you can take your revenge once we have that information”
Lydia’s grip tightened around the hilt of her sword; her knuckles turning white, the tip of the blade pressed down “He deserves nothing but pain” Lydia hissed; her voice a low growl, her eyes shifting downwards towards Sören “Slow; agonizing, just as he did to me” the thought of letting him live, even for strategic purposes was a bitter pill for her to swallow, her rage was a living, breathing entity – it demanded satisfaction
Sören despite his injuries, despite the pain he could feel from Lydia’s ambush – he sensed opportunity, the tension between the twins was clear, he understood the nuances of their twisted upbringing, a wet gurgling chuckled escaped, a sound that grated Lydia’s nerves “You father would be very proud of you” he rasped, his voice like a hoarse whisper “So very proud…., the cruelty, the eagerness to serve it just like him…, so eager to inflict back what was done to you”
The words struck Lydia like a physical blow – her hand, poised to strike now hesitated, a crack appeared in the edifice of her fury; a fleeting flicker of confusion then dawning horror – ‘Like Him’ she thought, her stare became distant, she shifted uneasily a moment
Sören grinned; at the corner of his periphery he saw the shift and pushed his advantage “A monster like your father, you fight against the Imperium using his tactic’s, his methods of cruelty; why, you could instead simply obey your father, you’re a weapon and each attack you commit against us only proves what you really are” he paused, his gaze fixed on her, a malicious glint visible “You truly are your fathers daughter Lydia; cruel, unforgiving; predictable”
Lydia’s gaze drifted back to Sören – she wasn’t thinking of the torture she had endured now, her mind had gone back further, she remembered the horrendous upbringing, the cruel education she and Elizabeth had been forced to endure; the animals she was forced to watch as they were tortured and abused – then came the same approach with innocent people; the very idea she was now like the man that had abused her mother, destroyed her life, showed little care and so easily cast even Elizabeth aside when convenient – Lydia posture slumped, her hand trembled, the Jian sword was no longer held steady – was she really embodying the cruel nature of her father?
Elizabeth saw it – she saw the trembling, the way Lydia’s eyes which had just moments ago been blazing with a determined fury, now became haunted – a distant look as the words snaked through her thoughts, Sören’s words had been a precise and strategic strike, and Elizabeth wasn’t going to let this opportunity go to waste, even if it meant costing Lydia’s now fragile stability.
Chapter 2:
“He’s right Lydia” Elizabeth said, still carefully repositioning herself; her voice was softer, almost empathetic though there was a shrewd gleam flickering in her eyes “Your becoming like father, the very monster you claimed you wanted to escape, that isn’t a way to escape to normalcy is it”
Lydia’s attention returned to Elizabeth – her raw desire to inflict retribution still raged like an inferno, but now, there was a new unsettling current the was swirling, the abhorrence of becoming like her father, perpetuating the cycle of violence with cold, calculated cruelty, the tension in her posture, once rigid with her intent, now pulled in two opposing direction, she was visibly processing the scale of vengeance and identity, teetering precariously.
It was within those silent moments though of internal war that fate would intervene, a heavy thud of a boot, gravel crunching that neither sister heard, so consumed in their grim tableau they failed to notice the arrival of a second Cultist – Edward, he was aware of Sören’s visit to the nearby pub, but the failure to turn up at the Cultist bureau had sparked concern, discovering the scene in the alleyway, he saw his injured friend and the two women; one wielding a sword and the other wielding a revolver.
He decided to act.
Moving like a shadow – low and fast, he aimed to ambush Elizabeth first, Lydia though, her instincts immediately kicked in, she registered the movement behind her sister, without a conscious thought her attention and actions completely shifted.
Lydia simply forgot the very revolver pointing in her direction – she forgot the standoff between them, she reacted purely on protective instinct and suddenly surged forwards, she made a swift spin to rotate the sword the correct way, no longer holding it in reverse, she prepared it for a strike towards the movement behind her sister; but, this sudden movement and protective intention was missed by Elizabeth
Being already on edge, Lydia’s decision to move so abruptly startled Elizabeth and she backed up quickly instinctually and in a panic her finger, tensed on the trigger – a desperate reflex.
Sören’s eyes widened as he observed the unfolding scene; even Edward paused mid-movement in response to Elizabeth panicked response to Lydia’s sudden surge forwards.
Chapter 3:
A deafening crack rang out – the sound reverberated off the narrowness of the alleyway, a smell of gunpowder immediately filled the air; acrid and sharp.
Lydia’s forward momentum stuttered – she stopped, not with a controlled halt, but a sudden, jarring jolt, almost like she had run straight into an invisible wall, her eyes which had been fixed on the figure behind Elizabeth snapped downwards, she blinked as the searing pain spread across her hip, a crimson stain bloomed swiftly.
The impact had been non-lethal – a glancing wound intended to only to stop Lydia, it had been enough; a wave of nauseating shock washed over her, her world suddenly tilting precariously, her legs gave out from beneath her as all strength simply drained away like someone had pulled a plug from a sink – the Jian Sword which had been an extension of Lydia’s will, clattered to the ground with a mournful ring as she collapsed down, she hit the ground with a heavy thud, gravity pulling her limp body down, the concrete rushing to meet her.
Elizabeth stared – her eyes wide with horror, she had just shot her sister, the realisation slammed into her, her hands trembled so much she dropped the gun, before she could move though, Edward was already resuming his own advance – he seized on Eizabeth’s stunned moment, barging into her back and shoving her towards the wall with a heavy push, Elizabeth not expecting it was sent flying forwards, crashing full-force against the wall, she felt the heavy thud of brick against her head before feeling the roughness of the ground against her backside as she crashed downwards.
Edward didn’t linger though; his priority was Sören – rushing to him, he quickly dragged Sören up even in spite of protest regarding how much pain he was in “We can’t linger here!” Edward snapped before sharply turning, Elizabeth was still barely registering what was going on as she rubbed her head, it provided Edward and Sören the perfect chance to escape.
While Elizabeth remained disorientated the two Cultists would escape, though even dazed, Elizabeth’s attention had snapped onto Lydia – she moved despite the sharp pain along her lower-back “Lydia!” she gasped, her voice a mixture of terror and desperation, she eased Lydia slightly to get a better view of where she had just shot her sister, she could see the little glint of light as it hit in just the right angle against the floor, it had seeped through the fabric, and the unnatural stillness of Lydia’s form sent Elizabeth into a panic “Lydia!; Lydia wake up!”
Fumbling, Elizabeth struggled to get Lydia upwards, she care little for any tears she caused in Lydia’s attire as she found purchase to move her, though she found Lydia was surprisingly lighter than she thought even if she was struggling, it still took every ounce of remaining strength though to be able to begin dragging her across Leeds though, and things would become more difficult when she had to find ways to avoid law enforcement or curious eyes that spotted them.
Chapter 4:
By late February a soft light filtered into a small room through a lace-curtained window, here, Lydia’s eyes fluttered, slowly lifting before blinking in response to the gentle light, her head and body felt heavy and impossibly sore – it felt as though she had been run over by a carriage, or even one of those new automobiles.
As her vision began to clear, she registered the soft pillow beneath her head, and the crisp sheets and a reassuring warm blanket; she was in a bed, her face adopt a confused expression before she tried to move, but in doing so, she felt that same sharp, searing pain explode across her lower-left side making a small gasp escape her lips.
The sound was enough to rouse Thomas – he had fallen asleep during his time in the room, his head resting against Lydia’s bed; lifting himself up, his eyes landed onto Lydia and his expression shifted to concern; even as the last vestiges of sleep clung to him, his attention was now fixed on Lydia “Lydia” he said, his tone low and gentle “Are you alright?” he shifted carefully, reaching out to gently stop her from trying to move “Don’t; you need to rest Lydia, that wound isn’t going to heal quickly you know”
Lydia looked towards him, her expression softening – her throat was dry as she found herself with so many different question, but only one found its way out “Where am I?” her voice was hoarse and low
Thomas simply offered a faint, weary smile “Your in Lofthouse; Elizabeth managed to get you back to the safehouse, she told us what had happened; she has been…, heavily impacted by her feelings of guilt for having shot you…” he told her “She thought you was gone; your mother and adopted sister had been in and out frequently”
Lydia thought for a moment; slowly, she nodded, before anything further would be said though, Thomas decided to get up, collecting a jug with water in, pouring it into a glass before gently putting it into Lydia’s hands, being careful as he sits on the edge of the bed to help her move – Lydia, parched, didn’t hesitate to drink, by the time she finished the glass, she felt her lips tug in a smile “I needed that; thank you” she said softly
Thomas simply nodded as he maintained his own smile “When the others get back, I will let them know your awake…, or, had been if you fall back to sleep” he lets out a light chuckle
Lydia simply nodded, maintaining her smile as she glanced about before looking at Thomas, her smile seemed to widen without her even realising, they would simply enjoy one another’s company until the others would return.
Written By: Westley H.
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