Interlude Underverse - Secrets of Lyra
- Donovan Evans-Foto Dono
- 15 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Previously on The Queen of the Underverse…
(As recounted — reluctantly — by Yuunral Naretar, Scholar of Banned Books, Chronic Complainer, and Literary Martyr)
Ah, welcome back, dear reader, to this wholly unnecessary interruption of a perfectly good story. I assume you’re here because you forgot what happened. Again. I foresaw your failure. I always do.
Now then—where were we?
Right. Rebecca is in a pickle with Kai. Lyrie and Chalky are allegedly on the way to help.
(Yes, I said that with a straight face.)
No, the world isn’t on fire… yet. But give it a minute.
Anyway, enough about them. Let’s get to the important bit: me.
Ye saga continues…
From the unofficial biography of Queen Lyra - Monarch or Mad Immortal Woman, written by Yuunral Naretar. This is the introduction from the twenty-volume set, located in the biography section of the Unwritten Library, situated on the eastern shores of the Fallen Sea.
A Brief History of Queen Lyra - The Last Queen of the Underverse
By Yuunral Naretar
Where to begin. Lyra, Lyra, Lyra.
Let’s start with Lyra, shall we? Queen, martyr, cosmic bureaucrat, emotional mess. Depending on who you ask (Don’t ask me, I’m only the author, which, between us, is the most important job.), she was either the savior of everything or a cautionary tale wrapped in a tiara.
She was born over 600,000 years ago in that area of the Universe you call the Large Magellanic Cloud. She wasn’t particularly clever or bright. Honestly, I don’t know why she was considered to be a Candidate to become a Protector—or a Queen.
What do I know? I’m just a book. They don’t even let me shelve myself in nonfiction anymore—something about “editorializing through footnotes.”
No one asked me. True, I wasn’t there, but still—it would have been nice to have been asked.
Celine, who was the current Queen, had selected Lyra out of the other potential Candidates. You can read all about her spotty track record in my twenty-volume set, Celine, Who Is She Really Protecting? It’s available now in three or forty easy installments, depending on your level of commitment and credit rating.
Where was I? Right—Lyra, Queen Candidate.
Her people were a race of storytellers. They didn’t just tell a good yarn; they told stories that lived and breathed. Look, have you read a good book that you just couldn’t put down? It’s nothing like that. It’s worse—or better—depending on whether you’re the story.
They say she and her people could read you like a book. Yep—like a book. Spine and all. Of course, that’s part of their mentalist shtick. They are also known as the most prominent con artists in that part of the Universe—like talking to dead people when you’re actually thinking about your laundry.
These are the people from whom Lyra came, and for some reason, Celine and the Underverse said, “Sure, why not make her a Candidate and bestow cosmic powers on her?”
They need a better entrance exam.
Sorry, I know I seem bitter. Regardless, I won’t let that get to my professionalism.
Where was I again? Oh yes—she becomes the Queen, and she brings her daughter with her too. A cute little princess called Dorthy. Spitting image of her, except shorter and much more sensible.
One of the benefits of becoming a Queen is the extended lifespan. For some, it’s only a few thousand years; for others, it could be an epoch. Lyra, it seems, was going to dawdle around and waste everyone’s time with her nonsense. So, she decided to bring her young daughter along for the ride.
To be fair—dangerous territory, I know—maybe Lyra didn’t want to be alone. Perhaps eternity is quieter than she thought. Anyway, let’s pretend I didn’t say that.
Still, it’s a bit selfish. It would be like going on a long road trip to see the Grandma who smells and always feeds you carrots. I wouldn’t do it, and neither should you.
In time, her daughter grew into a beautiful young woman. She spent time exploring the Soft Places, reading her favorite books, and one day in Fiddler’s Green, she met a human male. Doesn’t matter who—he’s not important. What is important is that he somehow managed to trick her into falling in love with him.
What’s also important is that the “Queen” disapproved of the relationship and cast her and the man to Earth. She stripped her daughter of her immortality.
If that’s not a case of bad parenting, I don’t know what is. Of course, this was all hushed up, and no one spoke of it. At least, no one mentioned anything to me.
It’s as if Dorthy became a taboo subject. She eventually replaced her with twenty-five living marble replicants—and wait until you read about what happens to them.
Remember, this is only what I understand to be the facts: unbiased and unvarnished.
I am, however, obligated to include a small disclaimer before we begin. It’s nothing—insignificant—barely worth mentioning, except the Guardian of the Library insists.
So… Lyra has placed a 10,000-year lending ban on me.
Honestly, you misplace one little country, and suddenly everyone’s acting like it’s a planetary incident. It wasn’t even a popular country! Hardly anyone lived there. Some of them were tourists. And those who did had terrible manners.
Anyway, who’s ready to begin?
Oh, you’re not ready yet.
You want to find out what happened next with S’Rah, Rebecca, and the rest.
I understand. I interrupted your story with this interlude.
She was in a pickle.
Hey, this was important stuff too!
I saw that! Don’t be so rude.
Well, maybe next time I’ll spoil the ending—see how you like that!
Oh, fine, I’ll see you later.
No, no, I’ll be fine. (Sniff)
No, no, I’m not crying. Books don’t cry. We leak glue in extreme emotional situations. That’s different.
Go ahead—enjoy your little adventure. I’ll just be here. Alone. Dusty. Possibly overdue. See you at the end… maybe—unless I’m recycled into something useful, like a doorstop.
––To be continued
Next Time on The Queen of the Underverse…
Well, there you have it — the unredacted public record of Queen Lyra. Dead as a dino, still managing to cast a shadow the size of a small moon. Honestly, I was never impressed. Overrated. Excessively blue.
Tune in next week, when Book 1 staggers triumphantly toward its anti-climactic finale. I, for one, can hardly wait.
Don’t miss: Chapter 23 – The Memory Farm™: Bad Memories
(Because nothing says entertainment like emotional malpractice.)
— Yuunral Naretar - Scholar of Banned Books, Survivor of Lyra’s 10,000-Year Library Ban, Unwilling participant in all of this.
Click here to buy ➡️ BOOK ONE now available – I’d love your honest thoughts on story flow and overall reader experience.
© 2025 Donnavon Evans
November 18, 2025