Kira Bk. 01: Citadel Of Monsters

"It's not exactly the most effective way to kill someone. In fact, it was more of a distraction than anything. It was Freya who finished him off. But it worked, so thanks again. How did you find us?" Kira asks.

"I ran into Victor. He wanted me to check you made it out okay. You should probably get going before anyone else shows up. I'll miss you, Kira. Perhaps we'll meet again one day." He says.

"Why don't you come with us?"

"No, this is my home. I don't blame you for leaving, Kira, but I belong here. Perhaps now the Master is dead, we can make some changes around here. First though, we've got to deal with all this mess. I wish you luck, wherever your path takes you." Marcin offers his hand and Kira shakes it firmly.

"It's been an honour training with you. Stay safe." Kira lowers her head respectfully, then leads Freya away. She hesitates as they walk past Maya's body. Kira leans down and strokes her old friend's hair.

"Goodbye Maya." She murmurs before standing and taking a deep breath. "Come on Freya, lets get out of this shit-hole."

"I thought you liked this place. The library at least." Says Freya, trying not to think about everything that had happened in the last hour. Everything is going to be fine now. She thinks, trying to convince herself.

"Not anymore." Kira replies, opening the large window and peering out. "It's a bit of a drop, but we'll survive it. When you land, bend your knees and go into a deep squat. Don't try what I'm about to do." Kira suddenly leaps out the window, rolling gracefully as she hits the ground.

"Your turn." She calls.

Freya climbs onto the ledge and hesitates. It's higher than she's comfortable with. Six meters perhaps? Kira managed it I suppose, and I'm certainly not staying here on my own. Freya takes a deep breath and lowers herself, so she's hanging out the window by her hands. It takes all her courage to let go of the ledge. There's a brief moment of terror as she falls, then she hits the ground hard, bending her knees like Kira told her.

"That was clever." Says Kira. "Lowering yourself so you had less distance to fall. Why didn't I do that?"

"Because you wanted to show off." Freya replies.

Kira takes the lead, walking down a narrow path toward the docks. Freya notices she's limping.

"Are you okay, Kira? Did you hurt yourself?"

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. I can see you're limping. Stop acting tough for once."

"I just twisted my ankle. It's nothing." Kira grunts. Freya follows but can see that her friend is struggling.

"Stop trying to impress me. You could've broken your neck just now and what for? To show me one more of your talents?"

"It's the most effective way to land. I just messed the timing up a bit." Kira mutters, trying to suppress a wince.

"Please, no more unnecessary risks. And stop hiding your pain from me. I know you're not used to showing weakness, but I'm your friend. Let me help you." Freya catches up, and stands beside Kira, putting an arm around her. The vampire hesitates and looks like she might protest, but accepts the help, leaning on Freya as they walk.

"Thank you. You're right, that was stupid. Freya, what happened back there... When you were captured... I thought I was going to lose you. I was so scared, I didn't know what to do. I..." Kira trails off.

"It's okay, it's over. We can talk about it later. Let's just get somewhere safe."

They slowly make their way down to the shore, skirting the village in case the fighting had reached there. Kira remains quiet as they board the boat. Once they've put some distance between them and the island, Kira turns and faces her friend.

"I think you've broken me, Freya." Kira sighs.

"How so?"

"I've never felt like this before. When that man had that sword against your throat, I was so scared. I should've done something, but I was just begging like a little girl."

"What could you have done? He would've killed me if you came near." Freya points out.

"He had the blunt part of the blade against your skin He would have had to adjust the position to slit your throat. I might've had time to charge him. It would've caught him off guard." Says Kira.

"The risk would still have been too high."

"If Marcin didn't turn up, he would've killed you anyway. I could have tricked him too. Even if it didn't work, I'd have at

least tried, instead of just standing there."

"Don't beat yourself up over it. We both made it out. That's what matters." Says Freya.

"But what if it happens again? I fear for your life more than my own."

"Then teach me how to be less useless. You won't have to worry so much if I can take care of myself." Freya replies. Kira looks at her, eyes full of love.

"You're not useless, Freya. Far from it. In fact, you've saved my life in more than one way. If I hadn't met you, I would've still been the hot-headed, arrogant, selfish bastard that I used to be. Victor is right. You've changed me. I hope after everything that's happened tonight, you'll still want to come with me."

"Of course. You're my friend, I'm not going to abandon you now." Freya replies.

"About that... Victor and Marcin are my friends. I think... Maybe they're just allies, anyway, you're different. I can't just call you a friend. What I mean to say is..." Kira hesitates. Freya looks at her curiously. Is she blushing?

"Why am I so bad at this sort of thing?" Kira asks, looking away. "Fighting those vampires was easier than this." She suddenly looks Freya in the eye. "Will you go out with me?" She asks shyly, unable to maintain eye contact.

Freya stares at her in shock. She wasn't expecting that. I did feel we had a special connection, but I didn't think she was interested in an actual relationship. Freya thinks, wondering what that would mean for them. I suppose vampires have boyfriends and girlfriends. It's not something I've thought about. Freya realises she's waited too long to give an answer. She's never seen Kira look so nervous.

"Yes! Of course!" Freya replies with a smile, beginning to feel excited for the future. Kira runs at her, pulling Freya into a tight embrace and kissing her hard.

After just a few moments, Kira pulls away.

"This probably isn't the best idea... You're covered in blood, and the smell is driving me crazy. Let's get this package Victor left for us, then we can find somewhere safe to get cleaned up.

After that, I'm yours." She says.

"Okay." Says Freya, too tired to object. She wants nothing more than to curl up with her new girlfriend and sleep. "Is it far?" She asks.

"No, it's close by. I first met Victor in a little cave near here. He went looking for ingredients and got stranded when a storm carried his boat away. I was sent to find him after he didn't return. We've been friends ever since." Kira sits down, taking the controls once more. Freya sits beside her. She realises how lucky they are, that they made it out in one piece. So many things could've gone wrong. I wonder how Yasmin is doing. Freya thinks, glad her thrall didn't have to witness the bloody battle.

Kira stops the boat near to a small cliff. "We'll have to row the rest of the way. The entrance is that small hole down there." Says Kira, pointing to a dark opening in the cliff. It reminds Freya of the night they spent in the cave, before they went to the citadel. That seems so long ago now, but can't have been much more than a week. Freya thinks, realising she doesn't even know what day it is. Her weird new sleep schedule, and all the events that had happened recently, have thrown her out. She follows Kira to the rear of the yacht.

They lower a small dinghy into the water and get in. Kira takes the oar and rows them onto the small stretch of beach. She gets out and begins crawling into the hole with no hesitation.

"Wait for me!" Freya calls, jumping out the boat. She peers into the dark abyss. Do I really have to go in there?

"It's okay, I've found it." Says Kira, pulling a rucksack out of the darkness.

"How can you see anything in there?" Freya asks.

"I couldn't. I pretty much tripped over this. Looks like it was left there in a hurry. Let's see what old Victor has left us." Kira unzips the bag and pulls out a small device. She turns it on, the screen almost blinding them in the darkness.

"Anything interesting?" Freya asks.

"A GPS with one location saved on it. It must be that stronghold Victor mentioned in the letter." Kira replies.

"How far is it?"

"It's back on the mainland. Gonna be quite a drive away by the looks of it. Doesn't look like there're any roads nearby, so we've got a bit of a hike too. We better go home and prepare. Of course, you don't have to come. I know you don't want to leave me, but this could be dangerous. Think about it and let

me know tomorrow."

"Don't be stupid, I'm coming and that's that." Says Freya determinedly.

"Won't you miss your th- Yasmin, I mean? We might be gone a while. Also, your family will worry. If you don't go, I'll come back for you when it's safe. Think it through at least."

"I've already made up my mind." Freya kisses Kira softly. "Come on, we've got another adventure ahead."