Kyra and the Swordstress Pt. 04

"Wonderful," Kyra replied curtly, still fuming.

Kyra was still unfamiliar with the many passages of the massive ship, and since she was fearful of getting lost and lured into the cabin of some toady lord, she kept close to Sybil like a duckling after her mother.

A quick meal and sleep sounded more pleasant than anything else right now. The quicker she was to sleep, the quicker the next day would come, and the quicker would come to the end of this obscene nightmare that is her life on board the Rose Narcissa.

Her plan was simple. Get off the cursed ship as soon as they reach Talishpur with her wand in hand, and, as soon as possible, make it back to Galtin's Port, where at least she had Angelica and the Mermaid's Pearl. How she missed Angelica and all of the Mermaid's Pearl. Homesick even. Funny -- she can't remember ever being homesick before.

To get to the steward cabins far below, they had to traverse from the garden deck through the main cabin area, an area of the ship, Kyra learned, was known as 'Royal Land' by the ship's staff.

It was in Royal Land that Kyra suddenly felt a surprising, funny feeling form in her chest like she had just passed through a warm front. It was a feeling of familiarity. The sort of feeling one gets in the presence of a long-time friend. Only one such friend existed in Kyra's life.

"My wand," she whispered excitedly to herself. Undeniably, what she felt was the pull of the aether-bond she shared with her wand.

Sybil glanced over her shoulder. "Come, Kyra, we mustn't linger here."

"Sorry, it's just..."

It was one of those moments, like stepping into a hot spring on a wintry day. A sigh-worthy warmth to the bones. It had only been one day since she had been separated from her wand, but it was a day too long. It was a part of her, as much as her soul was a part of her (lately, she had been losing it all too frequently).

"Please, Kyra," Sybil said, as sternly as her soft voice allowed her to be, plainly showing her discomfort.

"My wand is close. I miss how it feels," Kyra replied. "Tell me, is Lady Bellona's quarters nearby?"

"It is," Sybil replied.

"Then that is certainly where my wand is," said Kyra, and she began to follow the warmth of the aether like a mouse to the scent of a freshly baked pie.

"Kyra!"

Sybil's plea snapped Kyra out of her trance.

"Sorry," Kyra said. "Ok, ok. Let's go."

At the next intersection was a wide hall to the left, and at the end of the hall, a gilded door wrought with intricate designs. In front of the door stood two gleaming armor suits, wearing great helms with dark slits for their eyes, each wielding two-handed greatswords as tall as a man. Those two guards looked as if they could hold back an army, yet they stood exceptionally still as if they were nothing more than suits of armor. Kyra knew better. Kyra knew exactly what these were. They were the same things that guarded the Academy grounds. Golem Knights, they're called. Armor embedded with the souls of vanquished warriors, twisted into the service of the magician that vanquished them, in this case, Lady Bellona. Without a doubt, what was beyond the gilded doors guarded by those statuesque golems was Lady Bellona's quarters and, more importantly, where her wand was held captive.

A thought came to Kyra. A sharp venom of a thought that put a small, wicked smile on her face. She wondered how easy it might be to sneak past the golems and steal her wand back. She wondered if she could do it and then take her revenge on Lady Bellona. She might not be able to beat Lady Bellona in a head-to-head duel, but even the most powerful of mages can easily fall prey to a dagger in the dark, and Kyra certainly knew how to be a dagger in the dark. The words that Scarlet the swordstress spoke back in the bandit camp rang clearly in her head: A moment will come when we can turn the tides in our favor. That moment of opportunity might be as brief as a thunderclap, but we must be ready to take it.

Kyra shook off the thought, then ran to catch up with Sybil. It was only a dark fantasy. A lovely little dark fantasy.

If you're still following along, thank you for reading.

Let me know how you're liking the story! Give it a rating, leave a comment, or shoot me a message with your thoughts! I am eager to hear what you think I can do better.

I am working on parts 5 and beyond, and excited to share the rest of the story with you. Hope to see you there :)

One more thing, I realized I never listed out songs per my tradition, so here it is, a list of songs I like:

Wish on an Eyelash - Mallrat

Kokoronashi - Majiko

Arabian Knights - Siouxsie and the Banshees

Love You to Death - Type O Negative

Hell's Henchman - Jedi Mind Tricks

Don't Forget - Kousaki Satoru (from Beastars OST)

Canon in D - Variation by Uehara Hiromi

The Sundering - The Sword

Wicked Twisted Road - Reckless Kelly