15. Leela #2
Despite Leela’s circumstances, Navya had not warmed up to her. Something told Leela that Navya really did not like her, but she couldn’t put her finger on why. She’d barely spoken two words to her. How could she hate her?
Leela frowned. “How did the Scorpion pierce it?”
The crew all stared at her with the same blank expression plastered on their faces. Vedant chuckled and tilted his head to the skies.
Leela took a swig from her cup instead of producing a snide remark.
She knew she didn’t know a lot about the Flames and the Vessels.
Why did she need to when she was born in a village, meant to be a farmer for the rest of her life?
Even when she was made to be a pretty wife for a man, she never needed to know about Vessels then.
Iravan cleared his throat. “Vessels can harness the Flames, right?”
“Yes,” Leela said.
“So the Flames are also able to come out of people who are Vessels. It’s why their shadows are so prominent.”
“And why they can fight for us,” Hema explained. “See?”
Hema shut her eyes and took several deep breaths.
Leela gasped as Hema’s animal shadow slid down her body, along the ground, and then in its place stood a giant silver Fox. It blinked at Leela, its nose wriggling as it sniffed the air. Hema patted the Fox beside her with a beaming smile.
Another thing you didn’t tell me.
I thought carrying you to the village was evident enough. I did not realize I had to spell it all out, mortal.
How… you’re a snake?
A snake when I fight. A woman when I’m not. I can be both.
Leela’s fingers flexed against the cup. “Thank you.”
“It’s quite cool,” Hema continued.
The Silver Fox disappeared the same way it came and was once again Hema’s shadow.
“How…?” Leela questioned.
“The Flames took on their animal names to descend from the Awakening. It was the only way for them to be harnessed and used as Vessels,” Tanmay explained.
“I wouldn’t try it with the Viperess,” Rajesh cut in. “We don’t know what she’s capable of, yet.”
“It would be cool to see, though,” Iravan noted, tipping his cup in thought.
“Yes, how brilliant.” Vedant barked with laughter. “To unleash the very thing that wants our Captain dead.”
Leela glared at Vedant, but realization softened her expression. He wasn’t the only one who thought it. He was just the asshat capable of saying it out loud. She glanced at Rajesh, who turned away. Hema gave her a wry look, and even Iravan’s smile faltered.
A sinking sensation drowned Leela. These people might be peaceful toward her, but it didn’t mean they liked her or the Flame she harnessed.
Leela was glad when the conch rang around the dining hall. A flurry of bodies headed toward the exits like one conjoined wave.
“Come on,” Rajesh said. “Hema, take care of Leela and get her ready for the ship.”
Hema’s face lit up like a candle. “She’s really coming? Oh, yay!”
Oh great.
Oh great, indeed. We get to sail with others who hate us. The Viperess clucked against her teeth.
Leela groaned to herself but let Hema guide her through the halls and out to the docks. Several ships were already flying off, full of crew prepared for battle.
Hema let Leela climb the ladder first before landing beside her on the deck. “Follow me.”
Leela followed Hema downstairs into the belly of the ship. She steadied herself against the wall as the ship soared forward, gazing outside one of the circular windows as the red cave disappeared and blended into the carmine dunes.
“Where are we going?” Leela asked.
“Down to the weapons room. The Viperess won’t be much use in battle until you know how to control her. Do you know how to fight?”
“No.”
Hema stopped, and Leela almost bumped into her. Her honey-soaked eyes blinked several times as she gathered her thoughts. “Oh… Well… I guess we’d better start.”
Great, another thing Leela wasn’t good at.
She told herself that this was all new, that she had time to understand this new body and world she’d been thrust into.
Even so, she wasn’t meant to know all this, but voicing it out felt ridiculous.
This was the self-doubt and fear of being shit, but she was warranted to have imperfections.
Good. Finally, someone is talking sense. The Viperess chuckled.
Rude.
Am I wrong?
If I can learn to fight, I won’t need you to control me.
If Leela could protect herself, maybe she could kill the Viperess.
Do I have to remind you?
Yeah, yeah, it was just a thought.
Golden eyes flashed and a yellow hue settled over Leela’s vision. Do not test my patience.
Leela’s chest restricted.
Hema led her into a room whose ceiling rose too tall to actually fit into a ship.
A mosaic glass floor split the room in two and the sun beat down from the open air.
High arches sat against the left wall, showing them the desert dunes as the ship continued to fly.
To their right stood a row of staggered seats, and the back of the room was covered ceiling-to-floor with weapons.
“Whoa…” Leela said, stopping at the edge of the mosaic floor. She stared at the intricate red, glistening in the sun, the way it sparkled with glimmers of darker and lighter tones of red. The edge was a clear white, studded with a golden exterior.
“This is the fighting arena,” Hema explained, arms wide. “Sometimes we watch, hence the seating area. It’s quite fun, really. People place bets on who will beat whom.”
“And who is the best fighter?” Leela asked.
“Rajesh, of course.” Hema spun in the middle of the room with a familiar smile on her petite features. Her tiny curls twirled around her face, each one defined.
Leela wondered how she could be so calm and enthusiastic all the time.
“Although Navya is quite good too,” Hema continued.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, she and Rajesh would practice all the time, I honestly think it was just for them to get—” Hema cut herself off as her eyes landed on Leela mid-twirl. “Oh, I mean, they probably just liked to practice on one another. No. I mean… fight.”
Leela frowned. “What is it?”
“Nothing.” Hema dashed over to the armory.
Leela waved off the awkward moment with Hema. Whatever she’d been about to say, she clearly didn’t want to say it, and Leela didn’t quite care. Not about Navya, anyway.
“These are the weapons. We have godsblades, jawblades, wingblades, and clawgloves. You name it! We generally have them.”
Leela reached the table on the other side of the room and gawked at the number of weapons pressed into the wall.
The godsblades glowed a vibrant blue from the blood of the Flame.
There were jawblades, where the curved blade split in two with rows of jagged teeth, mostly used by the Tiger or Fox to bite down on their enemies.
Leela had never seen one in action before, let alone looked at one.
Gloves covered an entire section of the wall, all in different sizes, with clawed fingers.
Bows and arrows as well as the tinier katars or stealthy swords were among other weapons not laced with the power of a Flame.
“Where did you get all these?” Leela exclaimed.
“The Nihikian Empire,” Hema explained.
Leela glanced at Hema. “Right. Of course.”
She suddenly realized the thing she was running from was the thing she’d run into. Everyone here worked for the kingdom.
Rajesh’s confession last night gripped her. The kingdom didn’t know Rajesh’s emotions were the cause of the sandstorm monsters, and if they knew, she was sure they’d use him as a weapon. More so than they already were.
“You’ll learn,” Hema said, waving it off. “Give yourself time to settle in. I don’t know what you did before this but give yourself time to adjust. You’re allowed to not know everything.”
Leela grinned. “Thank you. I…” She rubbed her arm. If she was going to make friends besides her ex-fiancé with a vengeful Flame in his head, then she might need to start somewhere.
Sighing, Leela relayed the trauma of her village, her family and the Viper to Hema.
Hema stayed silent.
Leela didn’t know if that was a good thing or if she’d overshared.
“I am sorry,” Hema whispered. “It seems everyone has a tragic backstory these days. I guess mine isn’t much better. My village was attacked. I fled to the nearest city and hid behind the walls. Decided I wanted to become a Gilded Thorn and trained relentlessly for three years. Got gifted the Fox.”
“Gifted?”
“Sometimes, if you’re high in a rank, a Flame will choose you. Better than having a random one placed by the kingdom and hoping to make the ascension.”
Leela knew the risks. Flames and mortals had to be compatible.
A working force of nature. It almost made her story feel a little less daunting, knowing Hema also had the same threads of life woven before her.
Even if they were both tragic. She felt for Hema, seeing how her life laid out and hoped she could be as content with her circumstances as Hema seemed to be.
“Now, let’s pick up the mood,” Hema said, grabbing one of the jawblades from the rack. “What should we start with first? Basic techniques or sparring?”
Leela’s entire body hurt by the time Hema finished training her.
In the sweltering heat, Leela and Hema fought for hours.
Hema taught her where to position herself, how to move her legs and arms into position, and how to thrust a weapon.
Leela had some work to do before she was battling any monsters.
Her arms and legs had been built as a farmer, but her muscles weakened when she was made to be a wife.
No one could grow muscle in this short amount of time, much less wield a jawblade of this caliber.
Now, all Leela wanted was to soak and rest.