Chapter Ten
The Air Warden
???
Avaldale, Vrethian.
Kyra.
In its long and bloody history, the Citadel had never been so quiet.
No one spoke a word, all of them dumbfounded by the phenomenon they were witnessing. Rosary’s echoing laugh was the only sound.
‘Impossible,’ Governor Oswald seethed. Three more Governors joined him on the platform, all of them arguing in hushed, furious voices. Kyra heard Oswald insist, ‘She must be doing it! It’s this stolen magic, it’s an abomination-’
‘Be reasonable, Oswald, the girl’s wrists are bound in iron,’ another, much older Governor countered.
‘Then she is a sorceress of a dark nature! How else-’
‘Don’t beat around the bush, Governor!’ Rosary called out, amusement dripping on her voice as she beamed with glee. ‘You know the law, as do we all.’
Oswald’s lip curled, his puffy face turning red. One of the other Governors said quietly, ‘She’s right. The girl has been saved.’
Another piped up, ‘This magic is elemental. We cannot counter the will of the Gods.’
‘She must be released. We don’t want to tempt Their wrath, nor the crowds if we dismiss this event,’ the first said in earnest.
‘Too many witnesses!’ the other hissed.
Kyra held her breath, barely daring to hope.
Whispers began in the crowd, curling words of confused disappointment that glazed over her skin. She barely cared. The only words that mattered now were the ones about to reluctantly spill out of Governor Oswald’s tight-lipped mouth.
He drew himself up to full height, gave Kyra a look of absolute hatred (as if she had been the one to save herself), then cleared his throat. ‘There will be no execution. The divine have spoken.’
‘Yes, they fucking have,’ Rosary hissed triumphantly.
The wooden planks beneath Kyra’s feet shot back up. None too gently, the executioner lifted the noose from her neck. A Governor unshackled her wrists.
The crowd watched on in silence.
And the only way out of the Citadel was through them.
As Kyra moved past Oswald, his hand shot out from beneath his red robe and wrapped around her wrist. ‘That noose is destined for your neck, girl. Set foot in Avaldale again and we will see if the Gods favour you a second time.’
Kyra smiled at him with a bravado that was entirely forced. ‘Eat shit, you ugly prick.’ She wrenched her wrist out of his grip and sauntered down from the platform.
Relief shone on Lilion’s face as Kyra passed her, but despite the vehement display she’d put on begging for her freedom, Kyra completely ignored her.
The crowd cleaved a path down the middle of the courtyard for her, though none of them did so with kindness in their hearts: their piercing gazes were like knives to her skin.
And though they had given her space to walk, though one foot moved consistently after the other, her limbs were like lead, her lungs shrivelled as figs, each breath as arduous as the last.
A hand enclosed around her own, but she didn’t flinch at its touch.
Rosary.
By her side.
Guiding her through.
‘Keep your eyes up,’ Rosary whispered, as if she could hear the pounding of Kyra’s heart. ‘Don’t let them break you.’
She led her all the way out of the Citadel and further, stopping on the bank of the narrow river that separated the city from the Upper States. Without saying a word, Kyra let go of Rosary’s hand, stripped herself completely bare, and waded into the cold water.
She closed her eyes, letting the steady stream ripple around her midriff, then dunked her entire body under. Only when she felt the chill had cleared some of the fear clouding her head, did she re-emerge.
Rosary was watching her, knees pulled in tightly to her chest. ‘Are you alright?’ Scraping her now wet and spiralling hair back from her face, Kyra shook her head. Rosary quietly asked, ‘How did you do it?’
Kyra looked down at her hands. Had it been her? Could she have done it without even realising? The Governor had said the magic was elemental. Who else could it have been, if not her?
But it had been air magic, not earth, this much Kyra knew. Had it been the Air Mother who had intervened? And if so, why was the Goddess Gallena, and not Roheia whom her newfound magic had come from, her unexpected saviour?
‘Fuck me,’ Rosary murmured.
Kyra looked up, and instantly saw the reason for her profanity.
A winged being of strange, ethereal beauty stood on the river bank, calmly staring down at Kyra with a peculiar gleam in her almond shaped, cool grey eyes. Her features were pointed and feline, her windswept hair cropped and silver.
Those great wings shivered, and a familiar scent tinged the air.
‘Snow,’ Kyra murmured, blinking stupidly at the divine-like creature before her. ‘It was you.’
The female bowed her head, a gentle smile pulling her thin lips. ‘You are perceptive. Do you know who I am?’
‘I have a very strong hunch. I’ll be damned if I’m wrong.’
She chuckled, but her gaze drifted to Rosary, who was still gaping. The female asked Kyra, ‘This is a friend of yours?’
Kyra nodded.
‘And she can be trusted?’
‘With my life.’
Rosary finally closed her mouth, but her eyes shone with fierce pride.
‘Very well,’ the female said, seemingly satisfied. ‘Then allow me to formally introduce myself, Kyraena Daeiros. My name is Naal Westerra. Your grandmother sent me to liberate you from an unfortunate fate.’
‘Win?’ Kyra said, surprised.
‘The very same.’
‘She never mentioned she knew the Air Warden.’
Naal Westerra’s eyes flickered slightly. ‘No. I wouldn’t have expected her to.’
Suddenly nettled, Kyra retorted, ‘I am the Earth Warden, aren’t I? You’d think she might have told me that too, but no. My entire life has been a lie.’
Sadness flitted over the Air Warden’s features. ‘A lie put in place to protect you, Kyraena.’
Kyra gritted her teeth. ‘It’s just Kyra. How many others knew? My parents? My siblings?’
‘Would it not be best,’ Naal said carefully, ‘to direct your questions to your grandmother? I feel she can answer them far better than I can.’
‘I will not step foot in that house ever again, not while she’s there,’ Kyra said scathingly. ‘You can answer my questions. Why now? Why has my power come forth now?’
She ought to have been kissing the Air Warden’s feet for saving her life, but that gratitude was somehow hard to come by now.
For a moment, Naal looked reluctant to answer.
But then she crouched by the river, watching a shoal of fish dart this way and that as she said, ‘When you were just a babe, I visited you. I confined your magic to Daeiros Manor, so that as long as you stayed within the grounds of your home, your magic would remain dormant.’ She looked up, grey eyes forlorn.
‘The Great Earthling War did not end when the fae were driven out of Avaldale, Kyra. There are forces to the west of here that still work to tear down all that we who worship the Four Mothers hold dear. For some reason still unbeknownst to me, you are important to Zarynth’s Empress.
I fought to keep you hidden, to keep your powers on a leash until you were ready to wield them.
Your magic was untraceable so long as it remained undiscovered within you. ’
Kyra spat, ‘I’ve been out of that damned house for seven years. So, why is it only now that my magic has emerged?’
Naal frowned. ‘I think, after so many years of being stifled, your magic became used to being hidden. Only a great surge of power could have released it.’
Power, Kyra wanted to scoff. More like a furious, emotional imbalance. ‘What does the Empress want with me?’
Naal didn’t respond right away. When she did, it certainly wasn’t a direct answer to her question. ‘I need time to explain these things to you, Kyra. Will you grant me that?’
Kyra held the Air Warden’s gaze. ‘Will you grant me the whole truth in turn?’
Naal Westerra stood, slightly flaring her wings.
The afternoon sun offset the pearlescent sheen in the grey feathers, and for a moment she shimmered.
She was a seasoned warrior, judging by the worn, fitted silver armour she wore.
Deep wisdom was etched into the lines of her face, and a certain calmness that was not to be mistaken as submissive.
There was a greatness within her that could intimidate even the mightiest of men.
She was the transcendent epitome of a perfect Warden. ‘In time… yes. I swear it.’
And who was Kyra to refute the word of the Air Warden? After a moment, she nodded her consent.
Naal lifted the satchel around her body over her head, and placed it on the bank next to Rosary. ‘You’ll find fresh clothing and food in the bag. Before we leave, I must speak with Winvara. Would you like to come with me?’
‘No.’
A nod. ‘Very well. Kindly remain here until I-’
‘Wait, what do you mean “we”?’
Naal blinked. ‘Surely you cannot mean to stay? I heard what Governor Oswald said to you as you passed him. You cannot stay here.’
‘I know that,’ she retorted, a little shorter than intended. ‘But Rosary and I had made plans to leave before I was strung up. I want to keep to them.’
‘I understand,’ Naal said gently. ‘But things are different now. You will not be safe-’
‘I made it this far,’ she countered. ‘I survived, even without your protection.’
Naal smiled sadly. ‘You did. Against the odds, it would seem. But I do not want you to simply survive, Kyra. I want you to thrive. Your Warden powers are… untamed. I would teach you to harness them, to work with what Roheia has given you, if you will allow me.’
As if in response to those words, the hibernating force within her purred. Like butterflies in her stomach. If she could control it, perhaps it wouldn’t scare her so.
She couldn’t look at Rosary. For if she did, the life they had been planning in Taru would flash painfully before her eyes. Forever out of reach.
Without a word, she nodded.
Naal gave her another smile, and Kyra hated how knowing it was. ‘Winvara is expecting me. I won’t be long. Remain here and await my return.’