It was rather nice of Carmon to offer us some accommodations, huh?” Kyran beamed as she folded her hands into her lap. “Especially since we gathered up all Rye’s brothers in a flash.” Kyran held her grin as she was obviously proud of the fact.
“That it was. Never thought a leader of an army would be so freshly cleaned either. This place is cleaner than Scarlet’s temple!” Marty joked with a wave of her hand.
“Don’t you five think we should be doing something more important right now? Like figuring out what made the humans act so strangely?” Faith enquired with a slow drum of fingers across her belly.
“Girl you worried too much. We can’t really do anything any ways until Rye, Walker and all those two boys come. Don’t be getting yourself into a frizz.” Neera replied with a casual tone.
“I do not get myself into a ‘frizz’ thank you very much Neera!” Faith snapped.
“Jeez, touchy.” Joey responded with a slight point towards her.
Grazing their sights to one another, Marty was the first to make some radical comment that made most of the burst out laughing as Lena and Faith left the room.
“You guys are so immature!” Lena called back.
“Man, those two must have their moons cycles. Talk about crabby.” Kyran giggled.
“Ah forget about it, Faith is always like that. Has to be the big boss of the guardians. I swear if Scarlet wasn’t in power, she would be.” Marty smirked with a point of her thumb towards the court yard door.
“Yah can you see the destruction?” Joey hinted.
Slapping her hands to both sides of her face, Neera started screaming. “T-The temples are falling and the earth is cracking open! OH MY GOD! The underworld is seeping into Flycoren!”
“Heh, I think that is a little overboard but hey she’s not here. Nothing she can do… but what is with Lena? Seems she’s turning into another Faith.” Kyran stated the noticeable.
“Perhaps the war is getting to her. Any type of trouble always bothers her.” Joey reminded, “Remember training?”
“Whoo boy, talk about strains, pains and whining. You know going from being a spoiled blacksmiths daughter to an overworked trainee isn’t fun.” Neera voiced.
“You were lucky Neera. Your family was well off. Mine on the other hand had every living relative living with us. Food was tight.” Joey seemed to daze off some, “I swear if you wanted something to eat, you’d have to dive into the mad dogs of hevanoics to get it.”
“Wasn’t your father a lawyer?” Marty questioned. Joey simply nodded. “Yah so was mine, but he wasn’t fully aware of the world around him. It was rare for my mother, sister and I to see him. Work came first but we faired well.”
“Ha you think that was bad! Try having both of your parents working all the time and having your grandmother take care of you. Nag at this and nag at that. It was like listening to a bird screaming in the morning.” Kyran laughed. “But heck you guys look where we are today. Living in the life of vast harmony.
“Yah but do you guys remember the first day Rye came to Echofalls?” Neera requested. “I remember listening to a sword technique lecture as Nicholas called Jackie away from the teaching, since she was the leader of that. Clearly I remember hearing him say ‘ladies we have the final trainee from Yulo. The group of ladies that have six people to come forward.’”
“Okay I remember that, since we needed groups of seven, we were the only ones left. I swear the first time I saw Rye, I was in shock.” Kyran hummed.
Turning their sights to her, they cocked their heads to the left in confusion. “Why do you say that Kyran?” Joey wondered.
“Well, I knew what she was. Rye was the forest mage from Yulo but when I saw her clothes I knew the stories of the fabled Blood Mage were true.” Kyran licked her lips. “I was shocked to be standing in front of the famous blood mage. The rumours I heard explained that she was a killing machine. It scared me that I was in shock I guess.”
“That’s nothing; remember I was the one who had to take Rye into battle field training. I though I was going to be Swiss cheese after the first couple swings of her sword.” Marty laughed. “She was skilled and deadly.”
“Oh yah, the best move I’ve ever seen from a woman of her age was her three weapon technique.” Joey smirked as she peered to Marty.
Neera lined up three fingers, “Sword battle, bow battle, and hand to hand combat!”
Rubbing the back of her neck Neera nodded. “Uh huh. The first time we all saw that was when Nero versed Rye in a blaze of swords. Sure Nero was the prime champion of the standard weapons in Echofalls, but that didn’t matter to Rye.” Neera closed her eyes. “Rye knew she was going to win.”
‘Raising her blade up to her waist height, Rye kept her eyes closed.
“Draw your weapon Ryden.” Nero chuckled as she folded her wings behind her back.
“I’ll draw it when I’m ready, otherwise come and get me Miss Nero.” Rye was too confidante as far as the crowd was concerned.
“Prepare to fail at your first challenge Ryden.” Nero vowed as she leapt forwards at Rye. Stepping backwards with a couple steps, Rye still didn’t pull out her Sradin blade.
“That all you have Miss Nero? I’m disappointed!” Rye grinned as a cry of anguish ran through the crowd, like a wave. Chasing Rye back with the swing of her Dragon’s Mystery, a dragon-maiden smile lined Nero’s lips; figuring she had this battle in the bag.
“This is a new low for you Ryden.”
“Well this is pathetic any way you look at it Miss Nero.” Rye stopped in tracks as she reached up and grabbed the blade of the enemy sword. Cutting through her leather gloves and her skin a thin red line ran slowly down her wrist as Rye said nothing. Bringing her knee up into Nero’s stomach, Rye turned her back towards her as she grabbed a fist of her shirt and flung Nero over her body. Before Nero could recover, Rye kicked her sword out her hands causing Nero to scramble towards it, but it wasn’t quick enough.
Rye ran to the sword and kicked it again to make it slide out of bounds for the quarrel. Nero rose to pull out her bow but Rye had finally plucked her Sradin blade out of its scabbard.
“Time to end this battle Miss Nero.” Rye laughed. Directing her blade to a swing horizontal, Nero stared at her bow as the top fell to the side, just dangling from the string. Turning a look to Rye, she drove forward again with her blade, but Nero saw it coming and took out her blade with a boot to the hand. Thinking she got the better of Rye, she seen her bring out her large Dragontooth bow and shoot an arrow. Nero’s reaction time seemed to be wearily as the red oak shaft drove itself into her shoulder blade.
Reaching up to pluck the arrow out, Rye threw her bow upwards as she back-rolled to grab her blade. Taking the hilt into her hand, Rye stood as she caught the bow again and nocked an arrow. “You loose Miss Nero.”
Nero stared in amazement at the sheer skill of Ryden as the smile, of defeat nestled on her lips. “You are a great warrior Ryden.”
To reward her fantastic achievements, Nero gave Rye her Dragon’s Mystery. As soon as Nero gave Rye the blade, it reverted to its un-evolved form as the White Cobra.’
“I hope those two are alright.” Faith commented to the quiet Lena on her right side.
“They should be Faith. Rye can handle herself.” Lena reassured.
“That’s not what I’m worried about, it’s that Walker lad. He is part demoil. I could feel it in the aura around him and to make it worse he is not just any normal forest demoil or ice demoil.” Faith whispered.
“Faith?”
“He is a fire demoil and I believe one of the sons of Lord Kenisha.” Faith slowed her pace. “Not one to be trusted. He may be like his father. Cunning, vile and spiteful. Who knows what type of danger Rye may be in.”
“Lord Kenisha… isn’t that the demoil who killed Rye’s mother?”
“Yes and you still have to keep that quiet Lena. I doubt Rye or any of her brothers know the truth behind her death. It’s better to let them think she was killed when Erin destroyed Rollin’ Ridge.”
“But it still bugs me. How did Scarlet know about Raye’s death? She should have told Rye about Raye’s true death.”
“Who knows, Lena-- Scarlet and Nicholas work in mysterious ways and it isn’t our place to question them.” Faith sighed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they knew something about each one of us that we don’t know the truth about. But I do recall once hearing her and Nicholas talking about how one of us Guardians may yet be the next heir to the Mistress of the Guardians throne.”
“Personally I don’t want that job. I already hate being a guardian some days. You can’t be involved with a man because we are giving artificial magic; that messes up the biology of our bodies, which also affects the male. I was engaged before I became a guardian, but I had to turn away and disappoint my family because I wanted to do this job.”
“Yes I know Lena. We all had to turn away from are families, boyfriends, and… husbands.”
“Do you ever talk to Shinra anymore?” Lena enquired.
“No, I told him that last time we talked that I wanted him to be happy and not wait aside for me because I choose to become what I am now.” Faith smiled painfully, “I can’t have him stop his life for me. He isn’t a caged bird for me to enjoy amusement from.”
“It’s hard isn’t it? Being a wife and mother to someone you can’t see anymore. I miss my daughter too Faith.”
“I still receive letters from Siuka and Mihan. That’s the one thing that keeps me going Lena. I swear if I didn’t hear from my children, I’d probably fail to see the point of getting out of bed each morning.”
“I understand; I still get letters from Ula. I swear one day I’m just going to leave Sitra temple and see her.”
“Hear hear to that Lena.” Faith smiled still. “Well shall we go back to see what those other fools are up too?