"A little more frangipane, please," Ashviel said to the old woman at the table. The three were having a nice meal on a table for the first time after leaving the academy, and were ready to pay good money for it.
"So Kyra," began Kael, munching a loaf of dark bread, "you haven't told us how you came to the academy."
"It's a long and boring story," she said.
"We have all the time in the world," said Ashviel.
She took a deep breath and shifted her gaze between both young men. "Kyra Roryan, that's my name," she began.
"You have a surname too?"
"Yes," she said "and the Roryans live far away in a swampy island. No one had ever left the island, not even the fishermen. It was all fun until the day I left with some of my friends. I was the youngest of the crew, barely ten at the time we took the voyage. The seven of us made the boat in secret, and without taking heed to wise counsels, we rode out of the island. Perhaps it was a childish curiosity, or a silly desire to impress my friends, as I was always known as a romp, and would do anything to hold the title."
She shook her head and gave a sorry sigh.
"It was interesting at first, and I can remember how bright we were about our homecoming. After the third day of travel, we met no land and decided to turn back as our supplies were diminishing. The oldest among us, and perhaps the most foolish – he urged us to go on. It was a tragedy; and though we still had enough supplies when it started, we could not make it all, and they all died gradually, till I was the last."
"Sea sickness?" asked Ashviel. He had never been on a sea voyage, but his adventurous father had taught him some things about travelling.
"No," answered Kyra. "The pathetic boat had an accident and keeled over. Two of them drowned in the water, but we were able to get on the boat again. By evening, another one of us died after taking in too much water, and even though we had reduced in number, we were coming on our beam-ends. Yet that was not the end of our misfortune."
She took a piece of the hash browns before her before carrying on.
"We came across a larger boat on the fifth day and they took us in. Eleven of them were on board, heading for another island, they said. They had had just enough to last them for the journey, and had not anticipated the encounter. Still they were happy to take us in, at least some of them were. Two days passed on this new ferry, and everything went fine until I overheard a council held by seven of the eleven crewmen. They complained about the state of the vessel since we boarded, and decided to get rid of the four of us and their four other comrades. I told the rest about this, and we decided to attack them first."
She heaved deeply, and had curiosity not won over Kael, he would have told her to stop.
"It was a bloodbath," she continued, "we attacked them, but somehow they were prepared too. We killed each other foolishly, using all the weapons we could gather from the boat. Soon, the whole boat was painted with a rotting red as the battle went on. My comrades died, all of them, leaving me only with two of the rebels. They could do nothing to me, as they were severely injured from the fight. I could not handle the boat all alone, and they begged me to untie them, promising to help me shore safely. That might seem fair, but how was I to trust two people who, only moments ago, were not only willing, but had also tried to kill me?"
She gave a dry laugh, perhaps to hold back her tears. "'Dead men don't bite', I said to them as I slit their throats and heaved them over and out of sight. I tried to man the boat alone, then, as if a demon was at work, a vile storm shook the boat, tearing its shivering timbers away. I fell into the water, and after some days, I woke up at a shore far away. Three men sat by the bank, and upon seeing my drenched body washed up, they became alarmed. Two of them opined that they leave me be, while the third begged them to take me along. He was Sir Ginx, and the others; Sir Mat and another of Lord Blue Beard's men. They took me to the academy and Lord Blue Beard accepted me as a student. I had grown inclined to Sir Ginx ever since, until his folly brought what it brought. Seven years has passed since then, and now here I am."
Ashviel temporarily lost his appetite for the frangipane when she finished his story. Her misfortune was not as great as his was, but she had been forced to kill to survive, and at such a tender age.
Kael placed his hand over his eyes, reflecting deeply. Of the three, he was by far the luckiest.
"So," he said, "You will return to your parents when all these is over?"
"To the Roryans?" asked Kyra. "No, not ever. I am probably presumed dead, and I want it that way."
"Just in case you change your mind," said Ashviel," know that we will be here for you."
"Thanks."
A minute of dead silence hang around them, until Kyra stood up sharply. "How about we practice the spells?" she said.
"Good idea," agreed Kael.
Their days at the wasteland were not ill spent. Ashviel and Kael had worked on the assault arrow, the swordstorm and the force screen. Their progress had been great, as they scarred the grounds with many assault arrows.
Firing an assault arrow was more or less like shooting an arrow from a bow, except that the bow and arrow in this case were made of fire Rek. The firepower generated is very high, far greater in power than the shooting star, and Ashviel could imagine himself shooting down a Capricorn soldier from a distance with it. Back in his village of Tvinn, he had been a huntsman and had gained a considerable level of mastery in the art of archery from his father. It was therefore little wonder that he took to the assault arrow.
The swordstorm is a terrifying wind attack spell, made of minute rapping tempests that are almost impossible to dodge. While the assault arrow is specialized in taking down a single foe in one strike, the swordstorm can attack several opponents at the same time, although might fail to kill them all in a single strike.
The basting force and force screen work hand in hand, switching between attack and defense. Their force screen was not yet strong enough, but could well slow down a shooting star.
Kyra was also training vigorously. She had delightedly discovered the contents of her spell bag, and while her two friends were more amazed by the coins, she had her own passion pointed at Master Vauxall's books.
She was especially adept at replicating the sword techniques he described, but to her eternal frustration, the spells had not come her way.
"Don't worry," Ashviel had once said to her, "it took us a whole month to get the spell, and we were with Master Vauxall throughout."
She understood what he meant, but a month was a long time for her, and she was not going to watch her companions firing spells while she can only wield a sword.
Their spell trainings had however been paused since they got to the inn. Not only were they not alone, they could also not afford to wreck the inn they stay. An advantage they had was that the inn was as silent as a graveyard, with only little visitors ever lodging there. The spacious halls allowed for their sword trainings to continue, and on and on they went.
A week was spent in the inn before they decided to proceed on their journey.