Tamara then brushed back her hair and reverted to her original self. "Well, then, shall we go?"
"Wait a second." Valeriana told her, bringing herself out of her stupor. Aside from the recent enlightenment she had just been bestowed, another one came. "How in the world are we supposed to get back?"
The third blinked at the other girl before twisting about to look at her surroundings. Sure enough, they were in some place unfamiliar and the trail back was . . . impossible to find. Valeriana and Tamara exchanged glances, both feeling a sudden knot of uncertainty form in their stomachs.
"Why didn't you keep track of where we're going?" Tamara questioned, irritated.
"Why didn't you keep track of where you're going?" Valeriana bit back.
"I was upset!"
"I was watching you!"
"Whatever." The third ranker huffed. "There's no use arguing about stupid things, let's just try and find our way back already. We're both to blame anyway." She then paused, thinking matters over for a few moments. "First things first, should we split up?"
Valeriana shrugged. "Um . . . I don't know. I'm not sure if I want to be separated."
Tamara nodded. "That's probably reasonable. I wouldn't like that either." A foreign look washed over the third's face, almost as though she was deeply contemplating their current dilemma. It wasn't every day that you see Tamara trying to think.
"How about this—" Tamara stopped short as her eyes widened. "Valeriana, watch out!"
"What?" Valeriana stood stupidly, standing in wonder.
"Idiot!" Tamara leaped forward and pushed the girl down as an arrow whipped overhead.
"What? What?"
Tamara rose immediately and reached for her hip where her hands tried patting for something, probably her weapon. "Damn! Where the hell's my damn weapon?" She growled.
"Tamara! There's another one!" Valeriana warned, scrambling to stand back up on her feet.
"Agh! Forget it! Iolani!" She whistled.
The said bird materialized in a burst of water at Tamara's shoulder before spreading its wings to its fullest span and shrieking. The sharp sound that echoed from the familiar's beak hurt Valeriana's ears that she cringed, one eye closing briefly as an unthinking response.
Tamara, on the other hand, seemed to have grown used to it already as she did not at all flinch. Instead, the smallest of smirks curved on her lips as a bloodthirsty glimmer flashed from her eyes.
"You guys picked a bad time challenging this person." Her voice resembled a thrilled growl of anticipation. Her ardent, blue eyes smoldered like twin molten fires the color of hell's flame, further intensified by the fiery color of the tresses sitting atop her head. "Ah, but, I could use a little fight to vent my anger on a certain someone."
"Uh . . ." Valeriana was awestruck by the sudden change of demeanor and could not help but stand stupidly in her place. "Wow."
A bunch of arrows came zooming towards her that Valeriana felt the words dying at her throat at the thought of her comrade getting hit. Even so, she felt that she had to stay still and watch. She kept her eyes on Tamara as the latter's familiar morphed into a weapon of some sort. It had a glittering silver pommel and an ornate guard—the typical form of a sword with slight modifications. The blade was broader and about as long as Tamara's upper extremities. It had curved edges and a triangular tip, with a space in the middle that went midway down the blade.
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Legend | Celeste Academy Series BK #2
Fantasy|Celeste Academy Series BK #2| The Twelve has left the academy walls to explore the the Larkovian continent, seeking the enigmatic brother of the king. While getting the archduke to come with them was easier than they'd hope, his conditions pose as...
