From Ashes and Dust (Book One)

Chapter 13.2

There was a spark of temptation to grab Ares' spear. She wanted to hold the very weapon that had taken her life so many times before. Maybe she could even use it against the war god himself. Vatra cast a look over her shoulder and shook her head, removing the thought from her mind.

It would be impractical to take the spear. The weapon was bulky and almost as long as the halls were wide. Vatra would hit the walls or ceiling if she tried to swing the spear. She looked at the katana in her hand and remembered her own godkillers at her back. Those were more than enough weapons for her.

Walking to the door with a confident step, Vatra noticed she didn't need to use a guard's hand to exit the room. Instead, she only needed to be near the door. As some kind of unseen detector signaled her presence, the door slid open.

Vatra inhaled sharply. Peering around the corner, she glanced in both directions for any approaching guards. There was no one around, as far as she could tell.

She tightened her grip on the katana's tsuka and slipped into the hall. The door closed behind her and left her completely exposed. There was no way back into the weapon's room unless she happened across another guard to knock out.

Every step Vatra took was slow and as quiet as possible. She kept her left side to the wall and looked back over her shoulder every few seconds.

"Okay, if I was a war god, where would I be kept under watch?" Vatra whispered to herself.

I think the others can handle themselves a little longer. I need to at least confirm Ares is on this ship for myself, Vatra thought.

There was a pang of guilt for letting her own personal feelings get in the way. Was she wrong for pursuing her goal in seeking out revenge on Ares instead of finding her friends? No, she had technically been hired to get him back, after all. And Vatra always finished the job she was hired for.

"I've been looking for you."

The soft whisper made Vatra freeze in her steps. She'd been keeping her head on a swivel and hadn't seen anyone around her. However, the voice sounded as if it was speaking directly into her ear. Vatra turned her head sharply, but no one was behind her.

"Vatra."

Jumping back a step, Vatra realized Revna was standing right in front of her.

Impossible.

Revna caught the blade of the katana right before it cut down on her left shoulder. The tempered steel glistened between her forefinger and thumb, a drop of blood pooling to the surface of her skin.

"That was a close one," Revna mused. She looked over the katana with a grin. "I see you found the weapons' room, too." Withdrawing her hand, Revna held up an axe she'd been holding at her side with her other hand.

"Where did you come from?" Vatra seethed. The katana dropped lazily to her side.

"Huh?" Revna pulled her gaze from the intricate runes donning the axe's hilt. As if processing Vatra's question after a moment, Revna tapped the wall beside them. "I was in the hall next to you."

Vatra's brow shot up. There was no other turn into the next hall, not for a while, at least. "You're kidding me."

"No," Revna said, a defensive tone in her reply. She held her hand up again and raised it toward the wall. Where her fingers once pressed to solid metal, Revna's flesh and bone phased through the material.

Disbelief turned to shock, and Vatra leaned in to watch Revna's hand. "What the hell is this?"

"I'm a fylgja, remember? A spirit, not a god or creature. I'm not bound to the same physical planes as you or Enyalius. Or mortals, for that matter," Revna explained.