Stolen Scales

Chapter 32

Lyss sighs but follows the two back to the city underneath the steadily darkening sky. Alai spits off as they pass her house, but Lyss follows Kyma all the way to her own house. Kyma's mother is waiting for them at the door, and she smiles at them as they approach. When they stop at the door, Lyss bows her head to Lahira.

"My Queen, the waves were calm today."

Lahira's smile grows. "And our shores thank you for this report."

Lyss bows once more before turning to go. Lahira beckons for Kyma to follow her into the house, and Kyma does so, suddenly yawning. Despite the darkness outside the house, the kitchen and living room are lit by a soft blue glow. With a hint of surprise, Kyma realizes that there are algae lanterns interspersed throughout the house. The reason she hadn't noticed them the night before was that it was light out while they ate and she was too tired to really notice by the time it got dark.

Kyma has barely been inside the kitchen for a few moments before her mother hands her a plate of food and bustles her into a seat. Kyma laughs in surprise but consents, sitting upon the bench and pulling the plate towards her. It contains a small pile of Wakame with some Hijiki interspersed among it.

Beside the seaweed pile are several strips of white meat, hogfish just like the night before. Lyma smiles and digs in, relishing the flavors that burst upon her tongue. She pushes the plate away once she is done and leans back against the stone bench, sighing. Mid-sigh, she lets out a yawn, and her mother laughs.

"Tired?"

Kyma nods, yawning once more. "Yeah."

"I'm not surprised. You were running around all day." Kyma refrains from telling her mother the truth of what they did, despite wanting to do so. Lahira smiles gently at Kyma. "I would tell you to head to bed, but I have something for you first."

Kyma frowns in confusion, and her mother smiles as she hands Kyma a familiar journal. Kyma opens it to confirm for herself what it is, and her mother's handwriting flashes back at her in its dark, bluish ink. She looks up at her mother, her mouth open in an o shape. Taking it as an expression of surprise instead of one of "Oh," her mother speaks, her words expressing her nervousness.

"It's a journal of letters. I wrote them to you over the years, hoping I would one day get to give them to you. It's the only way I can come anywhere close to making up for not being there for you. You don't have to read them if you don't want to, but . . . please take them."

Lyma cuts her off from speaking any more by reaching over to pull her mother into a hug. "I love them. And I will read them."

Her mother sighs in relief. "Go on to bed now, before you pass out. I can see you yawning."

Kyma nods gratefully and walks toward her room, clutching the journal against her chest with one arm. She steps into her room and unfurls the curtain to seal off the door before unveiling the algae lantern groove and bathing the room in its soft blue light. She sets the journal on the table-ledge and places her bag on the bed. Carefully, with a cautious glance around her, she pulls the dagger out of her bag. With slow and steady movements, Kyma unsheathes the dagger and stares at its gleaming blade. A voice speaks in her head, quiet but with a sense of power.

"Hello."

Kyma drops the blade in surprise, knowing that the voice was definitely not her own - physical or mental. She looks back down at the blade lying innocuously upon her bed. She places it carefully on the flat of the blade, and nothing happens. She slowly pulls her hand back, only to hear the voice once more.

"Don't be afraid of the dagger."

Kyma curses quietly to herself, using one of Alai's favorite sayings. "For the sake of the tides!" Then she frowns and speaks into her head, just like when she was talking to the orb earlier that day. "Are you the light orb?"

"Yes." Kyma pales in surprise and fear, and whacks the side of her head with the palm of her hand. "Stop! I will not harm you!"

"Why are you in my head?!"

The voice hesitates for a moment. "You are the true owner of the dagger, one of the few who are worthy."

"That didn't answer my question."

"I am the magic of the dagger. You are the true owner, and so I melded with you."

Kyma frowns. "What can you even do in my head?"

"I can give you advice on how to use the dagger, warn you of things, and teach you."

Kyma's frown of apprehension turns into one of thought. "Do you know who made the dagger? I don't think they told me everything."

"They told you what they could. But yes, I can tell you. The maker of the dagger was a Unseelie Aos Sí lord named Comhnall."

Kyma's eyes widen in shock. "I thought the Unseelie were bad?"

"No. The Unseelie always tell the truth. Both courts do, but the Seelie's twist the truth to mean the opposite, if they wish. More Unseelie are known to be bad than Seelie, but there are just as many bad Seelie. They just hide it better."

"So there is no divide between them?"

"There is, but we can speak of it another time. For now, you should open the pouch you found with the dagger."
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What did you think of the things Kyma learned in this chapter? What do you think is in the pouch? What do you think of the voice? Last but not least, what do you think will happen next?

Happy reading, and I'll see you next chapter!

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.