Kyra

Chapter Eighteen

All eyes were on Kyra as the Amazons of her age range lined up to be sent to their first battle. They wore the heavy, ridiculous armour Kyra had worn when she went to Romania. The same armour had been laid out at the end of Kyra's bed that morning for her to wear with the others. But there was no chance of that happening. She had her own outfit laid out separately. An outfit she wore now. The very same outfit that drew the attention to her.

Instead of the mesh chains covering her legs, Kyra's were pretty much bare. She had metal shinpads on that'd been beaten into the shape she wanted them, guarding her legs there. Without all that former heavy metal, she could actually bend her knees without busting her hip out in the process. Her breastplate was a prototype, made from the materials Ares had given her. The metal lining on the inside wasn't great yet—but it'd protect her heart. As for the skirt, that was just for flare.

The Amazons around her didn't seem to know where to look.

Erika was in charge of making sure they all had their shit together and were ready for battle. Thus, it came as no surprise that she froze next to Kyra, looking her up and down with judgement.

"What are you doing?"

Kyra had prepared for this. She knew what she'd be saying.

If I can take Erika, I can handle anything.

"Getting ready for battle, just like everyone else. Don't tell me I got the wrong date. Did I get the wrong date?"

"Where's your armour?"

Erika didn't seem to like Kyra's new choice of clothing. Thankfully, Kyra didn't care.

"In a museum. Right where it belongs. What's the use in wearing it?"

"To protect you in battle."

"If I'm to wear that, there's no use in going. I won't be able to move. Besides, I've covered all the key points. So long as I'm quick on my feet, I'll be fine. I should be, since that's what I've spent my whole life training for, right?"

Kyra looked more like future Kyra. She hadn't expected to put her new clothes on and feel such a sudden rush of confidence. She felt like a powerhouse. Like she was finally stepping into shoes that fit her. Like she was pushing away from the Amazonian mindset and finding her own autonomy.

"What are you playing at?" Erika jabbed.

"Come on Erika. You've been at this for decades. Admit it, there are some obvious flaws with the current armour. Seems to me like someone suggested it centuries back and it's never been changed since."

Because that's what the Amazons were. Stuck.

And maybe, just maybe, if everything went as planned today, the others might see where Kyra was coming from.

I refuse to be the villain.

Ares was too cagy about who they'd be fighting today. He wouldn't even tell her why.

If we were doing something good, he'd want to brag about it.

Today, Kyra put her foot down.

"If you have a problem with the way we run things, you should take it up with Ares."

Kyra rolled her eyes, answering, "I did. But he doesn't seem particularly eager to listen to my suggestions so here we are."

"Get that stupid thing off and go put on your armour."

"What I'm wearing now has Ares' stamp of approval." Technically not a lie. Though she wondered if he'd have been so easy about her wish had he known what she'd be using the materials for. "As a matter of fact, he personally provided me with the materials to do this."