Shadow Bands

XXII. Umbra

 Lyra pulled at the leather straps that bound her armor to her body. She wrapped her belt around her waist, where her sword now rested beside her, sharpened and sheathed. The armor shined brightly from the morning sun, giving away her status of where she was on the ladder. She stared at herself in the mirror, making sure every piece fit snug to her figure. Her armor, though unadorned, was a testament to practicality, forged for the rigors of the academy.

She rested her helmet against her side and turned to Aeris. Raising her free arm before dropping it back onto the pommel of her sword. "What do you think?"

"Oh, that becomes you," Aeris chuckled to herself.

Lyra smiled while considering hacking down Aeris for trying to become a comedian.

"C'mon! Please be serious."

"Okay, okay!" Aeris' eyes flicked up and down, her thumb between her teeth. Lyra's eyebrows furrowed. "I just think you should wear your mother's armor."

Lyra let out a deep sigh as she rubbed her eyes. "I can't bear that armor just yet; it's not my right."

"It's your mother's," said Aeris, hoping to make any sense to her. "You are the right—it's yours. Maybe she left it behind for you to have."

Lyra knew she was right, but it still pained her to think about it.

A knock came from the door. Lyra's boots thudded loudly as she went to answer it. As the door cracked open, Lyra saw Kaelen standing on the other side. His armor fit him perfectly in his human form. She opened the door the rest of the way and said, "Well, that suits you very well."

Kaelen gave her a smile and a nod. "And yours fits you too."

Aeris approached the two with blue cloths folded neatly on top of both her hands. "Lastly is this," she gave them the cloth and stepped back. "This is so they know that the two of you are representing my family—kind of like a sponsor. Aristocrats love that."

The two held the cloth by their corners and let them drop. The crest resembled the one that Aeris' mother used when she was in the war, a phoenix overlapping a crossbow and sword.

"Surely we shouldn't be wearing these." Lyra tried to hand it back.

"I assure you, this is what my mother would do. For both of you." She wrapped the cloth around their shoulders and clipped them from behind. "You two look great! Now go become knights!"

· · ─ · ◯☽✵☾◯ · ─ · ·

It was no unfamiliar feeling entering the Knight's Academy building. All the previous candidates who made it stood in their shining armor—hopeful, but unaware.

The knights that held the recruiting approached them from the other side of the grand hall, their boots thudding against the stone as they formed a line. Their armor, scuffed and used, told a story upon seeing them. A significant contrast to the new glimmering metal they see in front of them. One knight stepped forward. Her armor had nothing special to it, not even paint like the others. All she had was a crest on the cape that hung off the back of her pauldrons. She removed her helmet to reveal a woman in her thirties. Her eyes were blue, and her hair was light blonde and short.

"I am Joanne Melmarc. I will be your instructor for the day!" Her voice was still young and full of vigor. "Steele yourselves, as this academy will be the forge that makes or breaks you!" She stepped forward and analyzed the candidates, all of their glimmering armor like a fallen chandelier. "Today, we'll be going over the art of the sword, the spear, and the mace. On the battlefield, you will not always have your desired weapon. You will learn to adapt, no matter how shrewd or imperfect the weapon is."