(COMPLETE)
Lady Mhysra Kilpapan was blessed from birth with a distinguished family, a glorious home and a giant eagle miryhl of her own. Fully aware of her luck, she wants for nothing in life - except a chance to become a Rift Rider. The elite force...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Seventeen
The Thorncrest, 14th Harvest
The ship creaked and groaned as Mhysra stared at the slats of the bed above. She should have been sleeping, but the boisterous sounds coming from the common room next door prevented that. Instead she lay in bed, brooding. Cumulo would tell her to stop, but he was below with the other miryhls, enjoying himself, still half-delirious over the chase and catch of the Illuminai a half-moon ago.
She was alone – Bumble's sprawled form across her feet didn't count – wondering whether she'd done the right thing. Yes, her escape from her mother had been both necessary and exciting, and made her a minor hero amongst her peers, but the thought of what her parents might do next made her nervous. The Kilpapan family was rich and influential. Her father was favoured by the Stratys. If he chose, he could make her life extremely awkward. Would the Riders protect her against the displeasure of the Stratys? She was just one set of wings.
What about the rest of her family? Would Milluqua be punished? Would Aunt Mhylla still care for her? And Kilai, her mostly-forgotten brother, was the one she would likely face first. Would he be at Aquila? Would he take their parents' side and avoid her? Was she really no longer a Kilpapan? Must she called herself Mhysra Wrentherin from now on? There were no answers and not knowing made her feel ill.
"What's so fascinating up there?" The bunk dipped as Derrain slid in beside her. "No," he murmured. "I can't see it. Care to share?"
"I'm sleeping." She elbowed him in the ribs, not that it made the slightest difference.
"With your eyes open and everything. Can you teach me that trick?" he teased, then pulled a face. "You can't brood the whole voyage away. It's a waste."
"As if we've never sailed before," she muttered, rolling on her side towards him and pulling her legs up to kick him off the bunk. He tumbled to the floor with an inelegant thud.
"Heirayk rose on your best side this morning."
"Go away, Derry, I'm not in the mood," she grumbled, shifting onto her back again.
"No, you're in a mood," he retorted, tugging her arm. "Come on. You're missing the fun."
Since they'd been sailing for eleven days, mostly over empty clouds, Mhysra doubted she was missing anything. "We're heading north-west," she complained. "It's cold."
"It's autumn. Don't be a wimp. Come up on deck. You know you want to."
She didn't. It was cold. Autumn was rushing to meet them and the crackling pressure in the air meant a storm. She had no wish to be outside when the rain started. He yanked her half off the bunk, much to Bumble's disgruntlement.
Mhysra growled, "Get off me."
"Not until you come up on deck."
"I've been on deck. I've seen it. The ship's nice, but the view's just clouds. Clouds, clouds, clouds!" Her voice took on a hysterical edge. "I don't want to see any more clouds!"
