The Midnight Storm (A New Dawn #2)

Chapter 55 - Alex (Part 1)

She had survived the sinking of the Acedia's Revenge, infiltrated the Krakens, raided a Greenlander village and almost met her demise in Whitecliff Bay. Yet still the Gods found new ways to surprise her. That the monster of Laneby had crossed her path on the day she had returned to Sundale was one thing, but that the Stephen had fetched her from a crowd of thousands to bring her to the armoury below the arena was something she had never believed to be possible. 

Once more, there was hope in this cruel world.

Seven feet above her, the crowd roared with delight, celebrating the height of male brawn and courage. Down below, the acid-etched sycamore tree on her wrist shimmered in the dim light of the sconces. Stephen tugged at the vambrace, then strapped the breastplate around her chest. Meant for eleven-year-olds as short (but not as plump) as Nick, the iron piece of armour was too large to fit her shoulders and too tight around her bosom. 

A small price to pay to be the first girl to wear Greenlander army gear.

To be the first to step onto the soft, golden sand of the arena with a bow on her back and the knowledge to wield it—Pan would never understand why this was so important for her. Back in the Cove of Elo, she had stood out because she was a Greenie, not because of what she had between in her legs. Female pirates commanded as many ships as their male counterparts. For the Jade Islanders, a woman working a weapon was as ordinary as a sunrise and a sunset. In the Greenlands, it was rarer than a drop of summer rain on the Scorching Plains.

This opportunity was about more than revenge for Laneby, more than retribution for the destruction of the Kraken's Kiss, and all the lives she had lost. Today's victory was in Lord Brandon's name, for tying her wild bush of hair into a tight tail and knocking a hard iron hat onto her head all those seasons ago.

Though Stephen was far gentler than her old Lord, there was no way that the scrutinising fashion in which he slid the gorget around her neck and attached the iron collar to her chest plate had anything to do with her being a girl. These were normal procedures. Once the General, the King, and Seb had finished praising the winner of the first Summer Games, they too would be clad in the same iron pieces to safely face the Jade Islandic magician.

"Nothing too loose or too tight?" Stephen asked, his eyes wandering up and down, then back up.

Alex posed a stance, pretending to have an invisible bow in her hand. "It's not perfect. But it'll do."

Uttering a short hum, Stephen dug his fingers in between the gorget and the breastplate. He began to tinker with the straps.

"Don't make it tighter—I still need to breathe."

"I'd rather have you struggling to catch your breath than have you turned into a heap of ashes."

"I managed to capture him without all these leaden, movement-limiting precautions," she reminded him.

"He's still a magician, and you'll be standing there with the most important people in our, country. I have to ensure their safety."

Loud thuds resounded above her. Instantly, loose particles of mortar and clay fell from the ceiling and into her hair.

"Anything you can do about that?" she asked with a jest. She was grateful for assisting in Katla's execution, but the hypocrisy irked her.

"Hard to stop the crowd from stomping their feet," Stephen said as he reached for the helmet. "Let them enjoy themselves now. When they hear what extra taxes to have to pay to finance the construction, they'll stomp their feet in their own house; and it won't be in excitement."

Before he managed to slip the helmet over her curls, she grabbed it from his hands. "I want the audience to see me."

He let go. "Our people or your pirate friends?"