Tale of the Princess

XXXVII

The ensuing kshanas passed by in such a blur that Shyra was sure she was functioning with her subconsciousness rather than her conscious mind.

Naor and Ahsan pulled out their weapons and held them ready, causing all the passengers around them to scream and give them a wide berth. The glint of Naor's urumi, a deadly ribbon-like sword, was enough for the military and guards to pull out their own swords and sink into defensive stances. Behind Naor, Ahsan pulled out a huge mace that should have been impossible to be kept hidden.

"Magic," Shyra whispered, feeling the sparks of the forbidden art tingling on her skin. Both the weapons gleamed with the power of magic, making the soldiers take a hesitant step back.

"Fight, fools," their General boomed. "They're just two infants with toys. Make sure you capture them both."

Hira came running to their side, grabbing both of them by the shoulder. "The ship's captain is setting sail early because of the chaos. If they don't make it within a few nimishas, we'll take off without them."

"What do we do?" Arina gripped the railing. "Should we run down and join the fight? They'll have more chances of winning, but there's also the possibility of all of us getting caught."

Shyra's head swam as the boys yelled and ran toward each other, slashing their weapons and unleashing death to dance its bloody dance. Naor seemed to be doing very well, but Shyra could easily make out that Ahsan was no warrior. He was only getting by with the magic guiding his hand.

"We stay," Shyra said, the words forced out of her throat with a sob. "We need to make it out of here so that we can win this war and end the suffering of millions. If they make it to the ship, well and good. If they don't..."

She hated it. She hated being the one to take the horrible decisions and leave people behind. But that was how she was raised throughout her life, and if need be, she would put herself at the stake in a heartbeat.

Arina and Hira looked like they wanted to argue, and for an instant Shyra wished they had, but both of them understood the gravity of the situation, and watched the fight with heavy hearts.

Naor was doing well with his urumi, lashing at the soldiers with deadly accuracy and sending them to yamlok with only a glint of steel as a sign. Ahsan, meanwhile, was wielding his mace more clumsily, the magic woven in the metal being the only thing granting him enough strength to smash soldier's heads.

"They need to hurry up," Hira cried out, wringing her hands. Shyra felt like a fist was clamping her throat, and before she could think twice, she pulled out her sword and discreetly reflected the sun's light on Naor's face. He looked up, dark eyes murderous with rage, and she signed that the ship would take off very soon.

Naor nodded, grabbed Ahsan's hand and ran toward the plank that led to the ship, lashing his urumi at any soldier who blocked their way. Arina muttered something and pushed through the crowds towards the captain's cabin. Shyra barely had time to register her movements before Hira ran after her.

Someone needs to stay here in case something happens, Shyra told herself, clenching the railing to prevent herself from running after them.

Meanwhile, Naor and Ahsan had almost made it to the ship. Shyra knew for a fact that the captains would have no idea what was going on. The military and navy's powers did not overlap each other, which meant that once the ship started, even the General wouldn't be able to stop it. Naor and Ahsan only had to get on it.

When they got to throwing distance, Naor lashed out the ribbon-like sword to wrap around the ship's railing, startling many passengers who were watching the fight. Shyra felt her tension ease a little, knowing that even if the ship started now, they would be able to hang on to the sword and get in.

But before she could blink, a spear sailed toward them, embedding itself in Ahsan's shoulder. He fell to the ground with a strangled cry, the wooden handle jutting out of his shoulder blades and blood blossoming on his tunic.

Shyra cried out in horror as she saw Naor turn around too late, having run quite a bit without realizing that Ahsan got injured. Before he could react, soldiers swarmed around Ahsan and the ship began to lift, dragging him with his urumi.

Hira and Arina ran back to her side, a triumphant look on their faces. "Shyra! We threatened the ship's captain to hold the ship for as long as we could. Turns out they're not made to handle threats..." Arina's voice broke off, seeing Ahsan crouched on the floor, desperately trying to remove the spear.

"Everybody freeze," a female voice boomed through the skies, startling and stilling everyone's movements as they looked around for the source of the voice.

"That's good. Now, don't move until I say so," the voice commanded. Shyra frowned. Why did it sound so familiar...

"It's Tara!" Arina cried out, pointing towards the sky, where a dozen ships were gleaming against their azure backdrop. "She's brought reinforcements!"

Shyra breathed her first sigh of relief as numerous panels opened on the ship's bellies, pushing out cannons that gleamed in the sunlight. The message was as clear as crystal. Leave the hostages alone.

"It has come to my attention," Tara continued, the smirk in her voice all too visible, "that you're capturing a bunch of important people. Royals, I must say."

Murmurs broke out through the crowd as a smirk began to form on Shyra's own face. It's game over now, she thought as she mimicked cutting the General to pieces with a sword.

"Release them now, or face the wrath of my cannons. And let me tell you, it's going to be very pretty if that happens. For me, that is." She ended the command with maniacal laughter, and Shyra's relief bubbled out of her as she laughed as well, clutching her belly with one hand and the railing with the other.

Arina and Hira found her like that, with crazed grins on their faces as they hauled her to her feet. Shyra couldn't have been prouder as they marched down the gangplank with cannons flanking their escape and a suitably shocked audience.

Naor joined them at the foot of the ship, and together they made their way to Ahsan, who had nearly collapsed from the blood loss. Shyra crouched to her knees beside him and laid her hand on his shoulder. "You've done so well, my friend," she whispered. "Just be brave for a kshana longer."

Ahsan grunted as Shyra wrapped her hand around the spear's handle and pulled it out with the precision of a skilled chikitsak. Naor cut a part of his sleeve at once and handed it to Shyra, who wrapped it on Ahsan's shoulder to staunch the blood flow.

A platoon of soldiers marched down from Tara's ship and made their way to the gang. Six of them formed a line of safety for the royalty, while two soldiers picked up Ahsan and delicately carried him and flanked the procession from behind.

After months of living like fugitives and unwanted guests wherever they went, it felt good to be treated like royalty once more. Shyra couldn't resist the urge to throw a wink at the General, who balled his fists at the sight, then proceeded to wave at the stunned crowd with a winsome smile.

Arina laughed at that. "Looks like I'm not a very good influence on you, Empress. I personally approve though. Just make sure your husband still recognizes you when you two are reunited."

Shyra's smile widened at Mahi's mention. Even though their circumstances were less than favorable, and Cosmos knew the challenges they would face in their final battle. Even after all that, she was glad that they at least had a chance now.

They reached the ship's plank and Shyra looked up, catching Tara's eye. The look of certainty in her eyes sent another wave of confidence through Shyra.

We will see this through. And we will win.