September Swords

Having finished changing, Asra sat beside me on the bed. "So, is someone going to come to get us, or are we supposed to try to find the dining hall?" I asked, turning to Asra.

The moment I finished speaking, someone started knocking on the door. Stifling a giggle, Asra went to answer the door. Standing up to follow her, I pushed mana into my tattoo, reactivating my glamor.

Standing in the doorway was a tall Priestess with blonde hair. Standing even taller than Asra, she stared down at us. "Good morning, miss. I've been sent to escort the residence of this room to the champion's private dining hall." She said in a monotone voice. Her emotionless face was quite eerily beautiful.

"Are you ready to go?" Asra asked, turning to me.

As I was about to tell her I was, the ethereal hug pulsed. A sense that I was forgetting something filled me. Looking around the room, my eyes landed on the chest sitting on the nightstand. I had almost forgotten the fancy glove thingy.

Rushing over to the nightstand, I opened the chest. Pulling the glove onto my right arm, I felt a rush as my mana linked with the enchantment. This was no simple protection enchantment. I'd have to find out what all it does later.

I walked over to Asra and took hold of her hand. Looking up at her, I gave her a warm smile. As we met eyes, I nodded.

After returning my smile, Asra turned to the priestess. "We're ready to go. Please lead the way."

The tall priestess gave us a quick curtsy before leading us through the halls. The winding obsidian halls all looked the same. I wondered how anyone could navigate them. Still, no matter how lost I felt, our guide's seed to have found her destination.

Stopping in front of a massive ornately carved double door, the priestess knocked on the door. "My lady, your guests are here." she announced, stepping away from the door.

With a loud crash, the doors seemingly swung open on their own, revealing Mom sitting alone at a table on the far side of the room. "Come in, come in. Breakfast should be ready any moment." My mother called out, rising from her seat.

Following Asra into the room, the doors closed behind us on their own. Seeing my mother standing there, I had to stop myself from running over to her and giving her a hug. That was too childish... right? Apparently, seeing something in my face, she opened her arms, inviting me to hug her.

I felt myself freeze up. I didn't know what to do. Do I just hug her? Was that okay? Before I could spiral any further, a pulse of warmth came from the ethereal hug.

I looked up to Asra, hoping she would give me the answer. Giving me a reassuring smile, she let go of my hand, patted me on the back, and pushed me forward. Shouting a glare at Asra, I continued toward my mom.

As I reached my mother, she pulled me into a tight hug. "Good morning, sweetie. Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning, Mom." I said, hugging her back. "I slept alright. I had a really weird dream, but I can't remember what happened in it."

Before we could continue, the sound of a bell rang through the room. In a flash, the table was covered in over a dozen plates of food. That was when I noticed there were only two chairs at the table. The one my mother had been sitting in and another across from it.

"I think we might need another chair." I said, letting go of the hug.

Mom let go of me and sat back down before answering. "Well, after last night, I thought the two of you would only need one chair."

After I gave her a confused look, she elaborated. "Well, you looked so much more comfortable on her lap last night than when you were sitting alone." Mother said teasingly

"Moooooooom!!" I groaned, covering my violently blushing face.

Giving me a smile that was so loving that it hurt, she waved her hand, and another chair appeared. "I was just joking. I just wanted to tease you a little bit."

Hearing giggling behind me, I trudged over to the table and took a seat. A moment later, Asra sat next to me, and our breakfast began.

As we served ourselves, Mother spoke. "Now, Asra filled me in a bit about what's been going on. I'm sure you have questions for me, and I have some for you as well. Where would you like to begin?"

There was one question that I wanted to ask. That I desperately needed an answer for. But I decided not to ask it yet. It felt like a bit too much for the start of breakfast. I didn't want it hanging over the entire conversation.

"Um, that priestess that came to get us, is she okay? She seemed a bit strange." i asked a bit worried for her.

"About as best as she can be, I'd say." Mother answered, a pained expression on her face. "Poor girl's been through quite a lot."

I wasn't expecting that. "What happened?" I cringed as I realized what I had just asked.

Giving me a sad smile, my mother gave me an answer. "That's not my story to tell, September. If you're ever told it should be by her."

"Right. Yeah, that makes sense. I don't even really know why I asked." I said, feeling like an idiot.

Trying to reassure me with a smile, Mother spoke. "Any other questions you want to ask, or is it my turn?"

"I have one more question for now and at least one I'd like to ask at the end. If that's alright?" I asked hesitantly.

"That's perfectly fine, sweetie." Mother answered.

I stalled, not knowing how to word what I wanted to ask. I thought words flowed from my mouth without my consent. "Will I see you again? Are you going to disappear again?" I cursed my traitorous mouth. I pulled my legs into my chest as I curled in on myself.

"Oh, sweetie." my mother's voice sounded sad. Next came the sound of a chair screeching across the floor, followed by quick footsteps. The next thing I knew, two pairs of arms wrapped around me.

"I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon." my mother said softly. "I was actually going to offer to train you. Teach you what you can do as a demon blade, and may see what's going on with this firepower I'm told you have."

"Really?" I asked through the sobs I somehow hadn't noticed.

"Yes, if you'd like. I was also thinking of coming out of hiding to protect you." Mother said softly

"Why?" It came out harsher than I wanted, but I needed to know. Why now. Why was I worth protecting now and not before.

"Before, my presence was what was putting you in danger. Now, the same people that want me dead would want the same for you if they ever found out what you are. So why not stay close where I can keep you safe easier? If you'll have me?" Mother explained in a sad voice.

I thought about what my mother had said for a moment. What did I want? In the end, the answer was simple. I had wanted the same thing for the last 12 years. I wanted my mom back. I guess I'll have to clean the other wings of the house. I hadn't been in them since the girls left.

"Okay." Was all I could manage to squeak out in between the sobs. As warmth pulsed from the ethereal hug, I felt like I was drowning in love.

 

gNatonthewall Hello everyone. Happy generic end of the year festivities. I'm back after a bit of a break for Christmas. I added a few things to the glossary over my break. You might want to take a look and see what's there. I plan to add a few more in the near future. A little bit of news Plantorsomething has created a September sword fanfic. I've had the opportunity to read ahead in it and have been enjoying it quite a bit. If you'd like to take a look, I leave a link here.

https://www.scribblehub.com/series/953416/autumn-flames-september-swords-fanfic/

On a different note, September Swords is approaching 400 readers. Thank you all so much. It means the world to me that anyone enjoys my sorry enough to keep coming back. Thank you for reading, commenting, and favoriting. Have a nice day.