Kyma nods and slows, but each of her steps has an exuberant spring to it. It doesn't take them long to make their way back to the city, partly due to Kyma speeding across the hills and through the trees. There is no one in the city when they arrive, so Kyma turns and forges a path towards the hill and the entrance to the throne room. As they approach, Kyma starts to see people streaming out of it. She bounds forward to find her mother, but Lyss pulls her back.

"Relax, Kyma. Be patient and she'll come through soon."

Kyma sighs and forces herself to be still, standing with Lyss to wait. Her mother is one of the last people to emerge and she searches the area briefly before her eyes alight on the two girls. She strides towards them, and instantly folds Kyma into a tight hug. Kyma squeaks at the loss of air.

"You're alright! Did he leave?"

Kyma mumbles a "No," into her mother's chest. Her mother pulls back and Kyma lets out a gasp and greedily sucks in a breath.

"What did you say, Kyma?"

"He didn't leave." Lahira's brow wrinkles in worry, and Kyma hastily explains. "He fell through the hill-cliff. He's dead, Mom."

Lahira relaxes in a sigh. "Come, let's go back to the house before we continue this conversation."

With a nod and a grin, Kyma turns. Her mother's gaze narrows in on Kyma's right leg, a moment after a beam of sunlight hits the large golden splotch. The spot is prominent against her ivory skin, and Kyma curses to herself.

Lahira's words are full of restrained fury. "Kyma, what happened to your leg?"

Kyma sighs in dismay. She didn't really want to talk about this. "I got shot."

"By a gun?!" Lahira lets out a forced laugh at Kyma's shocked expression. "Yes, I know what a gun is. I know all about the human world, in part due to your father but also due to my role as Queen. When and how did you get shot, Kyma?"

Kyma tries to deflect the attention away from herself. "Lyss got shot too!"

Her statement gets her mother's attention away from her wounds, but not for long as Lyss mutters, "Yes, but I only got shot once, Kyma."

Just like that, Lahira's attention turns back to Kyma, and her expression is now thunderous. "Kyma, how many times did you get shot?"

Kyma winces. "Twice?"

"Where?"

"My right thigh and my left side." She points to the spot on her side where the golden circle is covered by the remains of her clothing.

"How bad was it?" Kyma opens her mouth to try to defuse her mother's anger at the wounds, but Lahira just shakes her head. "I want to hear this from Lyss."

Lyss bows. "Both wounds were bleeding heavily, Queen Lahira. The one on her leg was the worst of the two, she was bleeding out from it. She managed to get herself to the water and shift to temporarily stop the bleeding, but it was bad, Queen Lahira. When I found her floating in the water I was afraid a shark had got to her. I immediately took her to the healing pool and when she shifted back, her entire leg was drenched in blood."

Lahira's face pales and her voice is slightly shaky. "Thank you for telling me the severity, Lyss. I don't think Kyma would have told me that."

Lyss bows. "Of course, Queen Lahira."

Lahira turns back to Kyma and her voice is even shakier than before. "How bad did it get, Kyma? How close was I to losing you?"

Kyma answers truthfully this time. "I was only conscious because of my instincts. I was in shock by the time I got to the water. If I hadn't gotten there when I did, it probably wouldn't have been much longer before I died."

Lahira inhales shakily and pulls Kyma into a hug once more as a tear slips down her cheeks. Kyma looks over her shoulder to see Sera standing a short distance away, her green eyes wide in shock. She brings up one hand and signs to Kyma.

"I'm sorry, Princess."

Kyma gives her a nod over her mother's shoulder and Sera leaves. Even from several meters away, Kyma can see her eyes brimming with shame filled tears. It is now, after hearing of Kyma's injuries, that Sera finally sees how wrong she was about Kyma. It shouldn't have taken an almost fatal injury for Sera to see the truth, and that saddens Kyma, but at least Sera now understands. Lahira releases Kyma at last, and pulls away, leading them back down to the house to talk. Once they reach the house, Lahira sits down on one of the benches in the living room.

"Tell me everything."

Kyma knows her mother won't take no for an answer, so she resigns herself to telling the long story, and opens her mouth to do so.
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I was wincing myself writing about Lahira finding out about Kyma's injuries. Oof, angry mama. Are you glad that Sera finally understands now? What do you think will happen next?

Happy reading, and I'll see you next chapter.

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.