𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐀 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘. 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐑𝐔𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍.
It's the beginning of a new age when Jaylah Imperatrix seemingly returns from the dead to reclaim her throne. And in perfect timing.
In her absence, evil has be...
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Act 1 Chapter 66 JAYLAH
The heavy layer of smoke had not disappeared by early morning's light when Jaylah and Alexander boarded a ship named l'Égide with a hundred other passengers. The slanted board leading from the dock to the top deck was too thin under Jaylah's feet as she felt the reverberations of all the other footfalls through it. This was it. This was the beginning of her return and nothing would stand in her way.
l'Égide was the cheapest ship with open spots to Oceana they could find. The only downside was that its landing point was not in Naxaros but instead Theodais instead, a smaller harbor city a few days south of her home. She decided the extra journey would not be consequential when compared to how fast ships filled with reserved passengers here.
Their tickets bought with Alexander's hard-earned money were stamped with approval, allowing them to delve belowdeck to find their room. Other guests pushed past them in the cramped hallway, but Jaylah's spine remained rigid as if this was her own ship to command.
When the door swung open to reveal the dimly-lit room their last minute deal had secured, it struck Jaylah just how enclosed the quarters were. There were two parallel beds, one on either wall, but the space between them—divided by a single shared table—was an arm's length apart. She was not certain when she made the switch to being wary about special constraints, but she wished she could unlearn it.
It was only because she feared he would slice his throat in the middle of the night. Any other sentiments were not returned.
She was the first to step inside and claim the bed on the left, which was closest to the window. She did not allow her unflinching bearing waved even a centimeter as Alexander closed the door and the voices from the hallway fell to the background. It was not that she feared small spaces, they just made her feel uneasy. And she had not forgotten what had befallen them the last time they boarded a ship together. Both times.
To assuage her unease, she stared out the window. It was the only source of real brightness in the artificially-lit cabin, though the oil lamp near the door would prove useful at night. There was a sudden lurching sensation alike to the feeling of one's feet giving out before falling. The ship was pulling away. A few levels down, she could hear water lapping at the hull. She silently offered a quick prayer.
The City of Luck expanded as they left it. Remaining on her feet, Jaylah looked to the coast as it wrapped around the length of the window. She refused to tear her gaze from the blackened buildings, the half-charred harbor. A portion of the city was burned to the ground. Jaylah did not regret what she had done, but she regretted letting herself slip. Out here, such things were allowed; there was no one to keep her in check, or that wanted her in check. That would not be allowed once she was fitted in her good Queen's persona.
She would keep an ironclad grip on herself; if that happened again when she had an endless arsenal of power, it would have catastrophic consequences.
