The Black Reckoning

Hurricane

  Kyra awoke to the sound of raindrops pittering on the top of her wooden box. Judging by the activity outside on the street, it was maybe midnight. Her blue eyes blinked to adjust to the little amount of light given off by the dim streetlamps. The light bulbs inside flickered and popped.
In a flash of lavender light Kyra had transformed into her cat form.
Like some, Kyra Toln is a manji. A manji is a human with the blood of a animals in their veins. They have the traits of animals, the looks, and have ability to change their form into their animal.
The treatment of manji has changed over the years. A hundred years ago, you would be beaten, starved, and kicked out of shops if you were a manji, until the Manji Revolt of 654, which was seventy-five years ago. The manji got the rights they wanted, but the leaders, like Canvaya Andollan took it too far. They burned villages, tortured innocents, and led riots all across Talos.
But today is different, the current queen is an eagle manji, and many have wealthy jobs and are treated fairly, but their reputation will be forever haunted by the bloody and violent revolt, that none of the current living manji were apart of.
Kyra, who turned back into a human, flicked her fingers and a whisp of purple magic leaked out. She smiled. The last gift her mother, Azuri, gave her was her magic. Her father, Ephis, had his own kind of magic, being a carpenter, but it was little.
She'd been born in the city of Cho, near the eastern coast of Tenura, the region southeast of Corona, where Kyra is now.
The Cho city council had discovered that Azuri was a witch, and voted on what to do. She was tried and convicted, then sent to burn at the stake.
The bloodcurdling screams that her mother let out still haunted Kyra's dreams.
Ephis was overcome with grief, and before they could harm his little girl he moved to Chikta, a small city on the southern tip of Corona, near the Antell Sea. He took his business there and it boomed, and he was able to apprentice Kyra, who was skilled in carpentry.
They lived together and were about to move to the inner cities, but when Kyra was eight, Ephis was overtaken by pneumonia and although he fought the sickness hard, and Kyra tended to him, he died.
Kyra went to the coast and gave him a burial at sea, and the orphanage wanted to take her, but she refused.
"Kyra! Kyra! A storm is blowing in from the Draconian Sea. It said on the news the Vice Islands were devastated. You need to come with me!" Kyra turned and saw Alice Mardune, her best friend. Just as she was about to say something, a large gust of wind knocked her off her feet, and rain turned to hail. This was no storm. This was a hurricane.
Alice immediately sensed it. She grabbed Kyra's hand, pulled her up, and began running to her house on other side of town.
Five minutes later, two soaking, cold, and tired manji stepped into the Mardune household.
"Oh! Alice! I'm so glad you got back safely! And Kyra dear, I expected you come without me having to send Alice! Shame on you!" Natalie, Alice's mother, scolded. Kyra apologized, but Natalie shrugged it off.
"No meed to apologize, dearie. Lily! Kate! Come downstairs!" She called. Alice's nine and twelve year-old sisters came romping down the stairs at full speed, with Lily tripping on the last step. The nine year-old stood back up quickly and dusted off her elbow.
"Now, go in the kitchen, girls. There's pie waiting for you brats." Mrs. Mardune joked with a smile.
Kyra smiled at her seventeen year-old friend and darted to the kitchen, the smell of freshly baked apple pie invading her senses.
Natalie Mardune was an excellent baker, and constantly competed with the baker across town, Miss Laura. Miss Laura always shooed Kyra away, but Mrs. Mardune always sneaked Kyra some day old donuts or pastries, since she knew Kyra was homeless.
While Alice and Kyra sat in the kitchen at the table, Alice's father, Wyatt, stepped into the house. Instead of coming straight to the kitchen, he turned down the hallwayand disappeared. Kyra arched and eyebrow at Alice.
She covered her mouth and responded, despite food being in her mouth. "He's gone to change."
Kyra nodded in understanding and continued eating.

After the pie was no more, everyone migrated to the living room. Alice and Kyra and Kate shared a couch, while Lily sat with her father on the armchair, and Natalie was washing the dishes.
The fluffy blue quilt that smothered the three girls was sewn by an excellent seamstress named Tasya Sangoken from the Castron region. How the Mardune family got ahold of it, Kyra had no idea.
Just as the fire in the fireplace got hot, all the lights went out.
"Everyone, downstairs. Kyra, if you can, seal the trap door so no water gets in. Go, go!" Wyatt instructed. He grabbed four bags from the hallway closet and escorted all down the trapdoor in the hallway.
Downstairs, Wyatt turned on a lantern. He nodded at Kyra and she stepped up to the bottom of the door.
Lilac colored magic surrounded the door and Kyra moved her hands and mumbled unrecognizable words.
After maybe two minutes, the magic vanished and the door was sealed shut.
"No water can get in here now, Mr. Mardune." She said with a proud smile as sweat beaded on her forehead. Magic took a lot of energy, and Kyra was still young and weak.
Wyatt directed the family and Kyra underneath the stairs. Lily and Kate went first and huddled together, then Kyra and Alice, then Natalie and finally Wyatt who closed the stair closet door.
The rain was so loud it could be heard from the basement, and it was even louder for Alice and Kyra.
"Mana,I'm scared." Lily whimpered.
"I know, Lily-pad. I know." Mrs. Mardune assured.
Kyra thought about how her mother would act if Kyra was scared. Maybe she would hold her like Mrs. Mardune did with Lily?
CRASH!
Kyra jumped and Kate screamed, as did Lily, who also began to cry and bury her face in her mother's shoulder.
Wyatt and Alice were calm and emotionless. Alice was always calm in these situations, she got it from her father.
Another hour passed of heavy winds and rain, and more minor crashes, Kate, Lily, Kyra and Alice fell asleep. Natalie was next, then finally Wyatt.
The next morning birds sang and the smell of rain was everywhere. Wyatt was first to venture outside, and a sigh of relief escaped him.
The town was intact, except for a few fallen trees and some broken windows. A few basements flooded, but Kyra's magic helped protect their own house.
This hurricane blew in from the Draconian Sea...hurricanes haven't
happened in the Antell Sea for two hundred years. Something is wrong.

1,193 words