Horrible Mistake

I hit the floor suddenly, coming awake forcefully. Eyes flying open, I lay still for a moment, catching my breath before rolling onto my back and staring through the darkness at the ceiling. Usually I would light a small flame to illuminate the room, but tonight the darkness suited me better. Through the floor I felt the soft vibration of the wind despite the magical shock absorbtion in place; the Alyra was being pelted by strong winds, anchored in her place high above the moutains. A pain jolted through my gut as memories from the evening before came back to me in a rush, and I curled my knees up to my chest as waves of tears "No," I told myself quietly, forcing myself to my feet. "It was an accident, nothing more." The words sounded hollow even to me, though. Ret and I had made a horrible mistake. I reached out, picking up a dagger from my desk and weighing it in my hand. Memories flashed in my mind quickly. Ret's eagerness to explore, trying to cheer me up, had taken us to new parts. His magic had led us there, and I'd slowly been warming to the idea when we'd come across the bandit. "We were only defending ourselves." It did nothing to comfort me. I sat back down on my cot, tracing the odd imprint on the dagger's hilt with one of my fingers. That was probably the worst part. I'd killed him with my mother's dagger. Standing quickly, I flung the dagger sideways at the wall, turning and fleeing the room before it hit the floor. I clamored up the stairs and rushed down the hallway to the open helm of the Alyra, climbing up onto the railing and standing there, staring out over the landscape. The brisk wind caught me, throwing me backward onto the deck, and for the second time I landed heavily. Instead of getting up this time, I rolled onto my side and cried.