Fowlhunter [GL]

“I can't find Asha.”

Having emerged from the forest, Ennanis Zoleil and Jemi Garen were back in the Archizonian town. Tall sandstone buildings flanked cobbled streets: mainly shophouses and inns, the occasional residential apartment and temple. Palm fronds tickled balconies and windowpanes. It was sweltering hot in midday, but thankfully very windy—colourful, tiny paper windmills were a common sight in the windows, spinning gaily in the breeze. Below the eaves, shiny discs dangled on strings, presumably meant to keep away seagulls and other birds, but the avians were still a dime a dozen, sneaking their curious heads underneath mesh nets to peck at the ground before a restaurant employee came to shoo them away.

Jemi arched an eyebrow at the angel. “What do you mean, you can’t find her? Don’t you still have your communication charm with her? Is it something that’s possible to lose?”

Ennanis pinched her fingers together again. A burst of fiery gold formed at her fingertips. Brows scrunched in concentration, she shaped her fingers into a gun and shot it into the sky. However, it only soared for a few metres before fizzling out into sparks.

“What does that mean?”

Ennanis took a deep breath. “When this happened in the past, it meant a few things. It could mean that the receiver has blocked the charm, only that that’s not possible, since Asha can’t use Soleki. The other instance… well…”

“They’re dead?” Jemi muttered.

“No,” Ennanis said quickly. “No. If the recipient is dead, I wouldn’t be able to summon the beam at all.” She had learnt that from her years of working in the Graveyard Division. Whenever she tried to contact a fallen soldier, she wouldn’t be able to ‘find’ their Soleki thumbprint to connect the charm with. If she had the charm active when they died, the gold spot in her mind’s eye would fade away. A withered angel was counted as a dead one.

“The other instance is if something else is blocking the charm from connecting,” Ennanis said. “This happened before, when I was trying to contact my mentor—Amanita Zoleil. She turned out to be frozen, not dead.” She glanced at Jemi; Jemi’s expression remained stonily unchanged. Ennanis continued on, “So, it could be something like the petrification spell, standing in the way of us finding them.”

“But you could still find their general location?” Jemi folded her arms. “Back when I tried to block your charms, you could still find me with such apparent ease.” Her voice dripped with clear disgruntlement.

Ennanis let loose a dry chuckle. She gazed out over the canal they were crossing. They were walking over an arching bridge, similar to the one they had spent the night under previously. “That’s because, chickling, you were trying to block it with Lunaki. That sent a very obvious cold shock through the link—which completed the rest of what the charm’s trajectory would’ve been. Besides, when you’re in Beast form, you give off a really strong cold aura.”

“Really?”

“It’s funny how shocked you all are,” Ennanis sighed. “Yes, princess, approaching you was like opening a freezer and walking into it.”

“Aha. Well, being next to you is like squatting on top of a gas stove,” Jemi quipped through a sardonic smile.

“If you’re feeling so warm,” Ennanis followed, “why do you always keep that scarf on?”

“You know, all this time we’ve spent with each other in the undercloud, you’ve been very fond of questions, Commander,” Jemi’s smile grew thin as she tightened said crimson scarf around herself. “You figured out that I was the Cockatrice. Great job. Now, the rest—it’s none of your business.”

To her surprise, Ennanis didn’t press further—she just nodded. “It’s fine if you don’t tell me. I was just asking.”

They finished crossing the bridge.

“Hey,” Jemi spoke again, as if unable to repress a question she had been holding in for a long time. “You never did say how you recognised me.”

“When you stabbed me,” replied the angel.

“...What?”

“Your posture as you swung,” Ennanis explained. “The weight, angle, and twist of your blade after contact. You also have a certain gait when you run or walk. After eight years of fighting, I memorised it all precisely. The moment you stabbed me in the palace lake, I suspected it was you.”

Jemi stared at her incredulously. “That is insane,” she finally muttered.

Ennanis shrugged. “It's the truth.”

“All the way back in Wataron… If you knew what I was, why did it take so long for you to say anything?”

“It was only a suspicion. I had to gather more evidence to confirm it,” Ennanis said. “Besides… you…” She hesitated. Then she went on, slowly, “You had just died in front of me. No matter what, I couldn’t let you disappear again.”

At that, Jemi fell silent. So did Ennanis.

They soon ended up on another busy avenue, thronged with people and rolling carriages. The air was sticky with sweat, the heady scent of herbs and spices, and frying oil. It was noisy, the shouts of merchants trying to attract attention to their wares, customers haggling for prices, screaming children and the patter of their feet against the flagstone.

Jemi, following behind the rose-haired angel, saw that the latter’s footsteps had slowed.

Jemi poked her. “Hey. You good?”

Ennanis didn’t answer her. It was only a subtle change—to others, the angel might have just seemed stoic and reserved as always—but Jemi, having long trained to pick up on the other’s tells during battle, noticed how tightly screwed her face was. The tension in her shoulders, the testy twitch of her feathers. It was like she was lost in her head, paralysed by her body.

Jemi took a look at all the people pushing and yelling around them, and understood. Catching up to her, she grabbed Ennanis’ hand.

Ennanis glanced down at their hands, then at her. Jemi’s mind immediately plunged into panic—what on earth had possessed her to do such a thing?. But she forced a smile:

“It’s easy to get lost in this crowd, for someone as unfamiliar as you,” she drawled. “I know these streets.” And she found that she did know these streets. The meows of a nearby stray cat, yawning by a rubbish bin, had clued her in on why this place seemed so familiar.

Orchid Avenue. While she was on the run, fourteen years old, she had lived here before, once.

But that was a long time ago.

“-Let’s go somewhere less rowdy,” she said. The angel didn’t give her any answer. So, holding her hand tight, she dragged them through the chaos, glaring at anyone who got in their way. Most townspeople got the hint and quickly made themselves scarce.

Eventually, they both made it to a quieter sidestreet. There, finally, Ennanis’ breathing evened out. Her slitted-gold eyes became wide and curious again, taking in the sights around them in the same way she had back in Kanch.

Letting go of her hand, Jemi discreetly sighed in relief. As per her own policy, she didn’t ask any questions either. Shoving her hands in her cloakpockets, she diverted the subject: “So, what’s the plan now? Even if we can’t locate Asha, we know her general direction, right? We start heading there?”

Ennanis stared ahead, not replying. Jemi regarded her, then realised that the angel’s nose seemed to be… twitching.

“There’s something else important we must attend to.”

“Oh,” Jemi said. “Like the Kraken? Yeah, we need to keep an eye on that too-”

“No. Something else.” Ennanis marched down the street resolutely. Shaking her head, Jemi pattered after her.