"I still maintain there are more effective methods—faster ones," I muttered.
"Hush, and continue the channeling."
"Ugh... yes, yes."
We were deployed in pairs, systematically scouting the area, using our inherent power to seek the ethereal signature of the creature.
The procedure was this: upon detecting a credible reading, we were to instantly notify the others, ensuring everyone could converge to share both the immense danger and the substantial spoils.
The problem, however, was that our methodology was an excruciatingly slow process, relying on randomly sweeping vast tracts of terrain for a residual magical signature.
And once the creature was found, the system devolved.
If you and your partner weren't the ones to secure the signature, you were excluded. Most agents would inevitably claim the kill for themselves and their meager partners, leaving everyone else—who had still expended time and effort—without compensation.
The shares should have been equitable!
It was a ridiculous and unjust protocol that the Captain steadfastly refused to abolish.
He claimed that adversity fortifies the individual, or some such philosophical nonsense.
My partner tonight was a tiresome stickler named Fulem, a strictly by-the-numbers man who was the most probable successor to Captain Roche upon the latter's retirement.
He kept casting glances of utter distaste at my hands, as if I were strangling a baby rabbit and using its corpse for detection, rather than simply my empty palms.
A simpleton beholden to outdated tradition. Some people viewed the magical condition I was born with as a kind of infectious affliction.
"Fulem and Ferith checking in. Sector Five is clear. We are expanding the sweep, changing our trajectory toward Sections Six and Seven."
He suddenly spoke up. I initially thought he was addressing me, but then I saw him waiving his wand over a spelled piece of parchment, dispatching an airborne message to the Captain.
Once the missive took flight, he actually turned to me.
"Ferith, we should separate."
"Yes, I heard. I will take Seven. You scream if you find it." I spun and strode in the opposite direction, having anticipated this opportunity.
"I will not be screaming, idiot. I will send a message."
I heard him wish me luck, and soon, his energetic presence was gone.
I took a moment to simply savor the cool breeze. The night was exquisite, every star visible, and the field was bathed in the light of the twin moons.
( TINK )
I slowly let my hand drop. My magic, which covered a substantial area ahead, had snagged a signature!
I couldn't believe my luck. For a moment, raw greed nearly eclipsed my reason, urging me to pursue the creature alone.
But then I imagined myself being ripped to shreds and slowly consumed by a monster with the face of a beautiful woman, and I reached for the communication papers in my back pocket.
I hovered my hand over two of the sheets.
"Ferith here. I have a signature within Sector Seven. Converge on my location."
I sent the first two flying, and as I was preparing to repeat the message, I paused. I realized that I had no certainty that this was the actual signature of the Alkonost.
I jammed the remaining papers back into my pocket, placed my left hand to the earth, leaving my own magical imprint as a beacon, and extended my right hand toward the area where the signature was emanating. I began to walk slowly toward it.
( TINK )
There it was again.
Someone—or something—was concealed behind that treeline.
A feeling of unease washed over me as I peered into the dark unknown. I deployed a multitude of shields covering me from head to toe, then reached out with my left hand.
"Feny!" [A short, sharp command for the light spell.]
The light that erupted from my hand illuminated everything ahead, momentarily dazzling me, but the spell was a success.
After some frantic rustling, I saw a shadow move rapidly deeper into the treeline.
As I cast a spell on myself and took off running, I was certain it wasn't the Alkonost. That was a human running ahead of me.
Given my augmented agility, I closed the distance in mere seconds.
My speed, size, and relative weight allowed me to slam into the figure like a freight train, crushing the runner into the dirt. The impact was sufficient to elicit a cry of pain.
Except the voice that cried out was distinctly feminine.
I paused for a beat, but quickly recovered, dropping to one knee, winding up a fire orb as I flipped the night marauder onto her back.
The light from the fire, rapidly spinning in my palm, revealed a definite female face.
She looked genuinely terrified, her features contorted by both pain and fear.
Suddenly, I became acutely aware of my positioning: my palm was pressing into her chest, and I was virtually sitting atop her relatively petite body.
I shifted my weight slightly, but kept my gaze fixed, while patting her down with my free hand until I located what I was seeking: her wand.
I quickly stashed it inside my trousers and pinned her back down.
"Who in the hell are you?" I demanded, my voice low and menacing.
She cast a nervous glance at the fire orb spinning mere inches from her face, then around us, which made me think she might not be alone.
I quickly extended my power to scan the surroundings, but there wasn't a single animal near us, let alone a human accomplice.
This time, I let go of any external worries and pushed the fire closer to her face, letting the heat speak for me.
"S-Stop... I beg you. I-I don't mean you any harm."
"Yeah, no kidding," I shook her lightly. "That's what everyone says after they're caught. Who are you!?"
"I was the one who sent you the letter!" she squealed.
I recoiled slightly—not from the revelation, but from the realization that girls possess such high-pitched screams.
With her wand secured and the hard impact she'd endured, she posed no immediate threat, whether she was lying or not.
I let the fire die down and got off her completely, allowing her to rise.
Patting myself down, I noticed she was struggling to move. I felt a pang of guilt.
I let my magic envelop her body, which clearly surprised her, but she didn't resist. Soon enough, she was restored to an acceptable physical condition.
"...That still does not clarify who you are or your purpose here," I pressed on.
I was genuinely perplexed by the absurdity of the situation.
Instead of responding, she merely stared at me again, casting fearful glances at my hand.
"May I have my wand back?" she asked.
My irritation began to mount.
"Listen, you little psycho. I am done with your cryptic games. Tell me your identity now, or be incinerated."
She had the audacity to pull a face.
"You would kill a girl... an unarmed girl?"
I was not going to pose the same question a tenth time. I would simply take her into custody and allow the Captain to deal with this disruptive element.
"I am arresting you for... illegal impediment of a government-sponsored hunt for a dangerous monster! Turn around."
I started to move closer, until she finally made a decisive move.
"Wait!" She put her hands up. "Alright, you weirdo... Fine. Call me Alice."
"I presume that is not your true name, but proceed. What is the meaning of that letter? What business do you have with my family?"
Alice dropped her hands and relaxed a fraction. She even tilted her head slightly.
"I advised you not to believe a single word he told you, and yet you agreed to attend the school?" She smiled—a disconcerting curve of the lips.
I instantly became serious. She knew far too much to be some random girl.
I flicked my wrist, and ropes of pure energy appeared around her legs and upper body, catching her completely off guard. Her body landed with a loud thud.
"Hey! Why did you—"
"How could you possibly know what he told me? Or when we were scheduled to meet? Why did you come here? WHO ARE YOU!?"
Her frightened expression instantly dissolved into the creepiest smile I had ever witnessed. It made me instinctively take a few steps back.
"I should have expected this from his nephew... Nice trick—the ropes." The ropes fell away from her, and she stood up effortlessly. "The fire spell, too. You truly can wield magic without a wand. Pfft. HAHAHA."
She began to laugh like a maniac.
I backed up a few more steps as she delivered her monologue, trying to decide if making an attempt to flee was a viable option.
"Calm yourself. I am not here to fight."
She put her hands up, walking closer.
"Why did you allow me to catch you? I have a distinct feeling it would have been effortless to avoid—for someone with your prowess."
I did my best to play for time. My messages must have reached them by now.
"I was curious, to be honest. I still am. You are an interesting specimen."
I could sense it now: she was immensely powerful.
I was also certain I hadn't missed it before. She had simply masked it perfectly. Perhaps the others arriving would not be the best idea after all.
But I had another plan.
Since she seemed intent on conversation, I decided to encourage it while I let my mental tether expand as far and wide as I could possibly push it.
"Tell me... who are you, truly?" I spoke slowly.
Alice thought for a moment before answering.
"...An old family friend. I am a friend!" She opened her arms as if to embrace me.
Yes... that smile was profoundly unsettling.
"Why send that silly letter? Or perhaps that wasn't even your doing?"
She just shrugged, maintaining the same unnerving smile. I couldn't discern if she was lying. Maybe it was her. Obviously. Or did she know I was going to think that?
Stop confusing yourself, Ferith!
I felt my mental link connect.
"Oh." She looked up at the sky, and I knew I had been discovered. "Very clever. Summoning your pet with a mental link. But you don't need to be afraid."
She used the rocks embedded in the ground as jumping stones, clearly not viewing me as a serious opponent.
Suddenly, she stopped moving and began listening intently to the night. From this angle, she looked incredibly attractive, but she was, of course, some kind of crazy, mysterious shadow assassin.
"I am afraid our time is exhausted," she said, showing a flicker of a sad expression. "This was lovely, Ferith. Next time, no more games."
She walked closer... closer... before I knew it, I felt her fingers brush my face.
"We will be fast friends... you'll see."
Looking into her eyes at this proximity, I could practically see the madness spilling over from her retinas.
Her fingertips felt searing hot against my skin... and then the feeling was gone. And so was she.
She vanished like smoke.
I even reached out into the empty air to confirm she hadn't simply turned invisible, but no—her magical signature was utterly absent. I checked my pocket... and her wand was gone as well.
I let out the nervous breath I had been holding since she started walking closer.
This was... growing exponentially stranger.
Was she the girl from the letter? Her voice resembled the message, and she knew the contents, so she must be... yet, an unshakeable doubt lingered.
Why was she here? Who was she? Alice.
I felt a few familiar signatures approaching rapidly.
They had received my messages. I erased my signature completely and released the mental tether, hoping Big Leonard wouldn't attract attention by landing here.
We were not supposed to be attempting to tame wild Gryphons, after all.
I quickly checked my physical appearance and made my way toward the others.