APRIL SYLKRANA IS DETERMINED TO RISE. After the devastating news of her mother, the Imperial High Queen's, death, she only has one job before she can take what is rightfully hers: kill her half-brother, June. Not only is he elusive and serious about...
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2412, Iclis 20, Reshpe
April hovered behind the haze of clouds, using the height to her advantage. The slippery fool managed to evade her from Acosa and was now traversing the length of the forest in Komery. Her wings flapped, dislodging a few loose feathers. She watched them flutter in the air, twirling with the windy currents blowing from all directions before descending to the ground like rain. She let it. Let them know she was here, and that she's here to bring justice.
She looked to her left, to where the Acosan palace stood. Marin better be fine in there, or else the Heiress would flay April alive. As much as she disliked being relegated as an overqualified chaperone, she saw why the Heiress seemed fond of the little witch. The girl was simply too wily and dangerous, even for April.
After spending a full week with the girl, April had a glimpse of what this chaos was about. Two organizations seemingly gained confidence and surfaced recently. With the appearance of an entity called the Virtakios—reportedly stuck inside a plain girl whom June now consorted with—Synketros, and yes, Cardovia, engaged in a race to control the entire island. See, getting the Virtakios wasn't even the end goal. What the Heiress and the Sovereign—Synketros' leader—aimed for was something far greater. Something April and Marin weren't privy to nor they would understand in full.
A small part in April wanted to throw all her care about that to the wind, but the logical fraction of her mind told her it'd affect her plans as the High Queen if she didn't deal with these organizations before they became more powerful. It's a dangerous game—one she's playing with her moves limited. In a karavag match, she'd be the piece pushed into the enemy house. She would either have to sacrifice something to survive or accept her fate and die off.
What a grim thought. It's too early in the day for this.
A familiar gray streak flashed in her periphery. There.
She dropped out of the trail dimension and searched through the gaps in the canopies for the discernible sign of June. Her wings flapped, stirring the clouds around her, and she dove. The wind tore at her hair, driving it away from her face and neck. It's going to be hell to comb through later, but she'd worry about that when she already accomplished what she came here for.
She lowered her vision to the trail dimension again. A curse flitted off her lips. He's fast. To have moved from one point to another in that short amount of time...
He's riding something. Or he had someone helping him.
It could be both, as April proved when she tucked her wings closer to her arms and angled her form down. Branches stung her skin, but she gritted her teeth against the sharp pain as she settled on the sturdy branches holding the colorful canopies up. She chose the right reference point, with her seeing June's trail creep from the horizon. Nothing beat air travel, of course.
When she dropped out of the trail dimension for the last time, she glimpsed a raslione with a dark coat and sharp claws padding across the forest floor. Streams of sunlight rippled across its claws and snout. Two men sat on the creature's flank. One was an older and taller fairy with dark brown hair and rather bland countenance. The other sported white hair and a dark cloak wrapped around his form.
