Akko Kagari and the Gospel of Aradia

Chapter Three: The Advance Guard

I've been attacked by Heartless and I might get expelled from Luna Nova.
I want to know what's going on and when I'm getting out of here.

Akko copied and pasted these words onto several separate e-mails the moment she reached her dark bedroom. She addressed them to all her friends who were capable of using computers (meaning everyone except Diana, who was surprisingly bad with technology). After sending in rapid succession, Akko started pacing the bedroom, expecting them to reply immediately, her head pounding, her brain too busy for sleep even though her eyes stung and itched with tiredness. Her back ached from carrying Umaru home, and the two lumps where the window and Umaru had hit her were throbbing painfully.

Up and down she paced, consumed with anger and frustration, grinding her teeth and clenching her fists, casting angry looks out at the empty, star-strewn sky every time she passed the window. Heartless sent to get her, Yoruichi and Urahara tailing her in secret, then suspension from Luna Nova and a hearing with the Magic Council – and still no one was telling her what was going on.

And what, what, had Alcor been doing here? Why did Professor Ursula send her familiar to her mother? What had the old crow whispered in her ear that made Mrs. Kagari go rigid?

Why was she still trapped here without information? Why was everyone treating her like some naughty child? Don't do any more magic, stay in the house….

She kicked her bedpost as she passed it, which in retrospect was a very stupid idea because the post was made of solid wood and her foot was just flesh and bone. Now she had to deal with a sharp pain in her toe in addition to the pain in the rest of her body.

She heard the front door slam through the open window and looked outside. She caught Taihei carrying Umaru on his back to the car sitting on the street, driving by Taihei's work friend. Umaru still looked very green in the face as Taihei settled her in the backseat. Akko would have felt sorry for her, but that would mean temporarily setting aside her anger, which she did not want at the moment. She wanted to stay angry so that she would be ready to tear at her so-called friends when, and if, they finally decided to start talking to her again.

Akko threw herself down onto her bed without undressing and stared at the dark ceiling. They were bound to write back quickly, Akko thought; they couldn't possibly ignore a Heartless attack. She'd probably wake up tomorrow to an inbox full of sympathy and plans for her immediate removal to the O'Neill's hotel or the Manbavaran mansion. And with that comforting idea, sleep rolled over her, stifling all further thought.

But her inbox was empty the next morning. Akko spent the day in her bedroom, leaving it only to go to the bathroom. Three times that day, Mr. Kagari would walk up to her door and try to convince her to join them for meals, but he might as well have been talking to the doorknob for all the good it did. He eventually gave and just decided to bring food to her door and pick up the dishes when she was finished. Mrs. Kagari, on the other hand, was make no effort to engage her and left Akko to her own devices, which was rather unusual considering the woman had threatened to run straight up to the Magic Council for her sake just the other night. Akko couldn't bring herself to care either way; her mother wasn't going to share what Alcor had said, so there was nothing to talk about.

So it went on for three whole days. Akko was filled alternately with restless energy that made her unable to settle to anything, during which she paced her bedroom again, furious at the whole lot of them for leave her to stew in this mess, and with a lethargy so complete that she could lie on her bed for an hour at a time, staring dizzily into space, aching with dread at the thought of the Council hearing.

What if they ruled against her? What if she was expelled and her wand was snapped in half. The Shiny Rod was safe with its own protective magic, but it had limited power in its current state, currently only possessing four of its seven gems. What would she do, where would she go? Would she be forced to go back to living an average life as she did for her first eleven years? Akko didn't think she could do that now that she knew there was another world out there where she belonged. Or would it even matter? Had her breach of the International Charter for the Relations of Humans and Demi-Humans been severe enough to land her in a cell in Dol Guldur? Whenever this thought occurred, Akko invariably slid off her bed and started pacing again.

On the fourth night after the Heartless attack, Akko was lying in one of her apathetic phases, staring at the ceiling, her exhausted mind quite blank, when Mrs. Kagari entered her bedroom. Akko looked around slowly at her. Mrs. Kagari was dressed like was going somewhere important, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"We're going out," she said.

"Huh?"

"We – your father and I – are going out."

"Fine," said Akko dully, looking back at the ceiling.

"Try not to cause any trouble."

"Okay."

"Make sure you wash your face and put on some clean clothes."

"Whatever."

"And try not to be disrespectful to them."

"Okay – wait, who's them?" asked Akko, suddenly sitting up and looking at her strangely.

"They should be here soon," Mrs. Kagari. Her expression was neutral, but she was making a great deal of effort not to look her daughter in the eyes. "Just…take care of yourself, all right…. Your father and I love you, Akko. I hope you know that."

Now Akko was starting to feel a little concerned; her mother wasn't usually this cryptic unless it was about something really bad. But before Akko could open her mouth to ask, Mrs. Kagari had already closed the door behind her. A few minutes later, Akko watched her parents load up in the car, Mr. Kagari taking once hesitant glance up at Akko's window, and then drove off down the street.

None of this did anything to alleviate Akko's feelings of apprehension. After three days of staunch silence, her parents had chosen to leave quite ominously and without explaining where they were headed. Slowly and hesitant, Akko laid back down on her bed, not even bothering to turn on the lights in her room as the sun began to set over the horizon. The room grew steadily darker around her as she lay listening to the night sounds through the window she now kept open at all times, listening for anything that might come after her again, whether it be Yoruichi or the Heartless.

The empty house creaked around her. The pipes gurgled. Akko lay there in a kind of stupor, thinking of nothing. Suspended in misery.

And then, quite distinctly, she heard a crash in the kitchen below.

She sat bolt upright, listening intently. Her parents couldn't be back, it was much too soon, and in any case she hadn't heard the car.

There was silence for a few seconds, and then she heard voices.

Burglars, or worse, solicitors, she thought, sliding off the bed onto her feet – but a split second later it occurred to her that burglars would keep their voices down, and whoever was moving around in the kitchen was certainly not troubling to do so.

She snatched her wand from her bedside table and stood facing her bedroom door, listening with all her might. Next moment, she jumped as the door suddenly swung open.

Akko stood motionless, staring through the open door at the dark upstairs landing, straining her ears for further sounds, but none came. She hesitated for a moment and then moved swiftly and silently out of her room to the head of the stairs.

Her heart shot upward into her throat. There were people standing in the shadowy hall below, silhouetted against the streetlight glowing through the door window; eight or nine of them, all, as far as she could see, looking up at her.

"Put that away, girl, before you poke someone's eye out," said a low, chilling voice.

Akko's heart was thumping uncontrollably. She knew that voice, but she did not lower her wand.

"Principle Ram? She said uncertainly.

"I'm not a Principle anymore," said the voice coldly. "Not since the Council decided to dismiss me. 'Unhinged', they said. It doesn't matter. Get down here, we want to see you properly."

Akko lowered her wand slightly but did not relax her grip on it, nor did she move. She had a very good reason to be suspicious. Ram was the principle of Black Star Academy, the school where her friend, Mato Kuroi, had gone to before she was taken by Eveline. Ram claimed she wasn't possessed like her student, but there was always the hint of doubt in the back of Akko's brain. But before she could make a decision about what to do next, a second, warmer voice floated upstairs.

"It's all right, Akko. We've come to take you away."

Akko's heart leapt. She knew that voice too, one that she was more than grateful to hear again.

"I–Izetta-obasan?" she said disbelievingly. "Is that you?"

"Why are we all standing in the dark?" said a third voice, this one completely unfamiliar, a man's. "Lumen.

A ball of light popped in the air, illuminating the hall. Akko blinked. The people below were crowded around the foot of the stairs, gazing intently up at her, some craning their heads for a better look.

Izetta Du Nord stood closest to her. Akko still had a poster of Shiny Chariot from her performance days and the resemblance between the sisters was uncanny from the disheveled, apple-red hair to the garnet-colored eyes. The only difference between them was that Izetta was noticeably thinner, due in part to being imprisoned in Dol Guldur for thirteen years. Akko noticed that before Izetta liked to wear earth-toned clothes because she was in hiding, but now she wore a pristine white – and quite revealing – dress that looked more like a costume than casual eveningwear. Nevertheless, she was smiling broadly at Akko, who tried to smile back through her shock.

"Wow, she looks just like I thought she would," said the man who was holding the light aloft. He was notably handsome with groomed brunette hair and a neatly trimmed beard that fitted well with his tailored brown suit. "Good evening to you, Miss Kagari."

"Yeah, I see what you mean, Izetta," said a fair-skinned with flowing black hair that nearly reached the floor; she had a thick set of eyebrows that reminded Akko of someone. "She does kinda look like Finnalan's girl."

"Except for the eyes," said an elven-looking man at the back. "She has the Du Nord eyes."

Ram, who had lengthy platinum-blonde hair and curled horns like her namesake, was squinting suspiciously at Akko. As opposed to the Victorian-styled clothes she wore during the Contest of Champions, her clothes were now shabby and her right side was concealed underneath a tattered cloak, hiding her missing right arm, which had been taken when Eveline made her escape with Ram's students.

"Are you quite sure it's her, Du Nord," she said, leering. "It'd be a nice lookout if we bring back a Council stooge impersonating her. We should ask her something only the real Kagari would know. Unless you prefer doing it the old-fashioned way?"

"Akko, where did we first meet?" said Izetta.

"Nabeshima Shoto Park," Akko answered nervously. "I just ran away from home after turning my aunt into a hippo, then you came skulking out of the trees like a creepy zombie."

"That's her, Ram," said Izetta. "Though I would have appreciated it if she had kept the 'creepy zombie' part to herself."

Akko descended the stairs, very conscious of everybody still staring at her, stowing her wand in her pocket as she came.

"Better safe than sorry," grumbled Ram, stomping off toward the kitchen. "We already have enough to deal with between Jennifer's cultists and those assholes on the Council without a spy in our midst…."

Izetta boldly threw her arms around Akko and pulled her in.

"How've you been, ma niece," she asked softly, looking at Akko closely.

"F-fine…"

Akko could hardly believe this was real. Four weeks with nothing, not the tiniest hint of a plan to remove her from Jingumae, and suddenly a whole bunch of Demi-Humans was standing matter-of-factly in the house as though this were a long-standing arrangement. She glanced at the people surrounding Izetta; they were still gazing avidly at her. She felt very conscious of the fact that she had not changed her clothes in four days.

"You – you guys were who okaa-san was talking about…" she mumbled.

"Ursula had told your parents we were moving you after the attack four days ago," said the handsome man holding the light. "Believe me, it took a while to organize the whole thing. Your parents are pretending to be heading for some charity event at your father's office. That should keep at least half of the Magic Council's spies away from the house – just enough for us to slip through unseen."

So that's why Alcor had shown up, Akko thought. That also explained why Mrs. Kagari had been acting rather distant for the past few days; because if she hadn't, Mrs. Kagari would have likely broke down and done something to prevent her daughter from leaving. Akko suddenly felt guilty about her attitude towards them.

"We're leaving, right?" she asked. "Soon?"

"Almost at once," said Izetta, "we're just waiting for the all-clear."

"Where're we going? New York? The Philippians?"

"No, neither of those," said Izetta, motioning Akko toward the kitchen; the little knot of Demi-Humans followed, all still eyeing Akko curiously. "Too risky. We've set up a headquarters somewhere undetectable. It's taken a while…."

Ram was now sitting at the kitchen table swigging from a murky-looking bottle, her eyes roaming around anxiously.

"You remember Ram, don't you, Akko," Izetta continued, pointing toward the horned woman.

"Hard to forget; the set up an entire investigation about me and Nico," said Akko with a grimace.

"And for good reason," Ram grumbled irritably.

"And this is Professor Philip England," said Izetta, pointing to the handsome bearded man. "He's a Lay Line geophysicist and a teacher at the University of Oxford."

"It's a pleasure to be making your acquaintance, Miss Kagari," said Mr. England with a polite bow. "I've heard so many things about you from my daughter…though not all of them are good, I admit."

"Your dau – wait, England? Are you…Hannah's dad?" said Akko, gaping. Mr. England nodded with a proud smile. "You are not at all what I expected."

"The Englands specialize in Sensory Magic, which really helps in Philip's field of occupation," said Izetta.

Akko remembered Hannah mentioning this once last year when she had helped Akko sneak a peek at the Xenomorph Queen before the first challenge. Sensory Magic was the ability to detect sources of magic, no matter how small, from considerable distances and with pinpoint accuracy, like a radar. But it was an exceedingly rare gift that less than 0.01 percent of Demi-Humans could use.

"And over there is Angela Parker, Barbara's mother," Izetta continued, indicating to the long-haired woman with thick eyebrows; that explained why she looked familiar, Akko thought. "She's a physical therapist at Alchemilla Hospital. And that is Patolli" – she gestured to the Elven man – "Jellal Fernandes – "

"Heard you about what you did in your first year; impressive," said the tattooed man in the corner.

" – Mii of the Flame Emperors Guild" – a redheaded woman in fantasy-esque armor inclined her head – "Chris Redfield, founder and operative of the BSAA" – a rugged man in tactical gear nodded – "and Shantae, the Half-Genie Guardian of Sequin Land." A tan woman with a long purple hair in a high ponytail waved next to the toaster.

Akko inclined her head awkwardly at each of them as they were introduced. She wished they would look at something other than her; it was as though she had suddenly been ushered onstage. She also wondered why so many of them were there.

"A surprising number of people volunteered to come and get you," said Izetta, as though she had read Akko's mind; the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

"Yeah, well, the more the better," said Ram darkly. "We're your guard, Kagari."

We're just waiting for the signal to tell us it's safe to set off," said Izetta, glancing at Chris, who had pulled out his smartphone and shook his head. "We've probably got about fifteen minutes."

"Very clean, aren't they, these humans," said Mrs. Parker airily, sounding like she was in a sort of trance. "My dad was Human and he was a downright slob. Then again, I'm not very tidy either. We'd probably be living in a mountain of trash if not for Barbara's trinkets…."

"Angela is good with people, but she's not exactly…all there," Izetta whispered to Akko as Mrs. Parker stared fascinatingly at her mother's blender.

"Er – yeah, " said Akko awkwardly. "Look" – she turned back to Izetta – "what's going on. I haven't heard from anyone in weeks and suddenly you all show up like this was all planned?"

"That's because it was," said Izetta with an amused smirk. "We were always planning to get you out of Jingumae. You didn't really think we were just going to leave you here all by yourself? After everything that happened with Jennifer?"

"Well…yeah…," Akko muttered uncertainly. "But…if you guys were planning to take me away, why did it take so long?"

"Yoruichi told you that the Magic Council was keeping an eye on you since you came home for the summer," said Izetta with a distasteful frown. "We wanted to get you, but we couldn't risk being spotted by the Magic Council and having them trace us back to our headquarters. We've been thinking nonstop over ideas of how we were going to get you out of Japan."

"We had an opportunity to pull you two weeks into the summer," Ram growled, glaring at Izetta, "but somebody screwed up the timetable, so we had to wait longer."

"I was locked in a small, dark cell for thirteen years!" Izetta snapped defensively. "So forgive me if my concept of time is a little wonky!"

"So…if you guys are here, then that means…," Akko muttered.

"We've finally found an opening to move you," Ram finished, taking another swing from her murky bottle. "The Magic Council's spies have become lax as of late, likely because of your upcoming hearing. The Magic Council probably feels confident that you're going to be found guilty, so they're not bothering to keep watch over you anymore. Well, better for us, anyway."

Akko's heart suddenly felt lighter than it had been all summer. They hadn't forgotten her after all; they were just waiting for the right moment to come rescue her. Now Akko was starting to regret her plans of making voodoo dolls of all her friends….

"How're we getting – wherever we're going?" Akko asked.

"Flying," said Izetta. "Only way. It's too dangerous to used the Corridors because you're still young, the Council will be watching the teleportation checkpoints, and it's more than our life's worth to set up an unauthorized Summoning Stone."

"Izetta says you're a good flier," said Mr. England.

"She's excellent," said Izetta with a soft smile. "Just like her mother. The first person in centuries to ride the Shooting Star. Anyway, we'd better go and get you packed, Akko. We want to be ready to go when the signal comes."

She followed Akko back into the hall and up the stairs, looking around with much curiosity and interest.

"Angela might be right," she said, "your parents are a little too clean to be normal, you know what I mean. Kinda unnatural. Then again, I was in a dank prison cell for over a decade. Oh, this is better," she added, as they entered Akko bedroom and she turned on the light.

Akko's room was certainly much messier than the rest of the house. Confined to it for four days in a very bad mood, Akko had not bothered tidying up after herself. Most of the books she owned were strewn over the floor where she'd tried to distract herself with each in turn and thrown it aside. Her dresser was thrown open, revealing a jumbled mixture of clothes that had spilled onto the floor around it.

Akko pulled her suitcases out of the closet and started throwing books inside them. Izetta paused at her open closet mirror, looking herself over and readjusting her white outfit until she seemed satisfied.

"Uh, hey," said Akko, looking up at her over the top of The Rise of Ooarai. "What's up with that dress? I mean, It's not that I don't like it – it's really cute – but it doesn't seem like something you'd normally wear."

"Oh, this," Izetta blinked, suddenly looking like a shy schoolgirl fiddling with the hem of her dress. "It was a gift…from Finé." Her face cheeks turned a soft shade of pink as she muttered the name so softly that Akko had difficulty hearing it.

"Finé…wait, you mentioned her before," said Akko thoughtfully. "Last time we met outside of Blytonbury. She's a friend of yours, right? She's been letting you stay with her while you're on the run?"

"Yeah, that's her," said Izetta, grinning almost uncontrollably. "She was my best friend ever since we were little. We used to play together all the time in the Fairy Forest. There was this hidden lake deep in the woods that only we knew about. It was like out secret hideaway. We'd spend hours together playing, swimming, sometimes riding on a broom together. Even after all those…terrible things with Amon happened, Finé believed I was innocent without a shadow of a doubt. She's never gave up on me when everyone else did."

"So she's special to you," said Akko matter-of-factly.

"Finé is…so kind and wonderful," Izetta said, staring wistfully at the ceiling. "I don't know what I would do without her…."

Akko didn't say anything as her aunt seemed to drift into her own world. It was clear to Akko that this Finé person was more than just a friend to Izetta, even if she didn't openly admit it. Akko knew the feeling quite well, having been pining over Diana for nearly five years before she finally had the (figurative) balls to confess her feelings, and in front of a large crowd at that. It was both exciting and scary when you fell in love with someone but you didn't know if your feelings would be returned. Whoever this Finé character was, Akko thought she would be extremely lucky to fall in love with an amazing witch like Izetta.

And speaking of whom, the redhaired witch suddenly blinked and seemed to realize that she was daydreaming, looking guiltily around at all the mess on the floor.

"Er, we really should get going, Akko, we're supposed to pack," she said, scratching the back of her head sheepishly.

"Oh – yeah," said Akko, grabbing up a few more books.

"That's going to take too long," said Izetta. "It'll be quicker if I – pack!"

Izetta waved her hand in a long, sweeping motion over the floor. Books, clothes, telescope, and equipment all soared into the air and flew helter-skelter into the luggage.

"It's not very neat," said Izetta, walking over to the suitcases and looking down at the jumble inside. "Chariot and I were never very good at cleaning. Our brother Orion was always the tidy one. Every year before we left for school, we used to beg him to help us pack."

"You have an older brother?" Akko gasped, looking up at her surprisingly. "I have an uncle? How come I haven't heard about him?"

"Well, you won't exactly see him around the magical world," said Izetta guiltily. "Orion is a what the Demi-Human community calls a 'Dud' – a child born into a Demi-Human family without any Demi-Human qualities like magic. It's like the opposite of a 'Half-Breed'. Duds are rare, but they are deeply shamed by the Demi-Human community to the point where most people pretend they don't exist…. But it's not all bad!" she added, quickly changing to an upbeat tone. "Last I heard, Orion accomplished his dream of becoming a professional chef and opened his own restaurant. I wish I could visit it sometime. I miss the dope."

"Maybe you can after we beat Jennifer," said Akko hopefully.

"Yeah, maybe…," Izetta spoke with a loud sigh. "Anyway, we should get back downstairs. Everyone's probably waiting for us."

Izetta closed Akko's suitcases and waved her hand over them. The luggage rose a few inches into the air. Izetta grabbed the handle of one while Akko grabbed the other and they guided them out the door down the stairs.

Back in the kitchen, Ram was staring out the window taking another huge swig from the bottle until she realized it was empty and tossed it over her shoulder with a dissatisfied grunt. Thankfully, Mii caught it before it could smash on the tile and deposited it properly in the recycling bin. Mr. England and Jellal seemed to be in the middle of a spirited debate while Mrs. Parker was laughing at a potato peeler she had come across while rummaging in the drawers. Shantae was sealing a letter addressed to the Kagaris.

"Oh, hey," said Shantae, looking up as Akko and Izetta entered. "Chris said we should be Ret-2-Go in about a minute. We should probably get out into the garden so we're ready. I left a letter telling Akko's parents that she's fine and that she'll see them again in the winter."

"The winter?" Akko repeated, blinking.

"We don't want you staying at Luna Nova for the holidays this year," Izetta informed her. "So we figured we could invite your parents along. I know it's been a long time since you got to spend Christmas with them.

Akko smiled; it honestly had been a long time since she spent a holiday away from Luna Nova.

"Come here, Kagari," said Ram gruffly, beckoning Akko toward her. "I need to make you transparent."

"You need to what?" said Akko dumbfounded.

"Transparency Spell," said Ram. "Izetta says you've got a Ring of Gyges, but hold little trust in trinkets; this'll disguise you better. Here you go – "

She rapped Akko's skull with her knuckles, hard, making Akko flinch. Afterward, Akko felt a curious sensation as though Ram had just smashed an egg there; cold trickles seemed to be running down her body from the point where her knuckles touched.

"Nice one, Ram," said Patolli said appreciatively.

Akko looked down at her body, or rather, what had been her body, for it didn't look anything like hers anymore. It was not invisible; more like her body had suddenly become as clear as glass as if she were a human window.

"Come on," said Ram, unlocking the back door.

They all stepped outside onto the Kagari's beautifully kept lawn.

"Clear night," grunted Ram, scanning the heavens. "Could've done with a bit more cloud cover. Right, you," she barked at Akko. "we're going to be flying in close formation. Izetta will be right in front of you, so keep close to her tail and – "

"Uh, yeah, problem," Akko interrupted with a nervous chuckle as Ram leered down at her. "I um…I can't exactly…fly…right now."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ram growled. "Izetta told us you learned how to fly – "

"Yeah, with the Shiny Balai," said Akko, taking a step back. "But, you see, the thing is, the Shiny Rod isn't exactly…working right now."

"Whaddya mean?" asked Izetta, alarmed.

"I've been trying for days, but the Shiny Rod won't respond to any of my commands," said Akko. "I don't know why, it's just not working for some reason. Hasn't been since…."

Since the Heartless attack, which Akko couldn't bring herself to say. She didn't want them to think she was weak after everything that happened.

"That's never happened before…," Izetta mumbled. "All right, change of plans. Akko's riding with me. Everyone else, cover around me. Philip, Angela, stay on either side of me. Ram, you're following behind. Patolli, you're up front now. The rest of you will circle around us. Don't break rank for anything, got me? We keep heading east – no distractions."

"Are you really in any position to be saying that, Du Nord?" Jellal said jokingly as he grabbed one of Akko's suitcases and Mii grabbed the other.

"Everyone, mount up, we got the first signal!" said Chris sharply as he smartphone suddenly buzzed.

Izetta summoned her broom from thin air and swung her leg around, waiting until she felt Akko's weight join hers before hovering a foot off the ground. As Akko grabbed her arms securely around Izetta's waist, she noticed that Mr. England and Mrs. Parker were the only other ones who had brooms. Jellal, Patolli, and Ram floated in the air unsupported, all of them shrouded in pale yellow light, while Shantae suddenly exploded in a cloud of smoke and turned into a giant harpy-like creature. Mii allowed Jellal to wrap his arm around her waist to lift her while Chris climbed on Shantae's back.

"Second signal, let's go!" said Chris loudly, as his phone buzzed again.

Izetta kicked off hard from the ground, nearly unseating Akko as they shot into the sky like a bullet leave the chamber. The cool night air rushed through her hair as the neat square houses of Jingumae fell away, shrinking rapidly into a patchwork of dark colors, and every thought of the Council hearing was swept from her mind as though the rush of air had blown it out of her head. She felt as though her heart was going to explode with pleasure; she was flying again, just like the time when she first rode Shooting Star all those years ago…. For a few glorious moments, all her problems seemed to recede into nothing, insignificant in the vast, starry sky.

"Hard left, hard left, someone's looking up!" shouted Mr. England from her right. Izetta swerved and Akko pressed herself against her back. "We need more height…. Give it another quarter of a mile!"

Akko's eyes were watering in the chill as they soared upward; she could see nothing below now but pinpricks of light that were car headlights and streetlamps.

"Bearing south!" shouted Chris somewhere above her over the flapping of Shantae's wings. "Town ahead!"

They soared right, so that they did not pass directly over the glittering spiderweb of lights below.

"Bear southeast and keep climbing, there's some low cloud ahead we can lose ourselves in!" called Ram from behind.

"We're not going through clouds, Ram!" shouted Izetta angrily. "We'll get soaked!"

Akko was relieved to hear her say this; her uncovered arms were growing numb around Izetta's waist. She wished she had thought to put on a coat; she was starting to shiver.

They sailed over the sapphire-blue waters of the Sea of Japan, past the shores of North Korea, and into greater Asia. They altered their course every now and then, flying over humid jungles, arid deserts, and snowcapped mountains. The constant change in climate was starting to make Akko feel lightheaded. The guard around her was circling continuously like giant birds of prey. Akko lost track of time. She wondered how long they had been flying; it must have been hours by now.

"Turning southwest!" yelled Ram. "We're entering the United Kingdom now! Avoid flying over the roads!"

Akko was no so chilled that she thought longingly for a moment of the snug, dry interiors of the cars streaming along below, then, even more longingly, of traveling by teleportation spell; it was nauseating, but at least it was quick and warm…. Jellal and Mii swooped around her, their coats flapping loudly in the wind…. Now Shantae was on her right, Chris saddled on her back, looking left and right with a rifle in hand…. then they too swooped over her, to be replaced by Mrs. Parker….

"We ought to double back for a bit, just to make sure we're not being followed!" Ram shouted.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MIND?" Izetta screamed. "We're all tired! My niece is freezing! If we keep going off course, we're not going to get there until next week! We're almost there!"

"Correction, we're already here!" Patolli called from the front. "Time to start the descent!"

Izetta followed Patolli into a dive. They were heading for a great moor, a huge, sprawling patch of untouched grassland marked with a few rolling hills and a small lake in the distance. Akko wanted to reach the ground very much, though she felt sure that someone would have to unfreeze her from the broom.

"Here we go!" called Patolli, and a few seconds later he landed.

Akko and Izetta touched down right behind him and dismounted onto the grass, Akko nearly stumbling as she did. The others started landing shortly after. Shivering, Akko looked around. Nothing by long stretches of low glass in every direction. There were no signs of a house or cottage or that anything even lived in these moors; not even a red grouse or a common viper.

"Where are we?" Akko asked, but Izetta said quietly, "In a minute."

Ram was rummaging in her cloak, her hand clumsy with cold.

"Here," she muttered, thrusting a piece of paper toward Akko's concealed hand. "Read quickly and memorize."

Akko looked down at the piece of paper, using the light of the full moon overhead to illuminate the writing. The narrow, looped script was vaguely familiar. It said:

The headquarters of the Celestial Sphere may be found
at the Cavendish Manor in Wedinburgh, Britain.

Before anyone says anything, yes, I know Wedinburgh is not an actual place, but that is the confirmed location name of the Cavendish Manor in the eponymous episode "Cavendish" because of Akko's little hitchhiker sign, most likely a parody of the actual location Edinburgh in Scotland.

I particularly like this chapter because it fleshes out some of the world and its characters (Hannah and Barbara's parents, Finé, and the Du Nord family) and because I wanted to dissuade the idea that everyone was intentionally keeping Akko in the dark. A lot of people, myself included, hated the idea that everyone kept the MC in the dark the whole time and treated them like they were helpless. It wasn't that they wanted to leave Akko alone, but they couldn't afford to be reckless when they're up against two powerful forces like Jennifer and the Magic Council.

Next chapter: The Cavendish Manor