The Embers under the Great Tree
III
She never intended it to go as far as it did.
Really, it had been reflex alone at the sight of the magical being in front of her - the sheer impossibility of what this person was - that spurred her to respond in a show of admitted aggression. Yet she felt that would have been the rather natural reply to suddenly having a rather large sword brandished.
Yet now, time did her the courtesy of slowing long enough for her to comprehend the situation in front of her.
And the sheer magnitude of how badly things were going wrong.
Her breath hitched and her mind flew wild with speculation.
One of the most sacred spots in Ireland and now populated by a group of people who very much should not have been there and all of them on the verge of starting a fight with one another. Dimly her mind recalled the news reports she had spied when entering Lord Kirschtaria's room and those images flashed through her head.
Except it would never get that far.
Because she was alone here.
Alone with only the crazed zealot who was this close to starting a fight with strangers in the middle of probably one of the most important places for the Irish pantheon of Gods and for those who dwelled in the Otherworld. Matter of fact, she would not be surprised if they were surging up to the surface right at this moment just to kill them all.
Her brain caught up with her, her fingers which had been poised to tear the cloth from her face were swiftly yanked away from her as though they had been burned, she barely paid the movement any heed and instead threw herself forwards.
It wasn't to fight or anything so foolish.
But this could not afford to fail.
If she were to fail here - if she were to mess up here - then it meant all the trust and faith which had been placed upon her by those more competent would have been utterly wasted. It would be such an embarrassment for Lord Kirschtaria to stand up after this and proclaim that he had trusted her.
And that she had failed him spectacularly.
Before that happened, she would need to wrest control of the situation back into her terms and that called for what might have been best described as desperate measures.
Just skimming past the wings of the Angel, she slid right in front of them and raised her hands up, holding them flat out towards the direction of the…the Heroic Spirit.
Even saying the words in her mind made them no less impossible and a part of her still believed that she had made a mistake in inferring what the title meant. It might well have been an alias in general for some powerful being or perhaps a chosen name. Truly, there were any factor of reasons that existed which did not relate to the one she had entertained.
Yet there had been a glint in the eye of Berserker.
Just sharp enough that it told a different tale.
"Wait!" Hastily calling out, she looked the woman dead in the eyes and kept her posture as disarming as possible. "We're not here to cause a disturbance or to engage in battle. It would be pointless for the both of us to entertain that further, would it not?"
The woman met her gaze in silence, allowing her the space to breathe.
Or so she thought.
"Both, you say?" Berserker hummed and inclined her head backwards ever so slightly, there was a sudden sharpness to her thinned lips and some strange danger whirring through her mind. "In what manner am I and my companion related to this? I was uninformed as to the presence of Angels and you gave a rather…distinct reaction to my title. I was merely concerned for my safety against a rapidly changing turn of events."
That gave Ophelia pause.
But she could well be bluffing to try and give her a reason to push back, to give her something that would paint her in a more favourable light if another party came to intervene in this. Which they inevitably would and she was just counting down the seconds until whomever was watching would step out.
Yet she had meant what she said, slowly pulling her arms back to her side and straightening herself out.
"Just as I would be concerned as to the presence of your companion." Berserker visibly took issue with that comment, a faint narrowing of the eyes and tightening of her hands on the grip of her sword. "Unless I have imagined his traits."
Schmidt frowned rather confusedly and looked at her as though he didn't understand what she had said.
His next words all but cemented that fact.
"You're worried about me? But we only just met today…have I done something bad and not realised it again?"
Ophelia very pointedly did not react to those words, instead she just watched Berserker for some manner of response.
The flickering of her eyes to and from Susa-il and then back to her was rather obvious, as was the debate in her gaze as to whether she wished to continue this fight. Ophelia was unsure what would transpire in this, if she was correct at all, but she would refrain from speaking when there were others present who were not so clearly aware of the context of her worries.
Berserker clenched her jaw and then twisted the sword, pointing it downwards and thudding it into the floor, it dropped like a weight and sank an inch into the earth through that alone before it halted, the woman coiled her arm around the sword and held it in place, resting against the crook of her shoulder.
It might not have been a complete disarmament, but it was at least evidence that things were not immediately going to spiral further out of control.
She did not breathe a sigh of relief at that, but then again, with the presence of Niamh she did not need to.
That woman let out one that was large enough for all of them combined.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Loudly exclaiming, the blonde wiped her brow and leaned her head back to stare up at the sky. "You all had me really worried when you started brandishing weapons…or appearing out of thin air…or doing magical things…"
Ophelia could see her out of the corner of her eye, and she was noticing just now the sheer level of terror which had clearly been gripping the girl. Namely the fact she was a lot paler than she had been earlier and her skin glistened with sweat around her temple. It was rather alarming how swiftly her opinion of them had shifted.
Either that or they were a convincing actress.
Berserker spared her a short glance which looked more out of some sense of irritation for her loud speaking than anything else, a short lived movement before her eyes immediately flung back to her and she straightened out.
"...You had a rather pointed reaction to my title." She said once again, but it sounded more like a demand for an answer than a question.
"...It reminded me of something I was told previously." Replying with a moment of hesitation, she glanced between the woman and the boy several times and could only now see some further link between them. The boy might have been bleeding an excessive amount of magical energy, but she was sure there might have been something more.
Possibly.
The question was how.
Schmidt caught her line of sight, his brows furrowed and face awash with confusion before something clicked in his eyes. They lit up with some odd sense of excitement and he looked right at the side of Berserker's head before hurriedly speaking up. "Wait, is this about-"
He was shut up rather swiftly, the hand of the woman flew up without even turning her head and clamped down hard around his mouth and jaw, covering it completely.
…Ophelia had barely even seen her move.
"Schmidt." Her words turned hard and authoritative. "I believe it for the best if I were to be the one doing the talking."
It was phrased like a suggestion, but spoken like an order.
From the utterly blank look she was receiving, it might well have flown right over the head of the one she was speaking to in the first place, given the way he did not even so much as twitch or so the slightest reaction to her.
Schmidt nodded his head very slowly, glancing down at the hand around his mouth and then back to the owner of said hand. Berserker loosened her hold and pulled away from him, he stepped backwards and behind her once more.
Berserker hummed, eyes flicking to Susa-il behind her, then back her way.
"Oh? A mere reminder, you said?" Berserker inclined her head and raised a brow. "Then it is no more than a passing resemblance. Hardly something worth reacting over, is it not?"
"It was unusual." Ophelia could see what was happening here. "And your combined presence was a surprise for me."
"Ah, of course." A smile formed on the lips of the woman. "That is simply how it was, being struck rather dumbfounded at the prospect of being approached by strangers at so late an hour in the evening. Yes, such a surprise would have been rather understandable…wouldn't it?"
Ophelia narrowed her lone eye ever so slightly.
Berserker did much the same.
Niamh coughed very loudly.
"Uhhh…am I missing something? What are we talking about here?"
They both ignored her.
Schmidt did not.
"I think this is something important to Kri-errr-Berserker and Katherine…"
He turned her way and then right past her, looking at Susa-il more closely and squinting his eyes. She would not have noticed it, save for the way he was looking less out of surprise and more out of recognition, which left her with the implication he had met other angels before. He was actually painfully obvious at showing his emotions.
Ophelia tuned out the conversation as it fell away, looking back to Berserker and debating what she was supposed to do about this. They were surrounded by those not quite in the know but if the boy accompanying her held a significant role to her continued existence as she suspected it did…
But that opened up a series of questions, namely how?
But there was still no conclusive evidence.
Taking in a deep breath, she folded her arms behind her back and spoke. "I believe this would be a conversation better suited for a more opportune and less public conversation."
"Or where you could place yourself in a more favourable position." Berserker countered rather swiftly, giving a look at the Angel for a moment before looking back her way. "Given the impressive ability your companion has at hiding. If there is something for you to say that you deem important, then there is no reason to not say it now."
Ophelia found this rather frustrating because Berserker wasn't exactly wrong with how it appeared.
It very much looked like she had something important to hide - which she did - and that she was luring Berserker into a trap - which she wasn't - so that she could tell no one about what they both probably knew.
Unless she could be vague enough.
"Seven titles." Ophelia said, pulling herself up and looking at Berserker. "What I am familiar with has seven titles."
Vague.
That was exceedingly vague but for someone like Berserker, if they knew at all…
Berserker gave her nothing, not even so much as a twitch.
A perfectly ice cold expression which was starting to leave her with the belief that they were truly thinking of different things. Which she was unsure was supposed to be a relief or not. No, it was a relief, she supposed.
"Hmph." Berserker gave a single grunt and then tilted her head to the side. "...I see."
Just over her shoulder, Schmidt had made a rather pointed reaction to her words.
His brows shot up and he made a rather surprised face, looking towards Berserker once again and then opening his mouth, only to think better of it and close it again. Snapping it shut and pretending as though he had not just given away exactly what she wanted to know with the way he acted.
Ophelia needed to inform the others of this development.
She felt a whisper breathe through her ear, Susa-il's voice registered with her in a manner barely loud enough to be heard.
"Her body is composed of magical energy."
…Just like Rider.
That settled it, but it would have saved them both some time and effort if she had just confirmed that in the first place. Still, there was no use complaining about it now, she had to figure out what she was supposed to do about this. All while being aware of the presence of Niamh and giving nothing away.
Ophelia gave no outward reaction to the whisper and pursed her lips in thought.
"...Perhaps…" She said at last. "...We should have a conversation to know where we stand with one another."
Berserker offered a very slow and very lazy blink. "Why should this interest me?"
"...A harmless trade of information." She suggested. "I will answer what questions I am able to in exchange for you answering what questions you are able to."
"And then?"
Ophelia was rather unsure as to what she was supposed to do, it was not like she could keep tabs on them, nor could she really afford to drag them along with her either. The other option was just killing them here, which she was sure Susa-il could manage, but that was far from the best option available to them. Not while she didn't know how another Heroic Spirit came to be summoned here.
And whether the boy behind her was capable of it.
"...I would need to speak with others first." She says rather slowly, but expects that shall hardly be met with an approving reaction.
Berserker, naturally, just frowned at her. "And place our combined fate in your unsure hands? I have little interest in furthering our time together and doubt we have any goals which could be shared. Unless you intend to force a battle and take me prisoner, then we have little else worth discussing."
Ophelia clenched her jaw.
Well, she supposed that was that.
…Hopefully just informing the others of this as soon as possible would be enough for them to decide what to do.
That is if Jedidiah was not already aware, he might have been but saw fit not to tell her.
It was always hard to say with him.
Not unlike Daybit but…
"...Very well." Giving a short nod of the head, it was decided that was where the conversation would end but she had tried.
Perhaps not her best but the whole point was keeping as low a profile as possible-
Schmidt sniffed the air rather loudly, cutting her thought train short.
Then he did so again and with increasing intensity, his brows furrowed and he turned his head, looking around wildly and then - rather bizarrely enough - he flicked out his tongue like a lizard before sucking it back in. His expression turned to bewilderment before looking back to all of them and tilting his head.
"Does anyone else smell that?"
Ophelia blinked, then widened her eyes and turned her head towards Susa-il.
The Angel was no longer looking at her, instead she had snapped her head all around them and her posture went tense. The chain weapon in her hand started to hum once more as it picked up speed and it was hard not to notice the way she had inched closer to Ophelia, within arms length.
Niamh whimpered.
"Oh no."
That, it seemed, turned out to be the correct response.
And it was certainly the two words that flooded through Ophelia's mind as the ground erupted not too far from them, churning up large swathes of dirt and casting them right towards their group. Ophelia ducked back and raised her hand, forming a swift barrier in front of herself to defend against the mud.
The cloud was followed by another more guttural sound, like a wet gurgling and chittering noise almost like a wood chipper. She gaze beyond the shield as a large shadow pulled itself free of the earth, stomping forwards and then rearing up on hind legs and glaring down at her.
Ophelia narrowed her lone eye as the large creature gazed down.
…Rather acutely aware of the fact it looked like some horrifying mixture of a dog and an otter, letting out another wet chittering noise before she saw something else move behind it, joined in turn by a second strange chimaera which came bounding from the hole and slowing to a halt, both of them paced around either side of the group and glared.
The chitterings were lower, more threatening than before.
She held up her hand to Susa-il.
"Not unless they strike first." She muttered in a tone she hoped was commanding enough for the Angel to follow.
Susa-il said nothing, but she wasn't treated with the sight of weapons flying past her head either.
A howl cut through the wind, just above the large creatures and they were large.
Easily the size of an elephant.
But the howl came first and it came from behind, she turned her head just enough to spot the shapes bounding through the grass towards them, dozens of them and all joining in. The howl of wolves.
Cresting under the light they emerged in the open, dozens of wolves which focused between the two of them.
Ophelia barely registered the scraps of cloth they wore on their bodies, tied around their shoulders and necks, but she glimpsed the little twinkle of silver embroidered into them for a half second, then she glanced about and spotted something else.
There were cats among the wolves.
They held the appearance of just regular old tabby cats.
Black with white marked chests.
With one glaring difference.
These were about as large as the wolves.
"Oh no…" Niamh groaned louder, her hands falling into her hair and pulling back, she was biting her lower lip and muttering repeatedly to herself in denial.
They were encircled in moments.
Ophelia turned her head slowly to follow all of them back and forth from the way the wolves and cats kept to the front and the way the larger otter creatures kept just behind them, chittering never ceasing but having since quietened as time went on.
"Quite the menagerie." Berserker commented with some vague sense of apprehension.
Ophelia was inclined to agree, but she knew enough about the local denizens to understand what was going on here.
More so when she once more glimpsed the cloths on the animals and the embroidered symbols on them, only truly seeing them in full when one of the cats turned just enough for her to glimpse it. She straightened herself and thinned her lips, glancing between all of them for a moment before stepping forwards.
Raising her hands very slowly and in a show of non-aggression.
"We mean no harm and did not come here to fight."
The humming of Susa-il's chain did not quieten down.
That would definitely not help her case.
With a slight turn of her head, she looked over her shoulder and pointedly stared at the spinning chain before catching the skull mask with a look. Susa-il huffed rather quietly and then started to slow it down, though did not put it away or lose any of the tension she had in her body.
Ophelia figured that was probably as good as she was ever going to get.
Her eyes glanced back to the surrounding…
Well, there was only one thing they truly could be.
Aos si, she believed was their official name.
But they were more commonly known by Fae.
They continued to circle, showing no reaction to her words and she was growingly increasingly aware of her companions in the matter. Either by choice or by other means, especially as she glanced the way of Berserker and saw that she was thumbing her sword in a rather pointed manner.
Ophelia clenched her jaw and hissed over to her. "Don't show any aggression."
"I am not." Berserker replied back rather swiftly and with a hint of edge to her own words, that almost sounded indignant she was being accused in the first place. "That is why my sword is currently pointed down."
"It's aggressive enough." She muttered back, eyeing the Fae around them. "We haven't done anything to merit aggression and they won't respond violently unless we provoke them. We are guests in their land and they have come here to investigate us. We just need to convince them-"
The Fae around them turned as one and straightened.
It was a sudden movement.
Quick and uniformed, they broke apart and opened up a small path for someone to enter.
Ophelia saw them, as did the others.
Something about their presence demanded that she stand up straighter and it was mostly on account of the deference their 'guards' were showing this new arrival. The clear signal that this one was a superior to them. The shape approached with a hefty snort, great thudding steps heralded their arrival.
It was a mount of pure midnight, a darkness so perfect that it was as though the shape of a horse had been cut out in the world. She could see no angles nor lines until the mount turned and showed her the reflective silver eyes. It trotted closer and closer and in doing so, showed the rider as well.
The rider who had no head.
…A dullahan.
She watched them move closer, armour of close fitting chainmail with the same scrap of fabric over their shoulder, the symbol of the silver apple embroidered into it clear as day. Closer and closer they drew until finally they were on the interior of the small circle, the lack of a head made finding which they were turning somewhat difficult.
Ripples of smoke rose from the spot where the neck would have been, instead there was nothing more than a stump billowing flickers of light.
Light rippled forth with a sudden intensity as words just fell into place, as though the wind itself was speaking to them, a voice which came from all around.
"Foghail ar thalamh ár ngrá."
Ophelia felt stumped for a moment, then quickly caught herself and started cycling through a translation spell.
The flickers of light came with each word spoken.
"Scoirfidh tú agus gabhfaidh tú liom."
It clicked into place.
"Teipure to do so shall be met with appropriate force."
She was left to assume they were being asked to do something and judging from their surroundings, it was likely a surrender.
She maintained her position.
"We did not come for-"
The voice returned again and Ophelia was left with the impression it was distinctly feminine, though a rather rough one at that and very thickly accented.
"I have made clear our demands." The Dullahan cut her short rather curtly. "You and your companions are to desist and surrender to our authority. What becomes of you next is for the court to decide. Surrender or perish."
Ophelia grimaced ever so slightly at the rather clear ultimatum.
They could escape.
But she was not aware they had done anything wrong and - as far as she was aware - the Otherworld and the Aoi si were a neutral faction in most things. Despite the heavy presence of Catholicism in Ireland.
"We're not here for trouble." Ophelia said slowly, then gestured towards Susa-il. "Myself and my associate shall accede to your demands in a show of good faith."
She pointedly stepped away from the direction of Berserker and-
"The demand was for all of you." The Dullahan cut in with a harder tone this time, turning their body and jerking the mount enough to switch their attention to Berserker and Schmidt. "You are all trespassers and shall be treated as such until proven otherwise. What say you?"
Berserker remained silent.
Then clenched her jaw, the sword vanished into motes of light as she stepped back and beside Schmidt, very pointedly grabbing him by the arm and dragging him right beside her and narrowing her eyes. It was a clear challenge for any of the Fae around them to even try and separate them.
"Ryan." The Dullahan called out rather suddenly, Ophelia watched one of the wolves trot forwards. "Remand Niamh into the custody of Cara. I shall attend to her at a later time and place for this breach."
Niamh opened her mouth. "Saoirse-!"
"You will remain silent." The Dullahan demanded with greater strength. "Ryan. Carry out my orders. The rest of you, with me."
The wolf trotted right beside Niamh, the blonde slumped her shoulders while the wolf nudged her.
Then spoke.
"It's probably just a misunderstanding, Niamh. The captain isn't that mad."
Niamh didn't say anything and slumped all the more.
Ophelia was quick to lose her interest in the pair as the Fae surrounded them in a tighter formation, the Dullahan twisted her mount around and started to move forwards, raising her hand and flicking it forwards in a clear motion to follow them.
Susa-il spoke up behind them. "I am not certain I approve of this course of action."
"I am certain it is preferable to the alternative." Ophelia shot back.
"Did that big dog talk?" Schmidt asked rather suddenly and sounding more amazed than shocked. "They can do that? No one told me they could do that."
Ophelia pinched her brows and turned her head ever so slightly, watching in some strange bemusement as Schmidt attempted to pull away from Berserker and approach the wolves and cats only to be yanked back to her side with a rather rough motion. She hissed something and Schmidt looked more sad than anything else.
She could only guess what had been spoken from the next words.
"But I wanted to see if more of them could speak."
Berserker briefly snapped her gaze towards Ophelia.
And she wisely decided not to become too involved in whatever was happening behind her.
…Ah.
She had to explain to Lord Kirschtaria that she had gotten arrested.
…This was not a conversation she was looking forwards to.
"The prisoners are to remain silent unless called upon to speak." Ophelia was sure her name was Saoirse, demanded with a clipped tone of voice. She could see the slight tension in the shoulders as they doubtless recognised the magnitude of the situation.
She hoped the fact an Angel of Susa-il's power not starting a fight was proof of their sincerity in not starting a fight.
The group made their way back towards the mound of grass where the Dullahan had initially come from and Ophelia noticed - rather quickly - the smell that was almost reminiscent of the ocean coming from up ahead, growing stronger and stronger as they approached. Her visible eye narrowed as they moved for the mound.
Then she noticed something off.
It was the fact the path they were taking was starting to twist as it reached the hill, spinning around as it moved upon the Noll and inverted, twisting in on itself in a spiral pattern and giving the impression of going deeper and deeper into the mound. She kept her face composed despite the growing sense of apprehension she was feeling.
Magical energy was pulsing all around them, growing in strength with each passing second.
They were walking on the path and-
…They were still walking on the path as though it was in a straight line, but everything was going wrong. The world was flipping on its head as they walked and if she were to look up she would have found herself staring at the ground and looking down would have revealed the sky to her.
It was such a blatant display of irregularity that she had to gulp down her unease.
She had never encountered anything like this before.
They were just walking into the hill and the smell of water grew stronger than ever before, as though they were stood upon a beach.
She looked up and stopped for a brief second.
The grass was gone, she was staring up at clear blue rather than verdant green.
For a second, she thought it was the sky.
Then she saw the faint ripples along the surface, the tiny hints of currents and the briefest disturbances upon the face of the water. Her eye snapped left and right along every side of the horizon and showed an ocean as far as the eye could see. Her breath caught in her throat and she clenched her jaw to fight back a more open reaction.
Now she understood why Lord Kirschtaria had asked for a fact file.
This was information worthy of being recorded.
And yet, as she gazed upwards and found herself staring at a clear blue ocean, her mind made the logical jump of what would be beneath her. Indeed, there was a radiance of warmth which sprang up from under her feet as she walked. Wetting her lips, she prepared herself for what she expected to see and slowly turned her chin downwards and glanced to what should have been the ground.
Should have been.
But very clearly was not, her visible eye widened considerably as instead of soil and grass, there was an endless azure blue right under her feet. Without even a speck of cloud to taint it, a deep and thick colour which stretched across for as far as the eye could tell and in the epicentre of it, there was a brilliant glowing light which - in her mind - had to be the sun and yet it could not be the sun.
Their column stopped moving.
Ophelia blinked and swiftly jerked her head up the lead of the group, spotting the dullahan with her arm raised in a signal to stop.
Then she spoke in a clear cut voice.
"Prisoners are to brace themselves for emergence."
Brace herself for what?
If she thought she could get the chance to ask what was going to happen, she very clearly thought wrong. In the mere seconds that could be counted on one hand that followed the command, her world started to twist over, Ophelia staggered as the flash of light suddenly warped around them and her body moved of its own volition.
Or rather, it moved on account of the ground.
Eyes wide, she looked up as the ocean in the sky raced towards them, her hands flew up on instinct and she ducked down, only for the path to roll over and instead she felt everything shudder around her. A great tremor reverberated through her entire being and then suddenly it all fell silent.
The sky was in the sky and the ocean was beside her feet.
She blinked once, then twice.
Whipping her head left and right, pinching her brows as she tried to make sense of what had just happened to them and yet consistently found herself coming up short. There was very little to explain what transpired and no explanations came, rather with a single bark of command from ahead of them, they were pushed forwards once again.
And yet, impossibly so, that was not even close to being the end of the impossible things she thought she would have seen.
The sky was filled with great stone masses which just floated above their heads.
Ophelia felt her jaw almost unhinge and her feet would have rooted her to the ground if she had not felt a slight tap on her shoulder - a rather polite nudge - which spurred her onwards but she never once tried to tear her eyes away from what she was staring at.
There were mountains floating in the sky.
No, they could not be just mountains.
They were islands.
Whole islands suspended with nothing and upon the sea of air beneath them, even turning up and staring at what she thought was a shadow, she choked and staggered backwards, this time there was no polite nudge or warning for her to keep moving.
Instead there was some huffed chuckle beside her which she paid little attention to.
Staring down at her was an entire city.
She could see it, too far away to make out distinct figures but still closer enough that she could spot the largest buildings. It was a mixture of silver and beige stretched across a canvas of emerald green. Yet as she stared up, she blinked as she realised that it defied all she could expect as there was no shading upon it.
The city could be seen as clear as day because that was exactly what it was.
Ophelia had a flood of questions in her mind and more piled up by the seconds that passed, yet all she could manage was just a feeble effort of opening and closing her mouth several times. Unable to even make so much as a whisper.
Stepping forwards, she turned and looked down to the ocean by her feet, at the clear blue surface of the water, and stared at the same sun which hung in the sky.
It looked distorted, as one would expect of a reflection, except for the fact it…
…That sun did not look like a reflection, it looked as though she was staring at it through the surface of the water, resting just beneath the skin of rippling blue.
It was just wrong and yet it was right.
"You should keep moving."
She barely registered the voice and turned her head very slowly towards the large black and white cat that was staring at her. The slitted eyes met her own as the head jerked away and to the front of the column. "Captain isn't the most patient in the world for new arrivals even at the best of times and you've done yourself no favours."
…Her eye swept to the front and spotted the Dullahan turning very slowly in her direction, noticing that either side of her, the column had ground to a halt.
Fighting back the flush of shame as she realised she had been standing there gaping, she quickly stood straight and marched forwards with as much dignity as she could salvage but at this point, she thought it was going to be impossible.
She had been to Hades.
She had met the ruler of the Underworld and stared the Cerberus in the face.
Having done all of that…none of it had prepared for this.
It was as awe inspiring as the desolate wasteland of death in much the same manner but in completely the opposite spectrum.
This was just…so much.
"Hmph."
And she was so very abruptly pulled from her shock by the sound of an almost disinterested grunt, she blinked and very slowly turned her head about to the direction the noise had come from.
Finding herself very unsurprised to see that Susa-il was looking about as bored as one could possible make themselves appear when a skull mask covered their face. Her posture told the story all by itself.
Though the enjoyment of the Angel factored less than what could very well be perceived as an insult and Ophelia tensed at the notion, quickly turning her head to see if any of the others had taken notice. It did not appear that they had, but she did not doubt they had heard it at the very least.
Fighting the urge to bite her lower lip, Ophelia held her head high and continued walking.
Eyeing the path ahead and noticing how it seemed to stretch onwards and then upwards, peeling up into the sky as though it was a roller coaster and then it continued its arc. Not until it was a thread stretched over the deep blue did she realise it was circling as a road into the city above them, squinting harder made the image more difficult to discern.
There were…traces of a fog around the island in the sky, a rather thick one at that but little more.
There was a lot she wished to ask, but the words of their guard had been rather clear.
And she was far from willing to risk angering a Fae on such an almost mundane concern.
There was a louder gasp somewhere to her right and she discerned the voice quickly, almost grimacing at the childish wonder in the tone of enthusiasm. A flurry of movement and then she took sight of Schmidt making an effort to stride to the side of the path all while staring at the water, not until Berserker snatched him by the back of the collar and yanked him backwards did she let herself feel some relief.
At least Berserker had some common sense about her.
And then something happened.
Something she could not quite put her finger on but in one moment they had been walking along and then suddenly everyone just stopped.
She didn't, not at first, and it was not until the split second of realising her party had stopped beside her that she did as well. Catching her feet before she could advance further and feeling a weight of unease settle in her gut.
There was no reason for it, but it just appeared there without warning.
Ophelia gulped, bringing moisture to her throat which had somehow turned as dry as dust in the span of no more than a handful of seconds.
Saoirse ahead of them did a sharp turn on her mount and banked left, striding ahead and trotting further along the path before coming to a dead halt a few metres ahead of them. Ophelia was allowed a barely glimpse of what was on the path and almost as soon as she looked ahead, her feet were carrying her backwards.
There was little reason for it.
But there was something primal in her movements, an instinctual desire to just get away.
She made it little more than a mere half step before a weight fell on her shoulder and rooted her to the spot, a tightness spread across her right side and prevented her from moving. Panic set in not even a moment later, hands flying towards what had caught her and tried to pry it away.
But it was as though steel had formed around her, shackled her in place.
Then a voice, low and aggravated, hissed into her ear as a whisper.
"So long as you are by my side, you represent brother Maalik."
She went still at the tone.
"I shall not have you show cowardice in the face of a Pagan."
The final word was spat with disgust, but it barely registered with Ophelia.
Her throat hitched and what words she had were caught within her, bubbling in her throat and refusing to surface. Fingers clawed around the steadfast grip as it tightened to the point it almost became painful. Her lone eye flicked towards the road ahead and at the speck of darkness which sat ahead of them and close to the ground.
Something about the voice centred her, but not in a calming way.
It made her just as afraid of what was behind her to what lay before her.
And what was before her was…
…A bird.
There was a large black bird - it looked like some type of Corvian, but a touch bigger than the average raven - and it just sat there in the centre of their path and had somehow drawn the eyes and ears of everyone.
Ophelia started to slow her breathing, the fear ebbed away until there remained little more than a note of panic.
No, that was a lie.
She still held that rapid beating of her heart in her chest, the fast paced thuds but there was something else now. Something colder about the terror as her adrenaline took command of her senses and everything went slower than before. It sped up and she watched with a more steady gaze.
But no less terrified.
Seconds ticked past like hours and then eventually the bird turned its head and released a single booming caw which sounded as though it might as well have come from right next to her.
Flinching at the sudden nature of the cry, she jerked in the grip of the Angel behind her but made no sound.
The bird took to the skies a moment later and launched itself like a rocket, hovering above their heads and circling a good distance from them. To the point where it was no more than a black spec between them and the city above their heads. Only when it passed over the wall of fog surrounding the island in the sky did she get a clearer image of the wings and the body.
"...Captain-" Someone, one of the Fae around her, spoke up with a hushed tone of unease.
"We advanced forwards." Saoirse commanded, but Ophelia found something in that clipped tone that she recognised.
Unease.
And she did not fail to notice how their group was almost a secondary concern to the Fae around them, how the eyes of everyone were drifting towards the corvian in the sky and how it was following them at a good distance.
There was a presence beside her, then a disdainful growl.
"The Fae are one thing." Susa-il had never sounded as disgusted as right now. "But if you even think to ask me to submit to the authority of a pagan lord…"
The threat trailed away but Ophelia could fill in the blanks.
As well as the certainty of the words which promised dark and terrible things, she clenched her jaw and fought the urge to wet her now dry lips. Instead she walked onwards and did her best to control her rapidly pacing heart but it was becoming increasingly difficult as things went on.
There was a flicker of something in her periphery but she did not immediately turn.
It was closer, closer than she was comfortable with, but it did nothing and said nothing either. Keeping a short distance but not directly breaching her immediate personal space.
Then there was a shape leaning towards her, she turned her head ever so slightly to get a better glimpse at who and what was moving towards her and…
She did not blink, but she narrowed her eyes in an immediate challenge and warning to Schmidt.
He did not seem to recognise anything she was doing and instead just stared at her with the sort of concern she would expect to see on…anything else.
It just looked like concern - worry, even - in the purest form.
Now she felt a mixture of confusion and indignation.
Schmidt looked from her and then towards Susa-il, his jaw rolled back and forth before he spoke up.
"...You're meaner than Gabriel."
Ophelia forgot how to breathe in the second the words registered with her.
She did not dare turn around and face the Zabaniya, but she could feel the attention of the Angel shift.
It felt like someone drawing a sword.
"You have met Gabriel, have you?"
"I-"
"The Prisoners-" Saoirse barked from ahead. "-are to be-"
A flush of darkness swept over them, bathing them as far as the eye could see.
Nothing but shadow and void surrounded them.
There was no warning, nor word of alarm.
It was as instant and snapping one's fingers.
Ophelia tensed instantly and backed upwards, raising her hands as a show of surrender, all while turning her head left and right before noticing something rather quickly.
She was alone.
Yet she could hear the others all around her, Fae and companions alike mixed with panicked shouts and calls for attention.
A whisper behind her ear and cold breath on her nape had her stand ramrod straight.
I entertain this 'captivity' at the behest of my travelling companion.
Do not think for a moment there is any other reason I allow you to speak so brazenly to me.
The silence endured.
And then the darkness receded away, she could almost trace the flow of the blackened current as it was dragged back from the horizon and funnelled back towards the shape of Susa-il. Not alone in this either and before Ophelia could even realise - even comprehend - what had happened, the Angel was the centre of attention once more.
She looked utterly unconcerned with it either, wings dropped down around her like a cape, pale white feathers smoothed over.
The Angel cast a long and slow look at the assembled faces before turning very slowly back towards Ophelia.
A glint was present in the dark pits that served as eyes.
"I believe I have made my point clear."
Ophelia had never felt something slip beyond her control so swiftly as right now.
Eyes wide, she turned her head very slowly towards their captors and truly, desperately, hoped that she would be able to convince them that this wasn't nearly as bad as it appeared. Even if she herself was no longer wholly convinced of that.
Yet she looked further and saw something else that was worrying.
The Dullahan had her whole body turned to the side and leaned backwards ever so slightly, giving the clear indication that they were looking upwards.
Ophelia followed their gaze and found it centred on the corvian which was circling closer to them now.
"...The prisoners are requested to be silent for the duration of the voyage." Saoirse mumbled after some moments before jerking sharply on the reins of the horse and steering forwards.
Ophelia started to move once she believed it safe enough, but hung back enough that she would be side by side with the Angel when they strode past.
She might have prided herself on being polite in these situations, but this was just something else entirely.
"...Are you trying to make things more difficult than they need to be?" Muttering in a low tone to Susa-il, she did not expect to be given an answer.
Nonetheless, she was.
And Susa-il made no attempt to lower her volume.
"I shall tolerate these Fae as even the Heavenly Father could acknowledge the greatest of their artisans…That does not grant deference to their Pagan lords, nor to the one who skulks in the skies above us."
Susa-il turned her head up.
"And they should consider themselves fortunate I do not take to the skies in turn."
Ophelia very wisely decided that this was a good moment to put as much distance between herself and the Angel as possible within their cramped conditions, but at this point she was feeling that their chances were becoming increasingly dismal.
Scarcely, she was imagining how it could possibly get worse.
The following report concerns the apprehension of four figures involved in a dispute in the Hill of Tara.
Contains witness testimony of those present and interrogations conducted with the accused.
Chief interrogator - Captain Saoirse.
Suspect 1: Ophelia (No family name given.)
Race: Human
Age: 26
Land of Origin: Germany
Captain Saoirse: You are aware of the reasons for your detainment, are you not?
Ophelia: [Suspects nods her head, appears visibly agitated. Emotions mixed. Most registered as frustration and alarm.]
Captain Saoirse: It is expected of you to answer the questions verbally.
Ophelia: My apologies. I meant no offence. [Suspect takes a pause.] I am aware of why I was detained, yes. Or I mean to say that I assume I was detained.
Captain Saoirse: You were observed preparing to engage in battle upon a sight of importance, do you deny this charge?
Ophelia: [Suspect is silent for seven seconds.] I did not go there to fight.
Captain Saoirse: Would you have fought?
Ophelia: To defend myself, yes.
Suspect 2: Zabaniya Susa-il
Race: Angel
Age: Indeterminate (Assumed to be between the age of Michael and the age of Gabriel)
Place of Origin: Heaven (Formerly)
Captain Saoirse: For what purpose did you enter our lands?
Susa-il: [Suspect makes no attempt to answer. Remains seated and unmoving.]
Captain Saoirse: Are you aware there is currently a demand from the Abrahamic factions for any information on the whereabouts of the Zabaniya, of which you were personally named?
Susa-il: [Suspect does not respond.]
Captain Saoirse: What is your relation with the human mage?
Susa-il: [Suspect tilts head but remains silent.]
Captain Saoirse: You were detained upon perceived threat of violence against another group. Had you encountered them before?
Susa-il: [Suspect says nothing.]
Suspect 3: Schmidt
Race: N/A
Age: Claims to be at least fifteen human years. (Unable to verify at this time.)
Land of Origin: Claims to be from the Vatican (Unable to verify at this time.)
Captain Saoirse: Had you encountered the two individuals before your dispute at the Hill of Tara?
Schmidt: Oh? No, I have never seen them before. Well, I had seen an Angel before. She was really nice, a bit like sister Kiara but not quite. Gabriel was a lot brighter than this Angel which is why I was a little confused-
Captain Saoirse: Please limit yourself to the question.
Schmidt: [Suspect visibly appears saddened by the reprimand. Shows willingness to accept the words.]
Captain Saoirse: What are you and your companion doing in our domain?
Schmidt: Uuuuuhhh. I do not know if I should tell you that.
Captain Saoirse: And why is that?
Schmidt: I think Kri-erm-Berserker would get angry with me if I started saying things without her. She doesn't like it when I start speaking, she says I have loose lips.
Captain Saoirse: Berserker is your superior?
Schmidt: [Silent.]
Captain Saoirse: Please answer the question.
Schmidt: I am trying but when you say superior, what do you mean?
Captain Saoirse: Excuse me?
Schmidt: I think she is better than me at most things. Except flying. She can't fly. I can fly though. I have wings.
Captain Saoirse: Yes. I can see that.
Schmidt: [Suspect smiles. Wings are flapped repeatedly.]
Suspect 3: Berserker
Race: Unknown (Presumed Ether spirit)
Age: Unknown.
Land of Origin: Unknown (Estimations based on personal attire have been rooted to Germany. Unable to verify at this time.)
Captain Saoirse: The hybrid defers to you for authority.
Berserker: As well he should.
Captain Saoirse: He claims to have met the Seraphim Gabriel. Are you related to the Holy Church?
Berserker: No.
Captain Saoirse: Have you had dealings with the Holy Church in the past?
Berserker: No.
Captain Saoirse: Have you had dealings with Angels in the past, Fallen or Loyal?
Berserker: No.
Captain Saoirse: Are you aware of the current wanted status of your ally?
Ophelia: I am.
Captain Saoirse: Knowing this, you brought them into our domain?
Ophelia: I was not knowing at the time.
Captain Saoirse: You were followed.
Ophelia: I was.
Captain Saoirse: Were you aware of their presence before the incident at the Hill of Tara?
Ophelia: [Suspect is silent. Frowning and avoiding eye contact.]
Captain Saoirse: Are you aware of any other agents in your organisation present in Ireland or in Tír na nÓg?
Susa-il: [Silent.]
Schmidt: I never did try breathing fire. I was told it could hurt me.
Captain Sairose: Do not breathe fire in this room.
Schmidt: Oh, I was not going to. Sorry for making you think that.
Captain Saoirse: It is fine. Answer the question.
Schmidt: No, I did not know there were Angels who wore skulls for faces. That seems a little scary, doesn't it? Gabriel never wore a skull on her face.
Berserker: No.
Captain Saoirse: Are you aware of the level of importance Schmidt held within the Holy Church?
Berserker: No.
Captain Saoirse: Have you received any information on what his position was in the Holy Church?
Berserker: No.
Captain Saoirse: Are your allies aware of the presence of the Zabaniya here?
Ophelia: They are.
Captain Saoirse: And you claim your purpose is non-violent?
Ophelia: It is.
Captain Saoirse: And yet you were willing to fight strangers?
Ophelia: …It's complicated.
Captain Saoirse: How so?
Ophelia: I am not allowed to tell you.
Schmidt: Is the smoke your head?
Captain Saoirse: Answer the question.
Schmidt: Oh. Sorry. I didn't do much of anything. I just sat in a room all day and sometimes someone would come and talk to me. Mostly sister Kiara. I liked her. I think she liked me as well but she didn't say anything. Gabriel said she liked me though. So I think sister Kiara did as well. Otherwise she wouldn't come and visit me.
Captain Saoirse: You…sat in a room?
Captain Saoirse: Your companion claims you did not come here for violence reasons.
Susa-il: [Silent]
Captain Saoirse: It was seen that you did not disarm until requested by the human mage. Is she your superior?
Susa-il: [Silent.]
Berserker: And that is why I would never be caught dead in the presence of one who had such vile traits as that! If I were to even think that he was doing anything as foolish, I would have made it clear in no uncertain terms that he was a fool and that it would be in his best interests if he were to correct that mistaken behaviour immediately!
Captain Saoirse: Then you do not believe Schmidt to be attempting to lie in order to protect you?
Berserker: Him? Protect me?!
Captain Saoirse: Berserker took offence to the suggestion that you would diminish the extent of her involvement in the incident.
Schmidt: Am I allowed to do that? Wait, that's lying. That's bad. I wanted to go with Niamh, so it is my fault it happened. Is she alright?
Captain Saoirse: Niamh is not the concern at the moment.
Schmidt: But she is alright, isn't she?
Captain Saoirse: She is not currently in trouble, no.
Schmidt: That's a relief.
Captain Saoirse: And if presented with the opportunity to inform your companions of your current predicament, would you do so?
Ophelia: If I was presented with the chance to do so without compromising them, yes.
Captain Saoirse: And how would they respond?
Ophelia: They would defer to my judgement.
Captain Saoirse: And how would the Angel respond?
Ophelia: I…am not sure.
Captain Saoirse: I see.
Susa-il: You waste our time with this farce.
Captain Saoirse: Excuse me?
Susa-il: I know you will report this to your pagan lord. Do so and then we can be gone from this place and you might return to…whatever it is you do.
Captain Saoirse: This process shall take as long as is required and shall only be brought to the attention of the magistrates if-
Susa-il: [Suspect stands.] Then I shall bring it to their attention myself.
Captain Saoirse: You will desist and-
She raised a brow as she stared at the end of the report.
All of which detailed yet another violent altercation between Saoirse and the angel in question.
Slowly, she lowered the parchment down and thinned her lips, the beginnings of an amused smile played on her features.
As she expected.
They truly were the most interesting group of visitors she had seen in quite a while.