Chapter 31

Queen of the Sky

Vlanca stood up, walking closely behind Katarina. Her breathing was deep and heavy as her legs tensed up with each step. Her closed fist tightened still, almost piercing through her palms. “I want to stay here,” she declared with a very low stiff voice. Though her cheeks and ears were blushing immensely, her eyes flashed in determination, even outshining the blazing sun above. “I want to stay here, granny,” she repeated.

Katarina spun, turning her head slowly. Neither a smile nor a grimace marked her face. She walked up closer to the girl and held her hand. Then her head slightly tilted to the side. A warm grin stretched her lips from ear to ear. “I never expected you’d say that again so soon, Vlanca.” She brushed her hair in delight. “I’m glad...”

The girl nodded several times. She was biting her lower lip, her eyes refusing to meet the old woman’s gaze. Saying the words had already sucked out all her social energy, and Katarina understood that. For now, they stood under the blazing heat while exchanging awkward yet genuine smiles.

They remained silent for a few seconds before Katarina shifted her right foot behind the other and briefly bowed. “Shall we start your training again, milady?”

A pinkish tinge, for the nth time, shaded Vlanca’s face. She hesitantly returned the gesture, almost biting her tongue. “Please, your ladyship… It’ll be my utmost pleasure.”

“Good…” Katarina let out an amused chuckle. “Wait for me here.”

Vlanca hadn’t even responded yet when dust arose from the ground. She keenly watched Katarina who stomped her feet and soared into the sky. With a timid smile on her lips, she whispered a genuine ‘thank you’ to the old woman as she disappeared behind the tall trees.

The dry wind blew on both her cheeks. Her smile widened. “This is the place for me,” she whispered under her breath. A foreign fullness filled her chest. She could feel an immense amount of vigor in her veins. She wanted to jump, to scream, and to run because it felt as though she’s going to burst. Unlike before, it wasn’t the feeling of extreme dread and despair that wanted to conjure the tears out of her eyes. She knew exactly what the sensation was, and she understood the reason - Vlanca found a new family and a place she could call her home.

However, just a few minutes later, the smile on her lips disappeared. Her cornea almost left their sockets. Seven massive beings in the sky were peeking down at her, their body enough to cover the small clearing in shadows.

“Just what are those?”

***

Katarina’s forehead crumpled slightly, her brows furrowed together as she stared at the empty forest below. There were no signs of beast activity in the area. The trees, grasses, and leaves remained still for the most part, except when the weak dry wind blew from the east. She immediately maneuvered and descended to the ground. She looked around, now more keenly. She walked through the vicinity slowly, the dry leaves rattling with each of her steps. “This is too strange… There’s not a single kordovash’halowey...”

Suddenly, loud noises of rapid, gushing, and approaching footsteps echoed. “What’s happening?” she muttered when she spotted several groups of copperish giant beetles racing in her direction. She immediately jumped to a tall tree and stood on its branch. She began chanting a spell, thinking that the kordovas would fly and attack her. Several more seconds and more wrinkles lined on her forehead, her brows couldn’t be any closer. She watched as the beast ran past her like they didn’t even notice her presence. “Just what in the world is happening?”

Not a second later, a dreadful realization struck her like lightning. The kordovas weren’t after her, they were simply running away. She gulped, staring at the direction where they came from. Her heartbeats rose as she stomped her feet at the branch and flew into the clear blue sky. And there it was, a small dark silhouette hovered over the small clearing where she left Vlanca.

Katarina sucked a mouthful breath and hurried back, her body moving like a bullet. A few seconds later and she witnessed a scene that almost popped off her temple. Her face flushed in utter rage. Six kordoveos barely fit themselves inside the clearing, and yet, they manage to make enough space for their distasteful game. They were tackling Vlanca with their heads, passing around the bruised and nearly unconscious girl like a ball.

Katarina deeply inhaled to contain her anger. Then she flicked her fingers, causing the girl to suddenly stop midair and go to her side, while the six five-meter black beetles paused, realizing her sudden appearance. Even the kordoza, the golden beetle that remained flying above them, cautiously watched her movements.

“Are you alright?” Katarina asked with solemn eyes, staring at the sorry state of the girl.

Vlanca nodded, though her painful groan immediately betrayed her response. One of the knights then jumped forward to pound on Katarina who had begun chanting a healing spell. Unfazed, the old woman clutched her staff and sent a massive blow on the giant beast. The impact caused her to slightly slide backward, while the knight was hurled away.

No one dared to attack her again as she healed Vlanca. Once done, she carried her under a tree and rested her head on its trunk.

“Will you defeat them, granny?”

Granny… Katarina’s heart stung when she heard it again. After all, it was her recklessness that led them here. However, she didn’t let it show. She smiled warmly at the girl and said, “Yes, so you stay here…”

“Can I help?”

"I see that you're determined to get stronger, Vlanca. I admire that.” Katarina gently patted her right shoulder. "However, as you are now, these opponents are way out of your league. I'm gonna take care of them, so don't move from here."

Vlanca nodded, not saying another word. And then for the second time that day, Vlanca carefully watched as Katarina turned her back against her to face the kordoza and the six kordoveos. Though this time, another brew of sensations filled her heart, both excitement and anxiety flared her eyes. It was the first time she saw her overly serious expression - her piercing gaze. It was entirely different from her usual severeness towards Arthur’s and Duliri’s mischiefs. The way her lips curved downward like a crescent moon and the way she gripped the lower end of her staff, Vlanca remembered it clearly. She gulped, her line of sight not leaving the old lady.

“I don't know what the Kordovan Queen and her knights are doing here. Metean Gowa should still be in effect so I wonder why it's not working on you. However…” Katarina arched forward, stomping her right leg. “I'll make you regret that you came out of your burrow.” Her expression turned grimmer still. “You’ll regret hurting someone dear to me.”

Katarina was about to launch an attack when the Queen spoke, “Regret, you say?” She laughed. “Humans surely love overestimating themselves.”

Katarina grimaced and raised a brow.

And then there was silence for a moment before the knights began to move. Three flew into the sky, sending thick layers of dust on their wake, while the other three scattered themselves in the clearing. Soon afterward, the queen landed on the ground. Dust rose again as the sound of her flapping wings faded.

“You looked surprised, human,” the queen talked again. “However, you should know that a beast learning how to use wave magic to speak is by no means special. Even my knights learned to do that…” She raised her head a little and looked at each one of the kordoveos. “Don’t you?”

“Yes, your highness!” All of them responded in unison.

“See?”

Katarina snorted, much to the queen's dismay. “Make no mistake, your royal highness…” she said mockingly. “It’s true that learning sound magic is easy. However, I'm simply surprised to know that kordovas have sufficient intelligence to learn the human tongue. I thought that beasts like yourselves are merely good at mimicking human sounds to lure your prey, but your highness proved otherwise.”

“Your insolence is rather amusing…” She laughed again. “Now, I wonder how long can you talk to me that way…”

“I’m afraid that I should be the one saying that, your highness…”

“My Royal knights!” She called, her voice filled with rage. “Kill this impertinent woman! Do not use your wings! Show this human that even if you’re holding back, you could kill her!”

By her order, the queen flew again while her three knights landed. Then without a breath, all the kordoveos scratched the ground, sending thick layers of dust in the air to shroud their movements. Katarina, in response, kicked her right foot and flew into the sky while chanting. To her surprise, one of them managed to sneak behind her and aimed to stab her heart with its horn. Katarina parried the attack with her staff, the impact causing the kordoveo to fall. A loud crashing sound echoed but the kordoveo just stood back up, unscratched, after a second.

“Do your knights have time to be holding back?” She slowly shook her head, sending a taunting gaze to the kordoveos. “Well, that’s a smart choice. After all, the sky is my domain. Try to fly, and I shall pluck all your wings.” She let out a mocking laugh before her expression turned dark again, her eyes set on the queen. “Shall I start with you… your highness?”

The queen didn’t reply, instead, she ordered her knights to attack the old woman again. Two kordoveos scratched the ground, then they lurched upward, propelling their momentum by enveloping their lower bodies with swirling winds. However, even with dust all around, the sound they produced and their sheer sizes were massive giveaways. Katarina knew where they’d come from and where they were going. With little to no effort, she elegantly tilted and moved to the side to dodge the attacks. Before one of the attackers began to fall, she rushed to its side and pounded it upward to send it higher into the blue. Then she soared after it and smacked it again with her staff, causing it to fall at tremendous speed. With that height, all of them knew that if the kordoveo still refused to open its wings and fly, it would die to its own weight once it crashed on the ground. Left with no choice, the kordoveo chose to live and soared back into the sky to attack the old lady. Its actions prompted the others to also fly after Katarina.

“You were the first human I saw who can fly. So you left me with no choice…” The queen feigned an amused tone. “But are you sure you want to face my knights in the air? You wishing for your demise?”

A smile bent Katarina's lips, her eyes slightly squinting. The queen, and even Vlanca, who barely saw everything because of the distance, suddenly felt a chilling sensation running down on their bodies upon seeing her expression. They both realized how confident the old woman was, and as though she was aiming for it all along.

Katarina lifted her staff. “Peloryo'Mesudna'alare!” she declared, and not a second later, all the kordoveos and the kordoza experienced a massive force pulling them back on the ground. They tried to fight it back, seeing countless numbers of large sharp spikes emerging in the clearing. They flapped their wings at great speeds in desperation. Yet in the end, with their massive weight and the quadrupled pull of gravity, all their efforts fell short.

Loud crashing and piercing sound resonated across the forest, accompanied by harrowing shrieks. The enchanted spikes pierced through their carapace like a fragile glass. The pungent smell spread in the air as their organs and green blood showered all over the clearing.

Vlanca, who saw everything in clear detail, never blinked. She watched everything, both in awe and horror. Her jaw dropped at the sight. And to her surprise, the queen remained unscratched. It remained standing to where she fell, the only space in the clearing without spikes. Still, the queen never moved, her six legs shaking.

“Cosana'Sherisque!” Katarina declared. Then a massive fire blasted from her hand, it's bright gleam dying the whole area in a reddish hue. The queen spread its wings to fly and dodge the projectile, but she remained pinned on the ground. Closing her eyes in anticipation, she immediately shut her wings again and poured all her mana throughout her body to protect herself.

What followed was a more alarming shriek than before that even other beasts from afar ran away in desperation when they heard it. Several more seconds and Katarina descended beside the queen. “I see, you survived…” She flicked her fingers and the effect of her gravity spell was lifted. “Do you still wish to continue this needless fight? Or will you leave silently? Make your choice.”

“I shall leave immediately, human, since I only came here for one reason… Fighting you simply happened on impulse.”

Katarina raised a brow. "What are you trying to say?"

The kordoza laughed, though a numbing pain still marked her voice. “A man came into my nest a while ago and this is what he said, ‘An old woman shall come into the clearing close to your nest. Tell her that if she wanted to save the boy, then make haste and return home before it’s too late.’”

Katarina gasped, her eyes widened. “Is it a red-haired man?”

“How did you know?” The queen feigned another laugh though she immediately stopped when the old woman sent her a severe stare.

“Did he cast an unknown spell on you and your knights?”

“Yes-”

Katarina gasped yet again. A foreboding sensation dawned upon her as her knees began to tremble. It all made sense now. The reason why Metean Gowa didn’t work. And then she suddenly felt a portion of her mana disappeared without a trace.

“There’s still time…” she mumbled. Several more seconds and she began casting a healing spell on the kordoza.

“What are you doing, human?”

She didn't answer, instead, she pointed at Vlanca. “Take that girl and follow me.”

“Don't order-”

“Don't make me repeat, myself,” she said with a sharp voice. “I'm warning you…”

With a heavy heart, the queen took Vlanca on her back. Katarina then stomped her right leg and flew into the sky at her top speed. “Please, Arthur, be alright,” she whispered to herself, barely containing the anxiety and the seething rage in her chest, while the kordovan queen barely kept up with her.