A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

As Elora sat in her corner, feigning boredom, her thoughts raced. She sought an opportunity to glean some information, especially about where they learned to make armbands like the one they made her wear.

Meanwhile, Katya was feeling the boredom of a long flight over the ocean and decided to strike up a conversation with Elora.

The fairy suddenly heard the headphones they had pushed on her head start crackling before Katya's voice came through.

"Hey, kid. It's a little boring up here, so I figured I might as well have a conversation with you. I've isolated our channel so we can talk in private."

Like most helicopters, normal conversations were impossible because of the deafening noise. So they often used headphones and mics to talk, even if they were right next to each other.

Katya continued, "Elora was your name, correct? It's exotic. I think you're the first person I've met with that name. Your looks are quite special as well. Did you find a stash of hair dye somewhere, or is that actually your natural colour?"

Clearly, Katya was making a clumsy attempt at getting closer to Elora for some reason.

Elora almost burst out laughing at being called kid but barely kept it in as she realised she had to keep up the act of a simple girl.

She scoffed as she spoke into the mic connected to her headphones, "What's it to you, you brute of a woman?"

Katya chuckled, "Now, now. There's no need for name-calling. You and I will be spending a lot of time together in the future. We might as well get to know each other a little."

But Elora just scoffed again as she made sure to infuse plenty of fury in her voice, "Why would I want to get to know someone who hurt my beloved?"

She wasn't actually angry about that. She knew Erik liked to fight, so why would she be angry at the woman who gave her beloved partner some entertainment?

Katya sighed, apparently getting a headache from dealing with this woman, "Come on, Elora. If you love that man so much, surely you know he enjoys fighting? He wanted that just as much as me!"

Elora pouted, "Well, he shouldn't enjoy it so much! I hate when he gets hurt and puts himself in danger!"

Seeing an opening, Katya pounced, "I understand, but you know he loves you, right? He's just trying to protect you. Is it so bad if he enjoys it, too?"

From here, Katya attempted to delve deeper into their past but was clearly not a skilled interrogator, as Elora easily guided the conversation while quickly realising Katya's goal: finding out more about her sigils.

Pretending to be engrossed in her conversation about Erik, she gradually shifted to the topic of trading in personal information, like two gossiping girlfriends. Naturally, any information Elora offered up was entirely false.

Katya noticed nothing. Partly because she wasn't very skilled in this and partly because Elora's fake persona of a simple, slightly naive woman was easily underestimated. In fact, she even thought she had the upper hand and willingly agreed to the exchange.

Elora wasn't particularly interested in Katya's personal life but had to work up to the information she wanted. Yet, she also knew she didn't have much time left, so she had to hurry.

During the conversation, Elora quickly realised this woman was even more of a fighting fanatic than Erik was. There simply wasn't anything else she talked about.

The only thing she found to be at least mildly interesting was that Katya did not have a husband. When Elora asked why, the woman simply avoided the subject, sounding a little sad. Elora was curious but not enough to continue asking about it, so she dropped the issue.

Instead, she finally asked the question she had been wondering about most of all.

Her voice sounded like she was talking to her best friend in a conspiratory manner, "So tell me, Katya, how exactly did you and others get such a big lead on the rest of us? My beloved Erik was always curious about that!"

The iron sentinel hesitated. She had yet to get the answers she wanted from Elora, but her guard regarding this seemingly simple woman was quite far down. The possibility of Elora deceiving her didn't even come to her.

Elora deserved a reward for her acting skills.

Katya also knew she had yet to learn anything about Elora's sigils and figured she might as well be the first one to open up a little.

So, she spilled some of the beans with a conspiratory smirk, "Let's just say not everyone was as surprised about aetherium's reappearance."

Elora immediately curled her pretty lips into a grin, "Reappearance? Surely you're not suggesting aetherium was here before?!"

Katya cursed under her breath. Perhaps she had said too much? But then she shrugged. She never understood why the others wanted to keep all this a secret anyway. "Well, that's how the story goes."

Elora quickly continued on the topic, "So you managed to get ahead just through prior knowledge, or was there something more? "

Katya had already formed a strong image of Elora in her mind, so she didn't realise Elora's questions had become more pointed and intelligent.

Yet, the reason for their head start was a bigger secret than just the knowledge that aetherium had been here before. She decided to remain vague, "I suppose you could say there was something more."

She quickly changed the topic to what she wanted to know about, "Anyway, this was supposed to be an exchange of information, right? So, since I shared a secret with you, how about you share a secret with me? Like how you got your sigils?"

Elora chuckled inwardly at this woman's clumsy attempts at interrogation. Subtlety was supposed to be the game, but clearly, Katya was a blunt woman. So Elora said in a whiny tone, "Awww, but now you just made me curious about the something more!"

Katya sighed. Dealing with this woman gave her a headache. She shortly considered simply telling her a little more, but that might truly land her in hot water if anyone found out. Besides, she had more than enough time to get the truth out of Elora.

She wasn't in a hurry anyway, just bored.

So she shook her head, "Sorry, kid. That's a little too secret."

Elora sighed in response, "Oh well. I suppose my time here is about up anyway."

It had now been more than two hours since they departed London in the direction of Germany, which meant they had travelled about 300 kilometres.

Meanwhile, Erik and his boat travelled in the opposite direction, so the distance their connection had to stretch was becoming exponentially larger and would soon reach its breaking point.

Katya frowned as she got a bad feeling, "What are you talking about, kid?"

Hearing Katya call her a kid again made Elora chuckle, "I know I'm a little small and look young, but I assure you, I have experienced more than you could imagine. I'll have to consider an appropriate punishment for calling me a kid."

She sighed exaggeratedly, "But that's fine. I have time until we meet again."

Those words made Katya go on high alert. She quickly put the helicopter on autopilot and unbuckled herself while tuning her radio to Seraphina's headphones, "Sera! What is that girl doing right now?! Grab her!"

The response was immediate and confused, "Huh? Uh, she's not doing anything, boss. Just sitting there. She has a weird smile on her face, though."

Seraphina had to do her utmost to keep a convincing face. She had a hunch about what was going to happen next. Luckily, Katya was too preoccupied to notice anything wrong.

Seraphina grabbed Elora's shoulder like Katya asked, but only because she didn't think it would matter. Everyone else in the helicopter, who had heard nothing of this entire conversation, was naturally confused about Katya's behaviour.

Meanwhile, Elora's teasing voice sounded again, "You underestimated the connection between my love and me. It is a connection governed by natural laws more powerful than either of us."

She looked at the bracelet around her wrist, "Certainly more powerful than this thing."

She shrugged, unwilling to leave without throwing in another insult, "But what can you do? The brain isn't a muscle, after all."

Katya noticed the complete departure of Elora's previously whiny and gossipy manner. She finally finished unbuckling and turned around, but the last thing she saw was Elora's teasing smile as the woman suddenly exploded in a wave of light.

******

Meanwhile, a few hundred kilometres away on a certain sailboat, a man was sleeping on a luxurious bed with a beautiful woman in bondage next to him.

Suddenly, the man opened his eyes and smiled warmly before stretching his arms to the side as if welcoming someone into a hug.

Not two seconds later, a bright flash of light appeared, and with it, a groaning but unconscious Elora. She seemed to be in pain and shivered a little.

Erik quickly encircled her with his arms while caressing her crimson-red hair as if to soothe her. "It's okay, now, my wicked little ember. You're home with me again."