The empress's announcement about the prince's inheritance to the throne and engagement was a certain astonishment to witness. Odilia thought so as she followed Emiko through the pulsing group of guests as music hopped into a rhythmic jig. The crowd buzzed with newfound excitement as people wondered which lucky lady the prince would marry. Others followed the prince into a ring as drums found a beat and singers started to hum a new song. Emiko was leading Odilia into this ring with an assured grip of her fingers.

“Where are we going?” Odilia demanded although the answer was obvious, stopping just at the edge of the circle. Emiko was grinning, letting go of Odilia’s hand as she seemingly flew backwards before disappearing among the crowds. The sea of dancers were linking arms with strangers as they hopped in tune to the music. Odilia, having been abandoned by her friend, sighed, and clomped off towards the refreshments. The food banquet had been briskly abandoned by all the young, jolly, and able folks who wanted the chance to join the prince in a merry flow.

Sipping on cold tea, Odilia felt slight annoyance towards Emiko who’d been quick to abandon her. Emiko had however been acting weird ever since seeing Merlin standing next to the prince. Odilia didn’t blame her. She was also shocked at seeing Merlin wearing the uniform of a samurai and standing right besides the prince of all places! She’d assumed that he was working as a regular servant. Emiko must have felt worse at finding his secret in this way given the two had known each other for a long time.

Biting her lower lip, Odilia reluctantly inched back towards the dancing circle. Perhaps she was the one who had abandoned a hurting friend.

Odilia found Emiko not long after and squeezed in beside her.

“You’re to join?” Emiko was grinning as Odilia’s arm linked with hers. “You don’t look like the sort that likes to dance,” she added.

“You’re right,” Odilia agreed. “I don’t do things like this,” but she was smiling all the same.

An understanding fell between them as they let themselves be swept in the musician’s song.

“By’lyl the generous, agreed for some glow,” sang the singer.

Then the crowd joined with, “The boy lit a match, but he wanted some more!”

Odilia smiled back at Emiko’s bright face and mouthed along the words to a song everyone knew. It derived from a poem that came from a folk tale, the story of the great god By’lyl that fell to the wiles of a child. The child, according to legend, was the first Seihi to rule Kuroba and bring the nation to its current greatness. Hikizu village, the town surrounded by woodland is the supposed birthing place of the great man who liberated the people from the tyrant. Or so Odilia had learned from Father Mich’yl back at the Aketsuru shrine, the Temple of the Crane.

Suddenly, Emiko distractedly jerked her head back as if she’d spotted something. Odilia followed her gaze. Someone.

Merlin had passed by the opposite side of their circle. He walked briskly and didn’t seem to notice as Emiko wrestled out of the circle after him.

“Wait!” Odilia followed.

Emiko looked back at her friend who’d left the circle to follow her. “I need to talk to him alone.” Emiko’s eyes were round and quickly darted back towards the gates where Merlin disappeared before focussing back on Odilia. “Please?”

Odilia understood, Emiko wanted to find answers. From Merlin. Alone.

Odilia made a show by taking a step back. She pursed her lips into a thin smile and nodded her head.

Emiko turned and hurried after Merlin past the gates.

After much little thought, Odilia decided to follow Emiko on her excursion anyways. Of course, she did this discreetly without her friend knowing. After a few heartbeats, Odilia crept out through the gates and tucked under the shadows along the brick wall so that no other could see her. Clenching her energy into her center till her muscles and tendons felt like it may burst Odilia condensed her magic and let it go. Black feathers burst across her vision until she was once again, an eagle.

The Steller's sea eagle spread her wings and soared up into the sky that was slowly painting a dark orange glow. Much more time than Odilia had registered had passed at the party. She surged forwards, hoping she wouldn't lose sight of her friend. It didn’t take her long to find her target.

Emiko, she quickly spotted with her orange sunburst kimono, had caught up to Merlin. The two were on a path enshrouded by some trees that led into a forest. Odilia realized as she spiraled down to land in a tree, that it was the forest of By’lyl, the woods that connected Hikizu village and the city of Toukuhai, which were the two lands lorded by the Aketsuru daimyo.

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Odilia always walked the path of these woods with Erwin when returning to the small village from the capital. This was one of the few places they flew instead of traveling on foot because this side of the woods was thick and had no definite path.

By the time Odilia’s eagle form had settled close enough to hear, Merlin had left Emiko and hurried into the forest. Before Merlin’s departure, Emiko had her arms around Merlin’s sleeve. They were still raised in that tucked position and after six heartbeats, she dropped them with a deafening sigh. Then the girl fell to her knees and began to sob.

Odilia didn’t know what exactly made her friend cry, but she knew who. She wondered if she should show herself to her friend, revealing her broken promise and comfort her. Or she could go after Merlin to demand answers.

Odilia, whose first real friend was Emiko, didn’t know what it meant to break a promise. Not yet.

Odilia dropped to the ground and stood up in her kimono once more. She revealed herself.

“Will you tell me what’s wrong?” Odilia asked.

Emiko looked up with red, swollen eyes. “You followed.” It wasn’t a question. “Why should I tell you? You must know already since you followed.”

Odilia tilted her head to the side. “Did he break your heart? Va’ti said one shouldn’t fall so easily.”

Emiko’s tears just would not stop and Odilia was amazed at how much a person could cry because of a boy. Yet Odilia didn’t blame her since Emiko reminded her of her old self, when Odilia had no name and was called the Hakusei.

Odilia knelt to be face-to-face with her friend. What kind of man rejects a girl and just leaves her crying near the edge of a dark, deep forest? Merlin, apparently. Any respect she’d gained for the man had quickly dissipated.

Odilia sighed, her palms resting on her knees. “Would you like to tell me what’s wrong?”

Emiko wiped her eyes and stooped her shoulders so that her face now looked at the ground. “I want to be alone.” Her voice was barely a whisper and she then immediately stood and bolted back down the road. Odilia thought about following, but a sound called to her from the forest.

She heard one that was deadly. It was like that of a gunshot. Odilia didn’t remember the forest of By’lyl to have ever been open to hunters. It was a sanctuary due to its tie to the kingdom. Additionally, it was way too close to the village.

Panic gnawed at Odilia’s throat as she remembered that her new home was the first at the other end of the forest, and there the cranes would be exposed. Transforming back into an eagle at rapid speed, Odilia soared up to investigate the noise. Her golden eyes found a wounded animal before she spotted the hunter. It was a bloody carcass of a hare. Not a carcass. The rabbit was still alive and struggling to drag itself away from the approaching eagle.

Shhh…

Odilia fluttered her wings around the hare and prepared to transform back into a human so that she could treat the wounded animal. Instead, she felt the pain of metal tearing through tissue. Blinking yellow eyes, Odilia followed the scent of newshed blood to see a bullet lodged between her shoulder and wing. Footsteps came running. Panic renewed as Odilia realized her mistake. The hunter had seen her and used the rabbit as bait.

The eagle flapped one great white striped wing as she tried to escape her perpetrator. Pain flashed across her vision as she wobbled and made the attempt to regain balance. A frightened squawk of a bird escaped her beak as panic rose. She was Odilia Kennedy, adopted daughter to Erwin Kennedy. And she was a witch. She did not get caught. Not by a hunter.

The eagle lunged and shot through the air just before the hunter caught her in their net. Odilia didn’t know where she was going, but she was in the air and moving far from the perpetrator’s grasp. The momentum didn’t last long. Not even a minute later, Odilia felt wind whipping around all sides of her as pain shot through her shoulder like her right wing might rip off. She was falling. Then, as if by a miracle, she landed conscious, which meant she wasn’t dead. Still, it was bad because she could feel every painful nerve pulsing in agony.

Before Odilia could calm herself enough to swallow the agonizing pain, a human hand came down on her and picked her up. Odilia was too weak to fight back. With her eyes closed to the pain, Odilia fluttered her good wing and snapped at whoever had caught her. Odilia hoped that whoever caught her was no hunter and might set her free.

The human stroked her feathers and held down her wings. “Shhh…”

Odilia paused mid-struggle. She recognized that voice.

“Shhhh…” continued the familiar voice. Odilia cracked her eyes open. “You’re safe. You’re safe…” said Merlin.

Recognizing the one who’d made her friend cry, Odilia squawked angrily and struggled some more, flapping both wings in angry protest. The racket didn’t last long. Pain shot through her featherly form and temporarily paralyzed the eagle.

Merlin, on the other hand, was looking down at her with the deepest concern as windswept dark hair framed his handsome face. He’d clearly been running, his forehead was damp.

Odilia was too shocked at Merlin’s show of a delicate emotion to be afraid any longer. Her big eyes stared up at Merlin who cradled her like a newborn babe.

Merlin glanced at Odilia’s wing and winced. “That’s his highness’s new rifle for sure,” he said, referring to the empress’s hunting gift to the prince. Merlin gently set Odilia onto the soft mossy floor and tore a piece of fabric from his overcoat, wrapping it tight over her wound.

Odilia winced from the pain as he picked her back up. “I’ll treat your wing much nicer once I find his highness,” Merlin promised. “Until then, please bear with me.”

Odilia reluctantly dropped into his embrace. After all, it wasn’t like she had a choice. Did she?