Blue.

The sky is a blue so faded that it almost appears gray, its clouds fat with acidic precipitation waiting for release. Kolino hates the mortal realm. The thought of traveling here had once filled him with a soft childlike glee, but he’s seen so much of it now that it makes him sick. The waters are polluted with man-made garbage, the woodlands trampled to make space for neon shopping centers and tar roads. The skies darken with each passing day, smog fogging up the heavens. And one would need years of time if they wanted to listen to his thoughts on humans.

Of course, there are some things that he does enjoy. Though harmful, their technology is indeed useful. That’s how his group has found themselves in this small village. A few minutes of internet research, conducted by Daz, led them to this microscopic community that sits just on the boundary of the northern South African border. After touching base, all it took was a bit of charm and time on their part to gather the rest of their information.

From his right, Sonya’s tall form approaches them. Her brown eyes are bright, and her tan cheeks are red. She’s a fan of the southern regions of the human realm, claiming they remind her the most of home. Upon reaching her partners, she nods, her hands going to rest on her hips. “It’s the same. The women spoke of an enchantress living just off the cusp of the village. They said if you leave a bundle of wild malva at her door she will grant you a charm or cure you of your ailments.” Kolino and Daz had heard the same.

The raven had already picked up a bundle for them to deliver to the enchantress’ doorstep. “Anything else about where in particular we can find her home?” Daz asks, wiping the sweat building on his sharp brows.

Sonya nods again, tucking a bit of her frizzy hair behind her ear. “They spoke of an abandoned well about six meters north of the village entrance. Said to follow the trodden path for about twenty meters and the way to her home should become clear.” Kolino nods beneath his mask, motioning for the woman to lead the way.

Even he can admit that Sonya’s tracking skills are more refined than his own, especially with his tongue covered and unable to taste or smell the air. Before long, they pass the well that she had spoken of, the ground around it is cracked and dry, as if every bit of life has been sucked out of it. His eyes wander to the sky again, Daz takes notice.

“Scared of a little rain, Kai?” He doesn’t bother with a response. Kai has little fear of anything. But he knows what awaits him when the earth drowns in the sky’s tears. It is anticipation that fills him, not fear.

Sonya suddenly stops, her head raising so that her nose points upward. “Does anyone smell that?” Kai pulls down his mask, his tongue slithering out of his mouth to taste the air. It’s… bitter. Sonya’s ear twitches, her entire body stilling. Kai watches, knowing from the tensing of her leg that she’s about to start running. Her foot digs into the dry ground just before she takes off in a sprint.

Looking both ways, Daz shifts in a flurry of dark feathers and shadows, leaving his clothes and his backpack in his place. Kai sighs, grabbing the bundle before he too takes off into a sprint. He follows the scent in the air, but it isn’t until the distance begins to narrow that he realizes what it is that smells so bitter.

It’s fire.

Orange blazing flames wrapped in clouds of thick gray smoke claim the front of a quaint home. The screams die down to rough coughs as whoever is stuck within the building begins to succumb to the effects of the smoke. Daz shifts beside Kai, his round black eyes enraptured with the living inferno. “Search the area,” Kai orders. With the height of these flames, there’s no possible way that an accelerator wasn’t used.

He leaves Daz to his orders, stripping himself of his own backpack. Just as he’s about to rush into the fire, entirely unprepared, the flames rush inwards, as if following some bowling object. “Kai! Kai! I’ve got her!” He follows the sound of Sonya’s impassioned cries and finds her crouched over a small figure, the picture of a lioness protecting her cub. Her chest rises and falls heavily, soot and the scent of burnt wood coating her.

Her large hands press against both sides of the girl’s face. “She isn’t breathing, what do I do?!” A whine falls from the back of her throat as Kai crouches down next to them.

“Pump her chest,” Kai instructs, pulling her hands down to where they need to be. Sonya has the heart for heroics, but panic has always been quick to claim her when things don’t go as planned. So Kai guides her. “Bump, bump, bump. Just like that. Now lend her your breath.” He stands, his eyes scanning the sky. The enchantress will be no great loss. If she dies, he will simply move onto the next one, as he always has.

“Again,” He calls out as he turns back to the fire. There’s something off about it. It’s as if the flames have been trapped in a container. Though they react to the winds, their wisps don’t quite stretch past a certain point. He sticks out his hand, certain that he’s going to feel his palm burn, but all he gets is a phantom’s kiss.

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Strange.

A gasp fills the space behind him. Turning, he finds Sonya staring down at the girl, her tears have cleared paths down her cheeks. With groggy blue eyes, the enchantress looks around. Her light brown skin is darkened with both soot and burns that are sure to leave scars. The tips of her dark hair have frizzed with heat damage. But other than those few cosmetic imperfections, she looks to be in perfect condition.

A yip falls from her cracked lips as Sonya pulls her into a hug.

Daz returns, his eyes watching the woman be nearly smothered by Sonya’s chest. He shifts mid-air and shakes his head. “There was nothing. No tracks, no smell, no blood. I’m not sure who did this.” Kai waves him away, his eyes trained on the enchantress. She isn’t much to look at. He wonders how her charms work.

Coughing, she finally frees herself from Sonya’s grasp, a feat not easily accomplished. She blinks, clearing her eyes, then her hand suddenly raises. “Excuse me, thank you for the help, but I don’t think I can pay you.” She speaks Afrikaans in a much deeper voice than Kai expected. She also pays little attention to the lioness that still paws at her waist, enamored, as she waves towards her steadily burning home. “Everything I owned was in that house.” Her brows, thick lines of worry, pull together in an expression that mirrors grief.

Again, Kai waves his hand, his eyes forming a smile. “Nonsense. All we need is you.”

Her blinking pauses. “Excuse me?”

“Pick her up, Sonya. She looks like a runner,” He orders in Ans. In a blink, Sonya stands, her eyes clear once again. She wraps her arms around the girl and lifts her onto her shoulder as if she weighs little more than a small pebble. The enchantress kicks, her energy returning to her in her moment of panic.

She cries out for Sonya to let her down, bargains for her freedom in exchange for charms, then begins to threaten the small group with legal action. All the while, Kai continues to watch the flames. He wonders when they’ll die down. When nothing remains but ash? When the rain falls?

It’s Daz that actually attempts to sooth the woman. “Hey, hey! We aren’t here to hurt you, promise!” He throws out his pinky finger, and for a moment, she stills. Then her smooth features transform into something quite heinous. Lines and pulsing veins make an appearance all along her skin. She reddens like an explosive. If Kolino hadn’t been raised around reptile anthromos, he’s sure the sight of her anger might have put a little tremble in his boots. Unfortunately for her, this isn’t the case.

And even more unfortunate is that Kolino has little patience for whining wriggling creatures. In fact, they make him rather hungry. Annoyed, he turns, his bottom jaw stretching away from his top as a low hiss leaves him. The enchantress gasps, her hands clenching around Sonya’s arms and her eyes widening. “Oh fuck! What is that?!” She attempts to pull away from the she-lion as she gags. “Oh god,” One of her hands goes to her mouth. “That’s disgusting.” She gags again. “Are those tendrils of saliva just hanging from your teeth?” She dry heaves.

Daz bursts into a series of dry cackles, his smoothed hair falling from formation as he bends at the stomach. Kai’s tongue stops slithering, his brows now furrowed as his hand goes to his mouth. No woman has ever mocked his appearance, though he does typically surround himself with other anthromos. What she pointed out is Kai’s venom, and he knows that it’s natural, but he still can’t stop himself from wondering if he really did look that disgusting in that moment.

When she stops gagging, the girl says, “Look, I’ll go with you, just put me down.” Brows raise. No one believes her. “Oh come on! I know I’m not normal and I’ve read enough fantasy novels know that this was going to happen at some point. ‘Magical girl taken from the mortal realm to study in a magical school’ is fantasy trope number one. I’m conceited, but not enough to believe I’m the only strange thing on earth.” Kai’s nostrils flair as Daz and Sonya look to him.

He shrugs. If she runs, all they have to do is track her. Kolino almost wants her to, it’s been a while since they’ve encountered a runner. “Be wary, enchantress. At the first sign of flight, I will act.” He watches as her eyes roll.

Patting down her long skirts after returning to the ground, she sighs. “Ashia. Enchantress is a mouth full, please call me Ashia. I’m not even sure when people started calling me that.” Sonya laughs, her heavy arm coming down to rest on the little woman’s shoulder. Ashia’s knees almost buckle.

Sonya’s smile is warm as she pets the girl’s hair. “I hope you’re of mammal descent. It’s been years since we’ve found one in the mortal realm.” Kolino blinks curling black edges away from his vision, confused by the impairment.

Daz coughs. “What? We pick up a wolf or five every few months.” Sonya shushes him, insisting that wolves don’t count, as they’re so populous. Bringing his hand up to his neck, Kolino stills as a warmth fills him. His friend squawks as he runs into his back. “Kai?” He taps his shoulder. “Kai.”

He drops to his knees, dust rising around him. Heart pounding against his ribs in a steady, bump bump bump, Kai’s vision darkens until he can no longer see. His arms pinwheel as the sensation of his legs is replaced by the familiar feeling of his tail.

His mouth locks, trapping noise, as fire travels from the base of his head all the way down to the tip of his tail. Fingers burn. Ears ring. Fangs ache as part of his tail writhes along the ground, his companions forced to fall back as it whips through the air.

In the span of five seconds, he’s been immobilized, and in two more, all his senses return to him.

Kolino gasps as his eyesight returns, his breath yet to stabilize. Glad that his tail disappeared on its own, he sits up, anticipation filling him once again. He knows what’s about to happen. “Kai, what th-”

His phone rings, and he has no need for the caller ID. Kai swallows. “Rinold,” He answers as a deep throbbing encases his fangs.

There’s a sigh on the other end. The voice that greets Kai’s ears is cold and dry. “I do wish I didn’t have to disclose this over the phone.” Rinold Winger is a fifty-three-year-old viper. He doesn’t wish for anything anymore. “It is unfortunate to say, but Grand Naga Kubin was found dead in his bed this morning. His fangs have just been pulled, for everyone’s safety. It would be best if you return to the den.”

Kai nods despite the fact that Naga Winger can’t see him. “We should arrive in less than a day.” The overseer hangs up without another word, leaving Kai to stew in the news.

His father is dead.