Headed by a Snake

Zashleigh Yates turned to Junior Witch Heartsong.

The girl's eyes were the most striking blue she'd ever seen.

--and she was the perfect picture of tranquility.

Zash, herself, was able to keep her nerves on her first mission-- not that it was an easy task.

There was something haunting about Heartsong's quiet gaze over the broken city, pockmarked by witchbolts and dragonfire.

Maybe it was an Elven thing?

Heartsong gave a gentle shake of her head, "Still, no response-- not from the Command Tent, nor from any other flights"

Zashleigh nodded quietly... "We'll try again in 20..."

"And... then what?" Asked Dessi, her voice oddly quiet.

...It was a good question, but not one that Zash wanted to hear.

She was highly reluctant to leave the area. Their elevated position made it easier to identify potential threats. Also, a rescue team traveling by broom could see them pretty easily.

For defenses, Heartsong had set up a magical alarm system and two of the other girls were keeping watch while tapping into an empowering set of hastily-made formations.

Zash thought they were done for when the purple dragon's patrol path neared their location. But, somehow... they weren't discovered-- something that she thanked the heavens for.

Ultimately, though... Zeta Squad needed to move.

What Zash *really* wanted was to withdraw to safety.

Dragons were involved!

But... logically... there wasn't a good reason to do so. Though Lane and Barnes were injured, the rest of the girls were in good condition. All of their wands and staves and potions were practically untouched.

Then... the enemy had no idea that there was a highly-trained squad of highly motivated individuals aiming to take down their city's defenses from inside.

A rescue team to evacuate the casualties would have been ideal... but with Comms cut, Zash had to make a difficult decision.

What would she do about Lane and Barnes? Take them with? Assign some girls to watch over them? Leave them behind?

Lane started to cough-- a round of wet, very-concerning coughs. Poor Dessi looked like her heart had broken thrice over, but she reached for her water jug and poured a cup for her friend.

"Drink. And try to keep it down. It's not a good idea to drink the local stuff. I heard the water in Making was *spicy*... whatever that means."

Heartsong helped Lane sit up and the girl accepted the cup with a ginger smile.

"Hey... y'think... it's true?" Lane asked.

"Water can't be spicy." Zash answered.

Lane rolled her eyes before coughing lightly, "Not that. I mean... what they said before."

"If you're trying to live forever," Heartsong answered. "I heard that Senior Gilchrist took Necronomics last semester."

"Yeah... about that," Dessi frowned.

"She failed," Lane giggled. "I was her... study partner."

Zash furrowed her brows, "How could you fail *Necronomics?*"

"It was *Advanced Necronomics,*" Dessi argued.

"That's not a thing."

Heartsong wiped Lane's mouth with a cloth-- displaying a gentleness that Zash had not seen before that moment.

"Thank you... Coraline," Lane whispered. "Your mana... is nice. It's... warm."

"My familiar is worried about you. We both want you to survive this," Smiled Heartsong.

"Funny," Lane smirked. "I feel the-- erghh... the same."

Heartsong had a familiar? The girl had never mentioned it.

Zash furrowed her brows, realizing that she didn't know much, at all, about her squad's newest member.

"What were you talking about before?" Heartsong asked, "Is what true?"

Lane laid her head back down on her pack before responding, "The enemy... they said that Sol Invictus was pushed back at Griffonclaw."

"That's just propaganda," Zash growled. "The leader of the current Sol Invictus is someone with the Warlord Class. With as rare as that Class is, the war's pretty much ours to win."

Heartsong's face twisted, deep in thought.

"It hasn't even been a week since we started our ops," She said, "And that guy made it all the way to Griffonclaw? He's insane...."

"Really, Heartsong?" Zash scoffed. "You make it sound like you know the Commander personally."

"Kihihi... Watch it, newbie," Dessi laughed. "Zash has, like, the *biggest* crush on Sol Invictus."

"I *respect* the Commander and his achievements," Zash interjected. "He's a goal to pursue and surpass-- *not* a schoolgirl crush."

"The Commander," Said Lane, coughing lightly-- "He... has to be crazy. The rumors say... the dragons have Domination Mages."

"Propaganda again," Zash rolled her eyes. "I know it seemed weird that Making and a bunch of other places started flying dragon-flags only recently... but Domination Mages are even rarer than Warlords. Not even the Sapphire Tower has any."

"But if it's true," Lane frowned, "then tactics don't matter. How can... you fight a war... if, at any moment, your leadership could get mind-controlled?"

"Domination Magic has a few more steps than that," Heartsong assured her.

She pointed at one of her earrings, "And we have the technology to prevent that sort of thing."

"...Ehhhh?" Lane's face scrunched up to an ugly pout, "Is that a lie?"

"WhaaAt? It's not," Heartsong said with a soft laugh, "These earrings resist Domination-type Spells. Why would you even question that?"

"Aha!" Dessi turned to Zash, looking pleased with herself. "Squad leader, I have something to report."

"Huh?" Zash raised her eyebrows "Alright? Go ahead."

"I think Lane's questioning the newbie because she's a traitorous, mind-controlled wench!"

"W-wench?" Lane began to laugh and cough simultaneously-- smiling but in great pain, "Who even says that?"

Soft chuckles went all around. It was a tiny pocket of happiness, considering that the world continued to burn all around them.

"I'm... sorry for hiding it from you," Lane said, bowing her head. "The truth... is... I'm transferring to Evocs."

"We'll be glad to have you," Heartsong said. "We need more Witches that excel at close-quarter combat."

"Not funny!" Dessi said with an adorably panicked face, "That's not funny, at all! Don't you dare leave me, Lane!"

"Can't!" Lane laughed, "I need a moment of silence, first."

A sudden rush of cool wind washed over the area. Zash subconsciously reached for her sword... but she soon recognized the familiar mana.

It was one of her squad members.

Everyone was still safe.

They didn't have to move... not just yet.

A pale-skinned, dark-haired elf appeared in a swirl of wind and a luminant shower of frost. She took off her hat, placing it over her heart before rendering a bow filled with otherworldly grace.

"(Greetings, Sisters)" Selvia said in Elven.

It was a single, beautiful phrase, but it calmed Zashleigh's heart to no end.

Sisters.

Nevermind her blood relations. Her squad-- her flight... these girls were the family members she chose to love and care for.

"Um, yeah-- in Common, please?" Dessi said with a pout.

"She said 'hello,'" Heartsong groaned. "Wait-- do you really not know basic Elven? Elves make up like 50% of the population in Archangel."

Dessi seemed to shrink underneath her hat... "Is it... moshi moshi?"

Selvia laughed before flawlessly switching to the common tongue.

"What're y'all gigglin' for?" She asked, "The girls guardin' the front say they's about bored to death, by the way."

Selvia Whisperwind was an absolute treasure to work with. Though she wasn't the tallest girl in the squad-- or even the tallest elf, she had the most presence. Wherever she went there were always hugs, laughter, and lifted spirits.

"Nevermind that, Selvia," Zash smiled. "Tell me, what have your Elven eyes seen?"

Selvia was also the best Scout in the Sapphire Tower. That's how important Zash's mission was. Everyone knew that... so everyone shut their mouths and leaned in, waiting on what she had to report.

"Well, I can tell you what my Elven ears've heard," Selvia replied. "Plain, flat-out racism."

"Yeap, mhm," Zash nodded. "And you can report me to the higher-ups *after* we get back. Now what did you get out there?"

"I got f*cked up-- s'what I got! Bwehh~" Selvia groaned. She sat down cross-legged where she stood, tossing her hat aside. Then, she untied her cloak, revealing a crossbow bolt lodged in her left shoulder, jutting out the back.

"That's... that's impossible," Heartsong exclaimed. "Was the bolt... enchanted?"

"That's what I was thinkin'," Selvia said, gritting her teeth. "Metal-Rank humie. Big, ugly mug... and with him was a big feller I'm just gonna call Purple McPurpleface. Long story short: I high-tailed it out of there, quick as I could."

"The purple dragon's patrolling near this area too," Heartsong replied. "Thankfully, Dessi's ⌈Stealth Bubble⌋ has been effective."

"Well, of course," Dessi sneered. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because," Heartsong sighed, "I'd expect a mythical *dragon* to be able to sense the mana of an overpowered Metal-Rank squad like ours-- but the one we saw did not"

...The girl made a good point, but it was something that Zashleigh did not want to think about.

"Selvia."

"So, Zash," The elf said... "I've got good news and-- well... kinda-bad news."

"...Lay it on us."

"The good news is we have a Flight Mage, now. Saw a flight of pointy-hats movin' independent of their brooms and *not* goin' splat."

That... was interesting. That potentially improved the survivability of all the flights currently skyborne.

"And what's the bad news?" Asked a solemn Heartsong.