Chapter 96: Angels: The Regathering

Meanwhile, across the kingdom…

“I would say I’m glad to see you,” Sabira Beneste jabbed her finger across the table, “but I honestly just want to smack your face in with a baton. You’re paying for dessert today. And for the next ten times.”

Ennanis met Sabira at a Sugarette Inn in the south of Archizoun. The tangerine-haired angel brigadier was stuffing her face somewhat angrily with chocolate fudge. But only somewhat, because the fudge was fantastic, and the dessert connoisseur could scarcely contain her appreciation.

“Good Prometheus, this is such amazing fudge. I didn’t know that they had a Sugarette Inn in this part of town! But still, don’t think I forgot how many times I had to call you just for you to pick up. And do you have any idea how long it took for me to contact everyone after you dismantled us back at Wataron?!?! Do you think any of this is easy? I have my own missions too, you know? I gave up on a big commission just to be here… Mmm, this is delicious, though.”

They were waiting on the rest of the squadron that Ennanis had asked Sabira to gather. The angels had reserved out the entire second floor of the inn for their meeting. This was the taskforce that Derrick had assigned to Ennanis at the beginning of the Kraken mission—the taskforce that Ennanis had left behind in the dust all too soon, choosing to join Jemi and her Beasts instead.

“I’ll pay for dessert for as long as my coinpouch allows it,” Ennanis told Sabira.

“You don’t do missions anymore, do you?” Sabira waved her fork. “Where are you getting the money from?”

“Jemi gave me an allowance.”

“...Who?” Sabira swallowed. Then realisation dawned in her blue eyes. “Oh- is that your human?”

Just then, the doorbell downstairs chimed. They were here.

Ennanis cast a sidewards glance. “...I’ll tell you more later.”

Together with Sabira, Ennanis headed down the stairs to greet the door. The first one there was an angel with medium-length brown hair and an easygoing smile. Derrick Truwing, current Commander of the Knights Division, and an old friend. It was with his authority that the inn could be reserved out for them on such short notice.

“Commander Truwing, it’s good to see you,” Ennanis shook his hand.

The angel laughed. “Ennanis, please, no need for the formalities.”

“Thanks for taking out the time, anyway,” Ennanis said. “How have you been? Am I keeping you away from a mission, too?”

“Not really, honestly,” Derrick replied. “With Chief Marshal Atlas still gone, we haven’t been getting many new missions. We’re just doing odd jobs and organising drills for the younger ones.”

“Hmm,” Ennanis considered. “He’s still missing?”

“Yeah. We thought he was on leave, but now we’re not so sure.”

A look passed over Ennanis’ eyes. “We’ll discuss it later.”

The rest of the soldiers entered the inn after him. Among them were quite a few familiar faces:

Lys Perennia, who had once enthusiastically volunteered to be in the squadron, and her comrade Agnar Perennia, who had great distaste for greybelts and thus disdain for Ennanis, but had followed along in order to protect her.

Most surprisingly, though… Ulysses. A bridgadier, and Ennanis’ former disciple, that had left on bad terms. They had neither seen nor spoken to each other since. He was the last in the line. When he saw Ennanis, the blue-haired angel’s face pinched, and he tried to avoid her gaze. Ennanis’ eyes fell on him as well. Neither had forgotten the last time they had seen the other: in that embarrassing physical altercation at Wataron’s Soul Ball.

“...I didn’t expect to see you here,” Ennanis began.

His plan of pretending not to notice her foiled, Ulysses finally looked at her. A positively awkward tension ignited in the air. Several glanced back at them with nosy gazes.

“Well, I’m here,” the Brigadier said curtly. Then he passed her, and trodded up the stairs after the others.

Ennanis glanced at Sabira.

Sabira shrugged. “When he heard of your squadron and mission, he contacted me. He wanted to join. As for why…” she shook her head. “Hey, maybe this is a good time for you two to reconnect. Patch up your issues. He used to look up to you so much,” she smiled sadly in the memory. Once upon a time, after all, they had all been close friends.

Ennanis nodded, staring at Ulysses’ retreating figure. “It’s been dragged on long enough. I do want to fix things, too.”

Sabira patted her on the back. “Good luck with that. He’s stubborn, but I know you can get through to him.”

Ennanis breathed out with a dry smile. “Yeah, it’s fine. I’ve been dealing with a lot of that lately.”

The tangerine-haired angel raised her brow. “What do you mean?”

“Tell you more later.”

They both went up the stairs. On the second floor of the inn cafe, the angels settled down around the long table. They seemed less numerous than before. That was to be expected. Sabira couldn’t regather everyone from before. She estimated they were down to thirty from the fifty they’d started with. While in the beginning there was a roughly equal split between greybelts and goldbelts, now there were mostly greybelts and just a handful of goldbelts.

Sabira clapped her hands for attention. “Listen up, guys. Don’t make me get out the airhorn!”

The ruckus quietened. Sabira nodded, then gestured at Ennanis for her to speak.

“Thank you all for coming. We have much to discuss,” said Ennanis at the head of the table. The rose length of the commander’s hair fluttered behind her wings like a banner of dawn. All eyes rested upon her.

There was the sound of heckling from the back. It was inaudible for most, but Ennanis could hear it. The cadet named Agnar was rolling his eyes and muttering, “Yeah, thank your lucky stars we’re still here.” Beside him, his comrade Lys hissed.

Ennanis took a deep breath, to quell the rabbiting of her nerves.

“Before following me any further, there’s one thing you all have to know,” Ennanis Zoleil said to her squadron. “Uh, okay, well, maybe a couple of things. You have to know.”

Expectant soldiers blinked back at her.

Ennanis coughed. She swallowed, and went on, “And so I’m going to need your trust for this.” She scanned the room, her expression deadly serious. “If you find any reason not to trust me, then please leave now. But if you stay, you’ll be swearing to secrecy. You’ll have to follow me till the end.”

The second floor of Sugarette Inn was silent, except for the distant cawing of crows outside, the windmills spinning in the window.

Agnar raised his head. Beside him, Lys’ face took on a look of immense trepidation.

“Speak, cadet,” Ennanis said.

“Unconditional trust? That sounds really suspicious, Commander,” Agnar scoffed. “Are you plotting, like, treason or something?”

Everyone in the room looked uncomfortable. Some laughed nervously.

Meanwhile, the angel commander…

Ennanis chewed her lip. “That depends on your point of view. You see, the Royal Division is trying to have me killed, so technically, my continued existence is treason.”

Shock rippled through the crowd. Sabira and Derrick looked flabbergasted.