A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

It wasn't long before the helicopter was overhead, and they all looked up. Seraphina and Emily were still off to the side together, where they'd spend the last few minutes talking, but they, too, interrupted their conversation to look up with concern.

Only, rather than land, the helicopter continued hovering, and a man appeared in the open door. Erik raised an eyebrow in surprise. His mind went back to a year ago, when Katya jumped out of a hovering helicopter, but she was a powerful Runebound.

'Surely he's not going to jump?' he thought to himself. 'Even a third ranked Arcanist would die from a drop that high.'

But his eyes widened, when the man did exactly that.

Katya, however, didn't seem surprised at all. Instead, she looked at Alexandre solemnly.

"Alexandre is one of the most dangerous fighters the human faction has," Katya explained without taking her eyes of the rapidly approaching man. "Because he can fly."

Suddenly, dark, flashing clouds began to form around Alexandre's feet, and his descend was quickly slowing down. Above his head, the helicopter remained hovering.

"Second ranked storm affinity," Elora immediately commented in Erik's mind. "Not too unusual to find one with the ability to fly at the third rank."

Erik nodded with a frown. He had fought a few flying opponents before back on Söl, but he had an advantage over other shapeshifters, in that he had ranged Arcanist spells as well.

So, without taking his eyes of the man slowly drifting down towards them, Erik asked the woman next him curiously, "How would you fight a flying opponent?"

"I thought this wasn't going to get to a fight?" Katya snorted, clearly still a little annoyed at Erik's stunt.

Erik grinned widely, "It won't. But can you really deny me the chance to learn from a valuable teacher like you?"

Katya tried to keep a straight face, but in the end she chuckled and rolled her eyes. "You really are a shameless bastard, you know that?"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Erik answered, continuing to grin.

"I'm sure you will," Katya sighed helplessly, and then remained quiet for a second. At this point, Alexandre was about twenty metres (~65 feet) above them, and he continued closed as he looked down at them sternly.

Finally, Katya spoke again, "As a Runebound without a ranged attack, there's only two things you can do against a flying opponent. Either you find a way to get to them anyway, or you defend until they tire out. Most flying spells are either easily destroyed, or extremely draining. Alexandre has the latter kind."

Erik nodded with understanding. He knew she was right, as Emma actually had the former kind of flying spell. Her golden disc allowed her to fly by using it as a vehicle, but it was easily destroyed, making its flying capabilities almost useless in combat.

While they talked, Erik's second-ranked allies all gathered behind Erik and Katya, relative to the point where Alexandre was soon going to land.

After that, no one spoke, until Alexandre finally reached the ground. It was clear he didn't intend to keep on flying. Instead, he landed about ten meters (~33 feet) away from them, his hands cupped behind his back.

Unsurprising, of course. Not only was getting close to a Runebound as an Arcanist very dangerous, but Katya was also one of, if not the, most powerful Runebound in Europe currently.

Alexandre was a tall, middle-aged man with blond hair, blue eyes, and a soft chin. He wore an elegant outfit, including straight blue pants, black shoes, a white shirt, and an open blue blazer to match his pants.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Katya…" a tense Alexandre started in a sombre voice, before continuing with a noticeable French accent. "You know why I'm here."

Katya snorted dismissively with her arms crossed in front of her chest. "You're here to try and fail to get my brother back, despite what your wife told you. You'd best put that thought out of your mind, Alexandre. At best you could force me into a stalemate, but there's no way you can defeat me."

There's a reason Katya was generally considered to be the most powerful Councillor, after all

Anger and helplessness sparked in Alexandre's eyes. His face distorted a little, but he didn't move, and kept his arms behind his back. "So what do you suggest I do instead? Leave the fate of my wife up to the random second ranker who killed more than fifty of my men?!"

Technically, Erik didn't actually take a single life during the assault on Bamburgh, but he naturally wasn't going to quibble over that. He believed a leader was responsible for every life taken by those following their orders.

Katya shrugged uncaringly. She wasn't unkind, but if she had to choose between a stranger and her brother, the choice was clear. "I don't care, Alexandre. You can do as you like, but you're not getting my brother back."

Then, she thumbed to her side, "But if you want my advice, Erik here is far more than just a second ranker. I'd suggest hearing him out."

Alexandre didn't take his eyes of Katya, even narrowing them. Stormy clouds began to gather around him as the aetherium in the surroundings reacted to his turbulent emotions.

For a moment, tensions rose it appeared like he was about to attack.

But then, finally, he sighed and closed his eyes. The storm clouds disappeared again. Alexandre knew the futility of fighting here, not to mention the ramifications it might have on the Council in the future, as there was no way for such a thing to remain a secret for long.

So, he finally turned his gaze towards Erik, as if acknowledging his existence for the first time. Erik and Alexandre stared at each other, as if taking the other's measure.

Then, the Frenchman spoke up, "You killed a lot of my people back there, Erik." His voice was tinged with anger and sadness. 'He really does appear to care for his people…' Erik thought to himself. 'Admirable, and probably the reason they're so loyal to him.'

Erik nodded solemnly. He respected this man's regret over his people's death, so he wouldn't disrespect it. But, he did need to express his stance on the matter. So, he said calmly, "People die all the time, Councillor. Your people were lucky enough to die in the line of duty, with weapon in hand."

Alexandre remained calm as he offered a rebuttal, "I hope to die in my bed at a ripe old age, with family at my side. As, I believe, did many of my men."

This time, Erik shrugged casually, "Who doesn't? But so rarely do we get what we want out of life. Or the ending of it. When my end comes, I'll accept it as it comes, whatever the situation at the time might be. To do anything else would be to betray the life I've lived."

Alexandre snorted softly, "Didn't take you for a philosopher."

Then he shook his head, "But fine. This is getting us nowhere. Let's talk about what you've told my wife."

"I thought you'd never ask," Erik finally grinned and snapped his fingers. Instantly, three icy-blue magic circles appeared—two behind Erik and Katya, and one behind Alexandre. From each circle rose an icy throne, and Erik immediately took a seat on the one behind him.

He leaned back, put his left elbow on the arm rest, and casually rested his head against his fist. With his other hand, he indicated towards Alexandre's throne, "Let's talk in comfort, shall we?"