MIXED emotions of wonder crossed Eleand's face when they reached the mountainous part of the Autumn Region. They walked for over an hour after Zanti's teleportation, but he did not have the slightest idea what they were searching for. Everywhere he looked, the plants and trees were in the season of fall. The leaves were red and yellow, while the other trees were completely out of leaves.
"What kind of animals are we trying to catch?" Eleand could not endure asking questions because it would be better if he got an idea, so he wouldn't be surprised if it was another weird and frightening creature. Besides, he was still alert whether Zanti might do something to him. However, the Assassin proved himself that he was trying his best to be friendly.
"We are not hunting animals. We're going to catch a Migus. It's challenging." Zanti smiled.
"What is that?" His forehead crumpled. The name of the thing brought himself to doubt on his companion's intention.
Zanti's smirked made him feel uneasy. Surely, he was planning something bad.
"Migus is a lesser faerie living in the shadow. You'll see that they're incredibly fast, and we'll measure our capacity as an expert hunters. We just need to shoot an arrow to its heart."
His jaw dropped, and he shook his head sharply, "I can't kill a faerie."
Zanti laughed. "You get it wrong. We're not going to kill it. Once we hit its heart, it is the perfect time to capture the Migus. It won't die because that's the way to catch it."
Eleand looked puzzled. "Sorry, but that's bullying a lesser faerie."
Zanti roared his laughter. "Migus is an excellent fortune teller. You can ask about your missing sister because we are allowed to ask two questions."
"Really?"
Suddenly, he became excited to capture a Migus, whatever kind of creature it could be. If this was the only way to know what happened to Elida.
"And you can ask it about your luck in love as well," Zanti said in a serious tone.
Eleand almost laughed about it. This Assassin sought a piece of love advice, and he was sure it would be about Nahil. At this point, his doubt on Zanti disappeared. He became at ease in his presence.
"I'm not interested in that. My marriage sucks, so I think true love does not exist."
The Spy-Assassin looked surprised. "Is that so? In the world of faeries, love is a bond. There is a link connecting their souls. Once we find our mate, we will cherish each other in our entire immortal life."
"You mean you can love only one faerie in your whole life?" His eyes widened. Faeries must be loyal and faithful when it comes to love.
"Well, precisely. But we are not that lucky to find our mate. We can spend centuries or even millennia not finding the right one. That's why we have lots of lovers, and some get married for alliance and security."
"The same from the human world. We have this thing called 'soulmate,' the right one. But only a few are lucky enough to find them." He bitterly laughed upon remembering his ex-wife. He thought Brandy was his soulmate, unfortunately not.
Both of them paused when they heard a crackling sound nearby. Zanti raised his index finger to his mouth, gesturing him to be quiet. They slowly walked and approached a dark cave a few meters away.
"I think we've found one," he murmured.
Thanks to his faerie sight, he could see every detail inside the cave, even it was dark. He almost jumped in panic when he saw a tall figure that seemed to paddle in a small stream in the corner. A cloud of dark smoke almost covering its body.
Eleand gaped when he examined it closer. It looked like a human cat! The creature had white whiskers, long black fur, and bright blue eyes.
They split up and find a suitable position to capture the Migus.
Zanti put an arrow to his bow and made himself ready. He signaled to Eleand to prepare, and he tightly held his bow. Then they targeted the creature, still oblivious to their presence.
Eleand was wonder-stricken when Zanti started to attack and hit the Migus several times, but he could not properly hit its heart.
The Migus seemed alarmed to see them, and it suddenly moved swiftly.
Eleand held his bow steady and targeted the creature, but he missed. He heard Zanti cursed many times because his arrows landed on the Migus' foot, back, and hips.
Eleand breathed out to concentrate harder. He gently closed his eyes and tried to grasp its movement. When he established the pattern, he opened his eyes again, and he could see the direction repeatedly done by the beast.
It was moving like a whirlwind around the cave. He found the right time to let go of his arrow, and the creature looked in his direction.
Their eyes met.
The creature suddenly stopped moving for an unknown reason, and he took advantage of hitting its heart. Zanti did the same. Their arrows landed at the same time.
They walked nearer, and the creature, still dumbfounded, looking at Eleand. Perhaps it knew that he was not from their world.
"Two questions…" Its voice was like coming from the deepest chasm of the earth.
It's talking! Eleand acted as if he was not bewildered.
"Right, one for me and you. Fair enough, yeah? We caught it." Zanti looked excited.
Eleand did not hesitate to ask, "Where is my sister, Elida?"
The Migus shook its head and attempted to concentrate with its eyes closed, "I cannot see her specific location. It's dark. But I could feel her aura. She is safe."
"That's all? Where can I find her?" he sounded irritated.
"The second question…" it said, ignoring him and turned its attention to his companion.
"Okay, wait." Zanti seemed to be immersed in deep thinking, "Nahil likes me, right?"
Eleand almost burst into laughter upon hearing his query. If this guy was a human, he was immature for his age. He looked like a child asking a question.
"I cannot answer questions when you already know the answer." Migus looked unbothered.
"You think I will ask you if I already know the answer?" Zanti tried to get his sword from the scabbard, but he stopped him.
"The second question…." the creature repeated.
Zanti remained silent for a moment. When he finally raised his question, he looked very serious. There was no hint of immaturity and being funny. He was deadly humorless as he approached the Migus.
"Where can I find the Ancient Queen?"
Eleand witnessed how the Migus was taken aback. He could feel its hesitation before answering. It looked at him and took a moment to answer.
"The Ancient Queen never stays in one location—she could be in Muhler, Alegerio, or Erganiv. Protect this mortal. The Faerie Queen is coming…"
His jaw dropped upon hearing the Migus, "How did you know I'm a human?"
It ignored his question again. The next thing he observed was the arrows stuck in its chest melted away, and the creature suddenly disappeared.
"Wait, who is this Ancient Queen?" he asked.
He saw him clenched his fist, "Rieska, the Faerie Queen."
Eleand just nodded and put little attention. It doesn't bother him, anyway. He could not even care what was going on here. Totally none of his concern.
FOR over two hours, they continued walking around the mountains of the Autumn Region. Zanti toured him around to be more familiar with this world. He noticed a few faerie houses on the hill, and its residents were busy cultivating the land.
"These mountains are the boundaries of Summer and Autumn Region. There are plenty of animals to hunt in this area. If we're going to straight from here, we will cross the territory of Gwiazda. Don't dare to intrude in their borders unless you have any official business. The rules in Gwiazda are so strict, and they won't hesitate to kill you." Zanti lectured him.
"I don't have a plan at all," he chuckled. With this information, he would not even dare to stroll around here alone, since it was very dangerous for his kind.
At this point, he felt calm upon knowing that Elida was safe. According to Zanti, the Migus never lied. Eleand was sure that his sister survived the accident. Maybe she was in the hospital in their world. He also hoped that his father was fine, too.
Eleand was lost in his thoughts when Zanti paused from walking. They were currently on a hike on a hill from which there was a crevice on the side. A sea of clouds covered it, so he should take extra precaution on his steps.
"I smell odd, something rotten." Zanti hilted his sword, "Follow me."
His heartbeat went fast. He could sense the danger as well. The way Zanti held his sword seemed like he was ready to kill.
Eleand tightly clutched his bow. He looked around and heightened his senses. If things got worse, he could defend himself without asking Zanti's help.
The Assassin ran towards a huge stone wherein blue liquids spattered around. It appeared that faerie blood was blue. But there was no time for him to be amazed at this kind of situation.
Both of them were stunned upon seeing a male faerie lying on the ground. His body and face were mutilated.
Zanti studied the dead faerie, "The Alundra is not the culprit in this murder," he held the dead body, and a black mist suddenly surrounded it. He chanted in a faerie language then the body turned to ash.
"We need to get back to the palace." Zanti gritted his teeth.
Eleand nodded. He put his hand to the Assassin's shoulder, and they both disappeared. Then he noticed they were already in front of the Golden Palace. The teleportation was quick that made his knees wobbled.