The sky stretched over my head, a wide expanse of blue dotted with puffy white clouds that were almost close enough to touch. Atop the Arcane Order's flying fortress, I could see for miles beyond.

I sighed and leaned against the balcony, watching the fortress' slow sailing. A hazy patch of land stood in the distance, a place I knew all too well, getting smaller and smaller the further we drifted away from it. Arcadia.

Memories flooded into my mind of the past few months chasing after Merlin's apprentice, the infuriating Hisirdoux Casperan. Though he ruined our plans centuries ago at Killahead Bridge that fateful day, we had secured the Genesis Seals after he foolishly gave them over us to trap us in a time loop. But of course his magic wasn't strong enough to keep us in there forever. Now the Arcane Order had a new mission. Before we'd break the Genesis Seals and restore the world anew, Hisirdoux had to be dealt with once and for all.

A black smudge against the sky caught my attention, snapping me out of my thoughts. As it got closer, I slowly started to make out its features: dark glossy wings and yellow rimmed eyes. When it tilted its head up and let out a welcoming cry, I saw its beautiful white throat and orange breast.

"Max!" I cried out in joy as the falcon flew to land on my shoulder. "I missed you so much!"

"(Y/n)." Max—my wizard familiar—chirped, nuzzling his beak against my cheek. I laughed at his ticklish touch and reached up to embrace him. "I missed you too, but London was most thrilling. I haven't had such a good flight in centuries."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. But did you find him?" I looked up at his regal form with hope.

Bellroc had asked Max to follow a lead we had on Hisirdoux to find out where he had taken Nari, and it looked like he was hiding out in London for the time being.

He nodded, confirming my thoughts as he relayed that he'd found Merlin's apprentice in the lesser known parts of the famous city.

I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out a piece of dried meat for him as a reward for working so hard. Max snatched it from my hand before I could even unwrap the parchment, holding it in his beak as he removed the wrapper himself with one of his feet. After discarding it, he munched happily on his treat while I watched him with an amused smile on my face.

"Are you ready to report back to Bellroc?" I asked once he'd finished. She'd want to know about Max's findings as soon as possible so we could plan accordingly.

Max hesitated at my words. I gave him a sympathetic smile and ran my hand over his head in a comforting stroke. "It'll be okay," I murmured my encouragement to him. Though we'd been with the Arcane Order for centuries, Bellroc was still quick to dismiss Max and his abilities. She almost rejected him when I first brought him to her, saying that a silly little pet would distract me from becoming powerful enough to be her aide. But once I convinced her of Max's uses and showed her that I was bonded to him, she allowed him to stay. Still, it was hard for Max to ease his anxieties, especially when he'd be under Bellroc's scrutiny while he gave her his report.

"I'm ready," Max said, his head raised high with confidence.

Smiling, I grabbed my wizard's staff resting against the wall, its fiery red gem gleaming in the sunlight, and we went back inside the dark confines of the fortress.

* * *

Bellroc sat in the central chamber of the fortress on her pedestal that was not quite a throne, but not a simple chair either. Made of scorched wood and bones and forged together with liquid gold, it was a terrifying object.

Skrael stood by her side, clutching his staff. The tips of his fingers were encased in ice. He must have been entertaining himself with his magic. When I entered through the large double doors, both of them turned to stare at me.

"(Y/n)," Bellroc spoke, her voice amplified in the round chamber. "I see your pet has finally returned. Did it find Merlin's apprentice?"

Max shifted from one clawed foot to the other on my shoulder, his feathers beginning to bristle. But his voice remained level when he spoke. "I did. The wizard boy has taken Nari to London, across the sea in the middle north."

Skrael's dark eyes gleamed as a smirk formed on his face. "Let's go after them then. He thinks the Genesis Seals are our priority. We'll catch him off guard if we attack now."

"Not yet," Bellroc snapped, scowling at her brother. "We still have preparations to complete before we break the Seals." She turned to look back at me. Though her eyes were covered in bandages, her invisible gaze still pierced through me like a blade.

"(Y/n), my darling," she cooed, her demeanour quickly changing after reprimanding Skrael. "You have served me well for the past centuries. Go seek out the wizard boy. Find out his plans; what he wants to do with Nari and report back to me in five sunrises. Do not let yourself be seen. Skrael and I will finish the preparations while you are away."

My eyes widened, both shock and pride jolting through my body. Usually Bellroc would want to deal with matters pertaining to Merlin's apprentice herself, so for her to trust me with this mission was a huge honour. I hastened to accept her quest.

"Yes Bellroc." I bowed deeply to her, my knee resting on the floor as I kept one fist clenched above my heart. "I won't let you down."

"Good girl. You know what happens if you do." With a crude smile on her lips, she rose up from her throne. "Skrael, with me."

Channelling their magic, the two of them exited in a blast of red and blue enchantments, sparks dancing in the air. And with that, Max and I were left alone.

Max stretched his wings out with a great flourish and flew up to take a few laps around the space of the great chamber. "She really doesn't give us a break, does she?"

I chuckled as I watched his elegant body move through the air, his dark feathers gleaming in the sunlight that shone from the overhead opening. "She just wants what's best for us. And what's best for the whole world."

"The mortals have caused much destruction," he agreed. "I wonder why Merlin's apprentice defends them."

I only shrugged, my amused smile turning into a frown. I clutched my staff tighter as I remembered all the hardships both Merlin and his apprentice had caused for us over the centuries. Merlin harnessed magic for his own self-indulgent schemes, as did Hisirdoux Casperan, but we used it for the better of the world.

Why did they have to defy the Arcane Order? Why must they defy Bellroc?

Questions I asked countless times that had no answers.

Seeming to sense the change in my mood, Max swooped down to land on my shoulder again, nuzzling his smooth beak against my cheek in reassurance.

"We'd better get ready then," he suggested, his voice gentle.

"Right." I nodded. "Let's go."

I led us down the winding corridors of the ship, my footsteps amplified in the silence. Though Bellroc and Skrael had gone, the enchanted vessel would continue on its course East where we would find and gather a few more materials needed for the ritual.

We passed by the chamber in which the corrupted Trollhunter—a mortal boy in possession of Merlin's powerful amulet—had been kept prisoner. Bellroc had plans for him to aid our cause but Hisirdoux and his gang of so-called "heroes" managed to steal the Trollhunter away from us.

My room was just at the end of the corridor. It didn't contain much besides a small bed, a stand for Max to perch on, and a tiny table and chair where I'd read up on magic to enhance my powers in my free time.

Max fluttered over to his perch to preen his feathers before the journey while I got my bag to fill it with supplies and provisions. "Will you need time to rest?" I asked Max, realising I might be asking too much of him to fly back to London when he'd just returned, but he shook his head.

"I'm fine. We can't waste time with Merlin's apprentice on the loose in case he decides to relocate. We need to keep our eyes on him as fast as we can."

I nodded, pleased with Max's words. Bellroc would be glad that he was willing to begin a new mission so soon after completing his last. I double-checked everything in my bag one last time, and then we were off to London.