The morning sun blazed overhead as the barge cruised along the rivers of the undercloud. Marked with the winged symbol of the angels, the massive white sail billowed proudly.

The soldiers of the Knights division lingered around the decks, some clustered in circles, some perched on top of the superstructure, stretching their wings out. Many leaned or sat on the railings as they chittered amongst themselves, sipping from cans of sweet nectar. It was free-and-easy time until they landed, and the soldiers were determined to make good use of it. Wind tugged at the lapels of their uniforms. Golden belts looped around their waists, catching the sunlight.

By the railing, Ennanis stood alone.

She watched as the waters parted around the barge, catching the bright sunlight slanting through the flapping sails. Then, a shadow passed over the docks as the sail of another barge obstructed the view.

The sounds of rowdy laughter from a troop onboard the neighbouring barge carried over, and Ennanis turned about to look.

“Hey!” an angel yelled from the other deck, waving his polearm. “52nd Brigade! Are you guys gearing up to catch crooks, or getting ready for bed?” On the 53rd Brigade’s barge decks, clangs of metal rang out as soldiers sparred in practice.

In response to the commotion, a group of soldiers crowded around the starboard railing of the 52nd Brigade’s barge. They, like the troop on board the 53rd, were made up of mostly cadets.

“Why so worked up, Lieutenant Sam!” yelled one of the soldiers of the 52nd, shaking his can of nectar at them. “Antsy that the Marshal’s gonna send you to the Graveyard next? The missing quota’s enormous this month, I heard.”

“Sooner you than me, cadet!” shouted the lieutenant. “Meanwhile, I’ll be focusing on becoming Brigadier!”

“Yeah, right!” A scrunched-up metal can went flying in the gap between their barges. Lieutenant Sam deflected it with his polearm, then caught it in mid-air with shimmering Soleki. He floated it towards himself and tipped the open tab to his lips, chugging the remaining nectar down.

“Well, now you’ve gone and done it,” Lieutenant Sam declared, dropping the can. It thunked to the deck and rolled off the side of the barge. “This is war!”

Cheering, the soldiers of the 53rd cocked their weaponry. Popping sounds filled the air as potshots exploded between the two barges, pinging off banisters and deflecting off the sails.

From the distance, Ennanis watched this playful confrontation. Her gaze caught on a particular young boy-cadet. His wings were still developing, like the rest of his comrades, but he was not deck-bound like them; swinging from the rigging like he was flying. This boy dodged every lightbeam shot his way, not letting a single one graze his coat. His slitted eyes were deadly serious as he took aim, the tip of his sword flaring brightly.

It was then that one of the older sergeants came flying over onto their barge, slamming into him. Stumbling, the boy clutched onto the swaying rigging, his nascent wings fluttering out to stabilise as he rushed to parry the blade.

It was all too soon before a heavy blow landed on the boy’s braced wrist, sending his sword spinning into the air.

The boy’s eyes widened, watching it sail for the railing of the barge. Launching himself off the rigging, he sprinted the length of the deck. But it was too far out of his range—he would never make it.

Just as the sword was about to disappear over the edge, though, it suddenly jerked to a stop, suspended in mid-air.

With outstretched fingers, Ennanis, from where she stood by the railing, stepped forward. She motioned with her hand, and the sword, encased in glittering light, began to float back towards the boy.

However, the boy simply glared and snatched it out of the air.

“I don’t need someone like you to get it for me,” he spat.

Ennanis blinked.

“Agnar!”

A shrill shout. A girl came flying after the boy, around the same age but slightly older. “You can’t address a commander like that! Are you asking to be demoted?”

“Who cares, Lys? She’s a greybelt,” Agnar scowled defiantly. He glanced at Ennanis. “So that’s the Graveyard’s leader? Some commander she is—she just stood there and watched a fight happen. She didn’t even lift a finger to break it up.”

“A fight that you were just participating in, bright guy,” the girl snapped, exasperation colouring her tone. “You’re hopeless.” Landing to her feet, she turned and bowed deeply to Ennanis. “I apologise for my comrade’s behaviour, Commander. Agnar’s usually a good soldier, but he doesn’t think sometimes. I beg you to go easy on him.” She bowed once more.

Ennanis regarded the girl, then at her comrade, who was looking dramatically to the side, as if the very idea of making eye contact with her disgusted him.

With a sigh under her breath, Ennanis nodded stiffly to the girl. “Lieutenant, please go break up the fight.”

On hearing that, the girl straightened with relief. The two of them returned to the rest of their troop, ducking and dodging the stray bolts of Soleki flying across the makeshift battleground.

“Guys, please stop fighting,” the girl lieutenant could be heard saying, but her voice was far too soft—no one paid her any attention.

It was then that Ennanis’ head pulsed with the warmth of an incoming communication charm. Judging from their reactions, so had those of the two rough-housing troops. The popping sounds of Soleki faded away as soldiers lowered their weapons, looking around.

“Halt your ruckus, 52nd and 53rd Brigade,” boomed a voice within each of their skulls. Heads swivelled about to look at the man who had emerged from the superstructure of the barge.

He rose into the air, great wings flapping, and flew in the space between the two barges. It was the Commander of the Knights Division, Derrick Truwing.

“I’m pleased to see you all so excited for today’s patrol,” Commander Truwing said amiably, “but I advise you conserve your energy while you can. Crime is on the rise lately, and you’ll need it. Now, back to your stations.” Some 53rd Brigade soldiers glumly detached themselves from the 52nd barge, and vice versa. Nodding, this Commander turned to address the 52nd Brigade.

“Head into the gathering hall,” he said, “I have an announcement to make.”

~~~

Soldiers filed into the gathering hall inside the superstructure of the barge. They assembled into orderly rows, standing at attention.

Ennanis was one of the last few to head in. She was about to head in when Commander Truwing landed beside her. Folding his wings, he held up a hand and said, “Commander Zoleil?”

“Speaking,” Ennanis said, turning to him. “It’s good to see you again, Derrick. Or should I say, Commander Truwing?” Her gold eyes sparkled.

“Hah!” Derrick broke out into a warm smile. “Now I know it’s been a long time. It’s good to have you back, boss.”

“Well, I’m not ‘back’, strictly speaking,” Ennanis tilted her head. “It’s a temporary arrangement. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t still be wearing this belt. And I’m not Commander here. That would be you, now, after all.”

“Don’t say things like that. You’ve earned that title for yourself dozens of times over,” chuckled Derrick. He looked at her meaningfully. “As Commander, I heard about your latest mission from his Excellency.”

Ennanis nodded.

“Yeah, so, I called this meeting together to look for the members of your taskforce.”

Ennanis shifted. “I don’t need a taskforce.”

“What, you’re going to work alone?” Derrick raised his eyebrow. “Look, Ennanis, I’ve heard the rumours. I know working alone was your whole… thing, in the Graveyard, but now we’re working in the day. Your Lienna weapon won’t be that much of an advantage, and your soldiers won’t be dropping like flies after firing a single Soleki shot. Plus, this is a big mission. You’ll absolutely need the back-up.”

“That’s precisely why I cannot bring anyone,” Ennanis insisted. “It’s too dangerous. I saw those cadets out there. War is too distant from the lives of Knights. They think of it as a joke.”

Derrick exhaled. “My soldiers know when to have fun, but they also know when to be serious. I can assure you of that.” He paused. “You may not be my subordinate, Ennanis, but for now you are part of my division. I will be assigning you a taskforce, whether you want it or not.”

Ennanis met Derrick’s challenging gaze. And then, she closed her eyes, huffing. “I guess you leave me with no choice, Commander Truwing.”

Derrick smiled uncertainly as he stepped through the doorway, folding his wings. “Then come; it’s time for the meeting to begin.”