While the daoshi were at an utter loss for words, Nara worried Angelina might be hurt. On the other hand, Ryuho just laughed.
“Wait, a bird’s ears are just two holes beside their eyes?” he asked. “I had no idea.”
His carefree comment caused Angelina to burst out laughing. Immediately, her heart felt much lighter. At the same time, the daoshi eyed her suspiciously.
Whenever I’m about to sink into despair, Ryuho always pulls me back up, Angelina thought, grinning from ear to ear. Singing well isn’t important right now. I need to fail so I’m not accepted as a Vinka. This is actually a success, right?
“U-Um… Is that where your ears are, Mish Garuda?” Angelina asked.
The Garuda bobbed its head up and down. “Songs should flow naturally from one’s lips, Polaris Princess.” The divine avian spoke telepathically in a feminine voice. “You needn’t sing if you don’t want to. I would love to hear your voice someday, but watching others force you to sing pains me. Being unable to sing isn’t your fault. The time simply isn’t right—that’s all.”
The Garuda’s words struck a chord with Angelina. Relief spread throughout her chest, and a heavy burden was lifted from her shoulders. She didn’t have to sing right now. Moreover, she wouldn’t cast a shadow on Kyril’s future.
“Um, I failed the test, right?” she asked.
The matriarch came back to herself with a jolt. “Not at all!” She shook her head fervently. “You haven’t presented the Garuda with her meal yet! The possibility remains!”
Angelina let out a deep sigh. First of all, one couldn’t be a Vinka without being able to sing. She would be useless—a priestess in name only. It wouldn’t be right for such a person to receive a Vinka’s special privileges.
Regardless, the matriarch wanted to detain Angelina on Mt. Jinlong at any cost. So long as the princess remained here, Feilong wouldn’t destroy the Heavenly Sovereign Temple, as he loved his daughter dearly. Thus, the matriarch forced Angelina to carry the Garuda’s favorite berries. Whether or not the girl could sing, she would serve an important function by remaining on Mt. Jinlong.
Angelina remained near the entrance, refusing to move forward. “I-I’m scared…” she stammered.
The Garuda always rested on her perch or the Kalavinka’s shoulder. So long as Angelina didn’t approach the divine avian, she couldn’t feed it.
“There’s no need to fear the Garuda,” the matriarch said. “She didn’t fly into a rage during the festival, now did she?”
When the matriarch pushed Angelina’s back softly, static electricity zapped her. Startled, she pulled her hand back.
“Mish Garuda is so big though,” Angelina insisted, shaking her head back and forth.
An annoyed expression clouded the matriarch’s face. “In that case, I’ll carry you. If we’re together, you won’t be scared, right?”
“No, I’m scared!” Angelina cried, shaking her head furiously and backing away. “Don’t make me do it!”
“It’s okay,” the matriarch reassured her. Ignoring Angelina’s will, she placed her hands beneath the girl’s underarms to pick her up. At that moment, Angelina’s dress shone with crackling light, and a shock of electricity zapped the matriarch’s hand. She had activated Feilong’s protective magic.
“Wha?!” the matriarch yelped, yanking her hands back. “Was that protective magic?!” Here, she laughed foolishly, proceeding to make excuses for herself. “How strange. Such magic should only activate in response to someone with malicious intent.”
After shaking her numb hands, the matriarch attempted to pick up Angelina again. In response, Ryuho growled at her. Jumping, the matriarch pulled her hands back again. At the same time, Ryuho placed his forepaws around Angelina in a protective fashion.
Still smiling foolishly, the matriarch continued making excuses for herself. “Please understand, Holy Flame Tiger. I’m not trying to harm the Polaris Prin–”
“Shut up!” Ryuho growled, his fur bristling. “Don’t touch Lina!”
The matriarch took a step backward. The sight of a Flame Tiger hissing menacingly made her heart race with fear. “If the Polaris Princess becomes the Kalavinka, then—”
“Seriously?!” Ryuho growled. “You’re trying to turn her into the Kalavinka now, not just a regular Vinka?”
The matriarch clucked her tongue softly. “This is why I can’t stand animals…” she muttered under her breath.
Ryuho’s ears twitched. However, as he prepared to roar again, Angelina raised her voice instead. “Don’t mock Ryuho! I won’t listen to anyone who makes fun of him! Get away from me!”
“But Polaris Princess—” the matriarch began.
“Get away from me!” Angelina interrupted. “Why are you ignoring me?! I already told you no!”
As tears welled in Angelina’s eyes, a pang of guilt shot through the matriarch’s chest. Nevertheless, she couldn’t back down for the sake of the Heavenly Sovereign Temple.
“Please listen to me,” the matriarch said. “The Polaris Princess should become the Kalavinka to aid Jinlong’s prosperity. If the royal family and the Heavenly Sovereign Temple form a strong alliance, everyone in the empire will reap the rewards. Enduring a smidge of discomfort for the people is the role of the royal family, is it not? Don’t you think you’re being a bit selfish, Polaris Princess?”
Angelina bit her lip. Nara, as well as the other Vinkas, had come here to aid the empire and their villages, pushing aside their desires to be with their families.
Am I being selfish? Angelina wondered. If I endure being a Vinka, will that make everyone else happy? In that case—
“Shut the hell up!” Ryuho shouted, spewing a jet of flames. “What’s wrong with being selfish?! It’s Lina’s life! She should live however she wants!” Ryuho tossed Angelina on his back. “Let’s ditch this place!”
He burned down the wall and escaped the room. Seeing this, the blood drained from the faces of the matriarch and all her companions.
“Water!” the matriarch yelled. “Someone bring water to put out the fire!”
A group of daoshi and former Vinkas gathered together in a frantic attempt to quell the flames.
“A Nanranese holy beast never should have become a divine guardian!” the matriarch shrieked, stomping her foot on the ground. “What were those fools in the palace mausoleum thinking?! Do they realize what sucking up to Feilong has cost us?!” The matriarch called out to her subordinates. “That filthy beast has kidnapped the Polaris Princess! We must save her! However, be careful not to harm her either! Aim for that dreadful monster’s legs!”
In response, numerous armed daoshi gathered near the hole in the wall. As arrows zipped toward Ryuho, he halted and let forth a bellowing roar. A wall of flames jetted up between Angelina and the daoshi, separating them.
“Damn that savage beast!” the matriarch shrieked. “Someone bring water to quell the flames!”
Nara had never heard the matriarch shout with such fury. As she watched the confused mass of daoshi scrambling about, she trembled with fright. Meanwhile, the Garuda chirped from atop her shoulder. When she looked down at the divine avian, its tranquil, black eyes reminded her of the night sky over Mt. Jinlong. This silence often preceded the Garuda bursting into song. Thus, a spark of courage ignited within Nara. Princess Angelina—a young girl—was being chased by adults. Even so, she continued fighting to protect future Vinkas.
Can I really stand here and do nothing? Nara wondered. Should I not act as well?
Finally, she balled her trembling hand into a fist. She placed the Garuda on its perch and knelt before it. “I beg of you, Holy Garuda, please lend me your strength.”
In response, the Garuda merely blinked.
“I want you to save the Polaris…” Nara hesitated. “No, I want you to save Princess Angelina!”
She wanted to rescue Angelina as Nara, not as the Kalavinka. After all, Angelina had called Nara by her real name.
After alighting onto the ground, the Garuda walked over to the burned-down wall. With its back to Nara, the divine avian then spread its wings.
“Are you returning to the heavens, Holy Garuda?” Nara asked, her stomach a pit of despair.
Multiple daoshi armed with bows and arrows were chasing an innocent young girl. Clearly, the Heavenly Sovereign Temple had gone mad. Their faith existed to help other people first and foremost. How could they seek to capture and imprison a single girl in good conscience?
Vinkas had to endure the loneliness of living apart from their families. Many of them longed to return home. Nonetheless, all had aspired to come here. None of them had been forced to take the exam like Angelina.
Considering what the temple’s become, it wouldn’t be strange for the Garuda to abandon us, Nara thought.
Chirping loudly, the Garuda turned its back on Nara. At that moment, it grew to the same size as the divine avian of legend. While spreading its wings, the Garuda pointed to its red back with its beak, urging Nara to climb on.
“Thank you, Holy Garuda…!” Nara cried, clinging to its warm back.
Once she’d climbed on, the Garuda took to the skies. The large, crimson bird was as sublime as the rising sun.