Chapter 5 #2
‘That’s why we need you interns to figure out how they work, how they charge, before any other country does.
We’ll act from there.’ Niko stands and squeezes my shoulder as they set their plate in the sink.
‘It’s a lot. We’ll only be explaining to the public that it can advance our energy source technology, but we won’t be detailing how much power it can hold. Not yet.’
A bedroom door slams, and Harper storms into the kitchen. She’s awake later than usual, yet dark circles line her eyes. Her eyes shift between the three of us. ‘Who died?’
We exchange a glance. ‘No one,’ I breathe, before going back to frying pempek. My heartbeat pounds in my ears. I finish off the last of the pempek and dump some in a bowl. ‘I’ll be in my room if anyone needs me.’
Bombs.
I’m going to need a second to breathe.
HARPER
I watch Tia leave the penthouse like she’s drowning in air, and a vague feeling of passers-by guilt (we never taught you to 袖手旁观, my parents would say, to stand by without helping) stirs in my stomach when I step past her.
Not enough guilt to resist pinching a dumpling pempek from Tia’s pan, but enough guilt that I don’t make any further comment.
‘Checked the news today?’ Kiran says from his position at the kitchen table. He scrolls through his phone while chewing.
Halfway through grabbing another pempek, I pause. ‘No. Why?’
He smirks. ‘No reason.’ And then he whisks away, presumably to his office, taking his bowl of pempek with him.
Oka-ay. Back in my room, I shove the vial of Tia’s painkillers from last night into my pocket, stuff my suit and mask in my duffel bag and leave for Ah Ma’s house.
The Elders’ cluster of HDBs is right next to the train station – maroon-and-white apartments, old but painted new last year.
As I near their block, I slide on shades to hide from journalists, or any prying eyes.
I shouldn’t be sighted anywhere near the Fox Elders’ flats in Ang Mo Kio.
As far as Niko knows, I was abandoned by my Fox clan two years ago.
In fact, I should probably cast an illusion to hide myself for insurance purposes, but the day is hot, and I’m lazy.
‘Harper! Ms Leong?’
Murphy’s Law. I keep walking, but the journalist follows. In my peripheral vision, I spot him whipping out a camera.
‘Harper! What would you say about your dating rumours with Lune?’
What the hell?
I stop and the man nearly slams into me. ‘We’re not dating.’ Normally, I love any sort of queer rep that appears in our local media, but this sort of news would only be considered a sully on Lune’s reputation. I may not like Tia, but I like this invasive journalist even less.
My feet pick back up. It’s ten minutes to ten a.m., and the Elders do not appreciate tardiness.
‘How would you explain both of you disappearing during the gala? Do you have any comment on the blackout at the gala? Was it orchestrated?’ God, this guy is relentless.
Good to punch, the Raven part of my brain whispers.
I slap it away. That is not allowed in this body. That is, in fact, illegal in this body.
But I have to shake the journalist before he can track me to the Elders’ flats.
I break into a run. The HDB void decks are a maze of wide pillars and tucked-away staircases, and I dive into a stairwell the second I round a corner, out of the man’s sight.
He sprints past me, his footsteps echoing into the distance.
Once he’s well and truly gone, I slip back into the open.
It’s five past ten when I reach the flat. Ah Ma is already waiting, along with a dozen other Elders and Maria.
‘Hi, Ah Ma, Ah Gong, Yi Ma, 长辈好.’ I bow and greet them in quick succession before taking my seat at the end of the table, opposite Ah Ma.
‘Maria told us you have Tia’s painkillers,’ Ah Ma says in Chinese.
As one of the oldest members of the clan, Ah Ma has weathered the clan’s history like a rocky lookout on the beach. She’s always existed, and every move made by the clan has been filed neatly in the library of her wrinkles, pockets of secrets in each sun-born speck on her sallow skin.
Sometimes, it feels as if the clan only listens to her because every word she says carries a strand of lore, and that rebelling against it would be rebelling against the foundation of the Fox clan itself.
I may be the (probationary) clan leader, but everyone answers to Ah Ma. No exception. She was the Fox clan leader decades ago, and since then the mantle has been passed on five times.
Each leader typically reigns for a decade, but the previous leader only managed five years – don’t think about why don’t think about why – and Ah Ma had taken over again as an interim replacement as I began training.
The leader role is active, and requires much more legwork, which is why it’s always passed to a younger clan member.
It’s more protective than anything, allowing me to spearhead the moonstone heists without the Elders’ constant supervision.
That doesn’t erase the hierarchy by ancestry and generation that’s embedded into Fox culture, though, and I keep myself respectful as I nod quickly and hand the vial over.
‘Good.’ Ah Ma’s wrinkled lips thin with a rare smile.
When we were younger, Maria liked to accuse Ah Ma of having a soft spot for me.
It was always a joke – we both know there’s little point in searching for validation amongst traditionally raised ancestors.
Still, some part of the accusation was right.
I feel it in the way Ah Ma rests her hand on my shoulder, the way she offers me cut fruit whenever we meet.
‘You understand the importance of this mission? This is your assigned task to prove your leadership, as every leader has before you. Your Fox ancestors killed our enemies, corrupt officials, colonialists – our safety has always been bought by blood.’
I haven’t heard this speech, but I recognize pieces of it. I grew up on these words. Ah Ma speaks formally, her posture stiff and official, but her voice carries enough warmth for me to know she’s only doing it for show. We both know I was made for this.
‘Tia Njauw,’ Ah Ma continues, as she gently pushes a bowl of apple slices to me, ‘is the rising face of the Sentinels, and she will only continue to complicate our missions. If we kill her while she is still a young Sentinel, Niko and Kiran will lose their protégé. Singapore’s Sentinels will fall defunct, and there will no longer be powered magical forces hindering our trade. Raven, do you understand?’
Raven. I clench the Fox medallion round my neck and bow. ‘Yes, Ah Ma.’
‘We’ll formulate the poison, but I would recommend getting close to her – you need to know your enemy to defeat her.’
Get close to her. Gross, but okay.
Ah Ma beckons Maria to stand. ‘Maria will help you in your mission – she is your right-hand man. We know you make a good team, and we trust that you will bring us success.’
Maria shoots me a grin, and I return it. No matter our history, we’re formidable as a team. There’s no way we don’t succeed when we’re together. ‘Yes, Ah Ma.’
Ah Ma nods once. ‘Good. Now, next Wednesday we’re delivering moonstones to our Foxes. Harper, make sure you’re free. We will need as much help as possible for this, our demand has gone up.’
The metal gate to the flat creaks; everyone’s faces turn. I twist to judge the newcomer, and my stomach drops.
Standing at the gate, his smile polite as ever and his polo shirt tight over lean muscles, Avyaan raises a brow at me.
‘Oh f—’ I start, before catching myself. The last time we’d seen each other was six months ago over lunch, as a formality to celebrate Avyaan becoming Naga leader, and we’d had a good time.
Such a good time, in fact, that I’m actually lying out of my ass.
The last time we’d really seen each other was when we broke up, a month after that stupid lunch.
Turns out, between not being over Maria and also having my life in shambles, I’d found a rebound in Avyaan too quickly and carelessly.
Our formal lunch had turned into weeks of late-night confessions and hanging around cafes in malls until they kicked us out.
I want to say the break-up was amicable, but that’s a level of delusion even I’m not ready for.
We’d already been close, what with the way Nagas and Foxes have been working together on climate protests.
The break-up was meant to mean nothing for our ties, but somehow I let slip to Maria what happened, and she began liaising with him instead.
One month not speaking turned to two, then five.
But we’re, like, friends still. I think. Probably not.
Several more Naga members – all their forearms bearing the clan mark, a snake enchanted to ripple to magic users who know how to look for it – shuffle into the room. The flat, already crowded with seven Elders, Maria and me, turns stifling with our new visitors.
I find my shoulder pressed against Avyaan’s.
He catches my gaze. I roll my eyes before he can beat me to it, and he releases a long, exasperated sigh.
‘Thank you for coming today, Nagas,’ Maria says. She claps her hands together once, like a cult leader, and sweeps the room with a smile. ‘As per our monthly routine, we have your promised set of moonstone supplements for your clan members.’
She gestures to three swelling plastic bags of white paper boxes, all undoubtedly full of moonstone pills. Usually, Foxes steal them in raw rock form, then work with the suppliers the Nagas sourced to turn the raw stone into pills.
‘Thank you, as usual.’ Avyaan shoots Maria a warm smile. I resist the urge to roll my eyes again. ‘And the blueprints?’
I recognize the black tube that Maria hands over.
I had it stuffed in my waistband last night.
The question resurfaces in my mind – what are they for?
But I imagine Avyaan’s confused expression when he finds out the probationary leader of the Fox clan doesn’t even know what’s going on, and I hold myself back.
I haven’t been to one of these meetings since Avyaan and I broke up, even though I knew we’d have one today. Nevertheless, I pull the protocol from the cobwebs of my brain and move as we pair with each Naga to escort them safely from the flat with the moonstones.
Before Maria can take Avyaan, I sidle up to him and grab the moonstone bag, turning it invisible under my magic.
‘I’d actually rather Maria—’ he starts, but I bump him out of the flat.
‘The leader of the Foxes should escort the leader of the Nagas, no?’ I smile. We head down the corridor, edging past the neighbour’s tumbling collection of potted plants.
‘Leader?’ Avyaan raises a brow. We slow to a stop at the lift lobby, and he presses the lift button. ‘Don’t joke, Raven. I know your assignment was only released last night. You’re far from becoming the leader.’
I glare at him. ‘None of your business. How’d you even know?’
‘Believe it or not, our clans are actually very intertwined. Plus, Lune’s been causing far more trouble than the other Sentinels this last year. I’d be happy to see her gone.’ He adjusts the blueprints tube strap over his shoulder.
‘Say it louder – let the whole block hear you.’
We get into the lift. Avyaan’s place is close by, and we spend most of the walk in silence.
‘So . . .’ I clear my throat. ‘How’s your clan?’
Avyaan scoffs. ‘What do you care?’
‘We’re both going to be leaders, Avyaan. I don’t want to have Maria between us just to function.’
Avyaan seems to scan me like he thinks I’m lying, but he’s always been the kinder of the two of us.
He gives in. ‘We’re fine. The moonstones from the Foxes have been helping, but a lot of our kids need more.
Something about the diluted bloodlines seems to mean that they need it just to function.
A lot of them barely have magic, but they’re somehow weakened without the moonstones. ’ He glances over. ‘Your clan?’
‘The same.’
Avyaan lets the answer settle between us, sombre. ‘And you? Have you been needing it?’
‘I . . .’ I swallow. ‘Sometimes. Yeah. Not often, since I was born with enough magic, but yeah. You?’
He nods. ‘Been using my magic a lot to control water for fires. We got sent to Indonesia last month to beat a forest fire, which was great, but I think I overexerted myself. I’ve been needing to take moonstones more since.’
I nod. ‘They have so much of it, you know. The Sentinels. I think Tia needs it just to live, because she’s a lunar-based descendant.’
Avyaan barks a harsh laugh. ‘Right, I forget you stay with them. I can’t believe they hoard supply just for their precious Chang’e descendant to help the government keep the moonstones from us.’
‘Did you hear they’re allocating more moonstones to Ferrix?’ I glance at him. ‘Especially the new moonstones. Apparently Ferrix has been working on a lunar energy plant, and the new moonstones might be strong enough to become our main power source.’
‘Yeah.’ We step into the lift of Avyaan’s block, a beige building with a fat stripe of pink.
‘Which is good for the environment, but there’ll be less moonstones for us.
I know our clans are more than happy to fight for it, but still.
It sucks, and it’s going to be worse for any straggling descendants that aren’t Foxes or Nagas. ’
‘Lune will be gone soon, which should help.’ I followed his lead out of the lift. ‘Six more months.’
Avyaan sighs. We’ve reached his flat.
‘For the sake of the Foxes and the Nagas, Raven, I hope you succeed.’
He holds out a hand. It’ll be the first time we’ve properly touched since we broke up.
I shake it.