April 4, 2005 – 01:15 (Winnipeg Time)
"Girl, I'm not questioning you, but General Tobly said that portal was destroyed last year," mind-linked Sonylla to Coralis.
"Not if you are well connected to King Nicolas," answered Coralis to Sonylla. "Please, don't tell that to General Tobly."
Sonylla struggled to keep a blank face and avoided looking at General Tobly.
"Blue knows her way around, don't you worry," said Sonylla to the elders as she followed them to the war room before turning her attention to Frank. "Was King Nicolas as your wedding?"
"He was, yes. Why?"
"Never mind. I should have known before asking."
An hour later, Jourmol connected again to the war room hologram.
"We made it to St-Johns. Halifax is a very short flying distance so we'll be ready to pass through the CMMA fix portal in about 15 minutes."
"I never knew you to be a flyer, that's good to know," said Emery.
"I'm not, but travelling with Blue Thunder, I have no excuses if she's flying in her physical condition as if it's an everyday walk in the park."
"It is an everyday walk in the park for her," said Sebastian.
"That girl does not portal, be glad she agreed to use the fixed network," said Sonylla, which made Sebastian and Frank erupt in laughter.
"If her physical and elemental conditions are as bad as what I am hearing, I would not recommend her using any other type of portals than the fixed ones," said High Mage Finnas while getting up to leave the war room and return to the portals area.
Sebastian stopped laughing to stare at High Mage Finnas.
"The flyball fan transpires out of you, Finnas," said High Fay Ellya.
"No. That'd be the mage in me. For someone like her, flying is safer than portalling. It's about the control over the variables."
At 2:30 local time, the CMMA fixed portal lit up. Reading Jourmol's energy signature and recognizing it from its agent database, it let him through without neededing anyone to approve it. Coralis' hand on his shoulder, she passed through without complications.
Coralis wasn't recognizable. Not only was her visible skin covered in bruises, burned marks and crusted blood, but almost her entire self was covered in djinn's blood. Regardless, Frank recognized her and hugged her tight as soon as she passed through, feeling his eyes getting moist.
"You should have portalled from South Africa to Morocco. What were you thinking?"
"TOBLY! ENOUGH!" said High Elf Yalor as Coralis parted from Frank.
"It was too risky and our destination was heavily warded against portals. Non-fixed portals can be intercepted. Travelling by air, we can tell when people are following or have eyes on us."
A nurse approached them to check on Coralis and Jourmol.
"No, you should have gotten out of there as quickly as possible. Portals are the way to go."
"TOBLY! That's enough!" said High Fay Ellya.
"Look, I'm exhausted and this is the last place I want to be right now. I came here because I was told my husband would be here. I will not argue with you about plan details. In all due respects, keep your thoughts to yourself, or I will leave."
"You had to come here. No fixed portals are going to Montreal if it were where you wanted to go. The one from St-Johns has been destroyed."
"I do not need fixed portals to travel. We made it here, didn't we? Keep it up, and I'm leaving. I'm dead serious. I do not work for you, I do not need to be here and I do not even need to answer you. You want me here for a reason but if it is to pass ignorant comments on why it is what it is, you'll talk with yourself because I'll be out of here. I have zero patience for hellshit tonight."
Sonylla and Emery couldn't help themselves and laughed, and even High Elf Frizzo chuckled.
"Tobly, one more word coming out of you, and I'm dismissing you for tonight," said High Mage Finnas as he started walking toward a meeting room.
"We did want you here for a reason, yes, but it is not to criticize tonight's events. Blue Thunder, we are not underestimating your abilities to carry on a crucial mission. Please, for the love of the gods and goddesses, ignore what Tobly is telling you," said High Fay Ellya.
Sebastian stared at High Fay Ellya as he gave Coralis a vial of mighty monster juice. There was something he should warn his sister-in-law about, but couldn't put his finger on. 'I can usually catch almost everything… but I'm missing something here,' he thought.
Coralis needed a shower and a drink badly. She didn't want to sit in a meeting room. Above everything, she wanted to go home with Frank.
"The weapons taken by the Shadow Elementals this last December, have they been retrieved?" said High Mage Finnas.
"No. Someone came for them, but did not manage to take them back."
"You should have destroyed them instead of taking them with you. Why didn't you? I would have destroyed them as soon as I touched them," said General Tobly.
"All right, it's time for me to leave. I've said enough," said Coralis, getting up.
"TOBLY! OUT!!" said High Fay Ellya, standing up and pointing toward the door. "We warned you many times. This is not your mission; you do not know what you are talking about. You are dismissed for tonight."
"Elder, in all due respect, she needs to do better."
"No, Tobly, she does not. We did not let you attend this meeting to criticize what she should or should not have done," said High Mage Finnas.
General Tobly looked at him and was about to say something when High Elf Yalor stood up.
"You are crossing lines, General Tobly. Blue Thunder is not one to be underestimated and she knows things you do not. We need to hear what she has to say without you interfering. Out for tonight! We will call you when we need you again."
High Elf Frizzo stood up and tried to get Coralis' attention.
"Please, ignore this fool. I must apologize for his actions. What Tobly said does not represent why we wanted you here tonight."
Sebastian looked at the scene and didn't know what to think of it. He watched General Tobly leaving the meeting room and he wished he had a mind-link with her, just so he could tell her 'This is so much beyond flyball, sister'.
"Right. So, no one got them back, but we found out about their South Africa compound through the one person who came for them," said Coralis."
"Do you think the person who came for them mind-linked the others when he or she got caught to warn them it was a trap?" said High Elf Frizzo.