April 4, 2005 – 04:00 (Winnipeg Time)
"The jail wasn't too far from one of our compounds. If we hadn't found our keychains in our jacket pockets, a member would have met us at a safe spot away from the jail to pass us a stick and a cloak, but it would have delayed us."
"Why not get out first and plan for the next portion from out of jail?" said Frank.
"Our targets couldn't know we were out until their prisoners were freed and until it'd be too late for them to do anything about it. Had we escaped too soon, they would have beefed up the security around their compound and most likely moved their prisoners elsewhere before we arrived, or have them killed before they could attempt a jailbreak too."
"They sent people after us when they realized what happened, they tried to capture us in Madrid. Had Blue and Alejandro jailbreak too soon, they would have tried to intercept them elsewhere or on their way to South Africa. Both plans had to happen on the same night. It also made it a much bigger hit. Now, they're scrambling," said Jourmol.
"What happened in Madrid?" said Emery.
"Just before landing where the fixed portal is, we got surrounded by about twelve people. Blue and Alejandro dodged the laser they sent, but my stick got disintegrated by those lasers. Blue turned around and caught me while Alejandro sent a sand wind their way. Alejandro's cousin lives near Barcelona, so we headed in that direction, and we lost them along the way. Alejandro kept sending them a sand wind, and Blue a blinding light," said Jourmol.
"Just a walk in the park," said Sebastian.
Before Coralis could leave the meeting room, the elders told her about a blood witch coven who kidnapped fifteen humans in northern Manitoba and how they collaborated with the federal police on that case.
"We need someone with your aerial skills to lead a mixed crew of mages and elves. We'd like you and the aerial crew to escort the helicopters transporting the human officers, and free the prisoners. General Tobly and Agent Emery are in charge of that mission but if you agree to help, you'd be reporting to Agent Emery, and they would refer to you as B," said High Mage Finnas.
"When would that be?"
"This Tuesday morning, in about 30 hours."
"Fine, I'll do it. Can I please leave now? I need a shower badly and a drink."
"Of course. Go to the lounge upstairs when you're done showering. I'll ask the nurse you saw earlier to examine your injuries there. You too, Agent Jourmol Pinq," said High Fay Ellya.
When they left the meeting room, Frank took Coralis to their room, and Sebastian, Jourmol and Emery went to the lounge on the top floor.
"I'll go to the nearest hub to get you another pair of eyeglasses and a set of binds. I'll meet you at the lounge," said Sonylla in a mind-link to Coralis.
"Thanks!"
"Need food?"
"No. Ate something before leaving Morocco, and Alejandro's cousin gave us something to eat before leaving Barcelona."
Frank and Coralis walked in silence, looking ahead of them and holding hands. Neither knew what to say, but words weren't needed to express how they felt.
"I brought you a change of clothes," said Frank as they entered their room.
"Thanks. Did you have to miss work to come here?" said Coralis as she grabbed the bag of clothes Frank gave her.
"Yes, and I also made sure to be off tomorrow. When they came earlier with Sebastian to ask me if I wanted to come, I didn't think twice about it. Told work I had a family emergency, that my wife got gravely injured at work."
"Hmm, in that case, I'll tell the nurse and Sonylla not to speed up the healing, just in case your work wants proof. I'll be all healed up in less than a week anyway. Can't give you medical reports but a visual might work."
Coralis entered the shower, and Frank leaned on the bathroom doorway.
"I need to tell you before I forget. Mark knows. He passed by on the 27th and quickly figured it out. I couldn't pretend and act as if everything was fine, and I couldn't lie to him at that point."
"Sonylla mentioned Mark being there when she spoke with you once. Mark finding out was bound to happen, I think. Think he'll talk?" said Coralis, scrubbing off blood around her ankles.
"He said he won't, I think I can trust him not to talk. He also said he knew the supernatural wasn't all lies and that he heard his father mentioning your name a few times when talking about what his friends from the federal police had heard. They struggled to believe that you and others stood against them."
"It is what it is. Does his dad know who I am?"
"No. If he does, he didn't talk about it to Mark."
"I need to call Erik and Henry before we go to the lounge. Hmm, never mind. I broke my hologram in the battle earlier, and I think my cellphone was also left behind. I'll check again, but I think only my paraphernalia keychains were in my jacket."
"Use my phone to call them," said Frank before remembering that his phone died while he was talking to his mother earlier. "Was your stuff kept together?"
Frank pulled his charger out of his duffle bag and plugged his phone before returning to the en-suite bathroom.
"No. I quickly found the jacket I wore with my keychains in it, but I had to search for my ring, and it took some time to find Alejandro's jacket. My ring was the one thing I didn't want to have to leave behind. I found it in a desk drawer before Alejandro found his stuff. I'm sorry I missed our anniversary. I didn't forget it."
Frank sighed.
"To be honest, I wanted to be mad at you that day, but I couldn't. I even wanted you to be mad at me for admitting the truth to Mark. But it's not like you intentionally decided to get captured and missed our plans. You had managed to dodge all capture-parties so far, but people were relentless against you. They still are. I was worried out of my mind that at any moment, they would execute you just because they could. Everyone tried to tell me that it wouldn't happen, that you'd get back to me alive, but I still feared I'd lose you."
Coralis turned off the water and grabbed the towel on the pole to wrap it around herself before stepping out of the shower. Frank stopped talking when he saw her and watched her put her clothes on.
"I told people," continued Frank, still looking at her, "that I wouldn't care if you had to kill everyone to get out of there, and I meant it. I couldn't stand the fact you were getting tortured in there, and I still can't. Our elemental friends and family all told me why you wouldn't and why you couldn't, but in my opinion, you should have. Those who did that to you don't deserve to keep their life."
Before leaving the bathroom to search her blood-soaked cloak for her jacket keychain, she walked up to him to pass her arms around his neck, and she kissed him.
"I nearly did at one point," said Coralis when she parted from him a minute later.
"The day Sonylla came with me to work?" said Frank, passing her his phone.
"Yes," said Coralis, searching for one of the twins' phone numbers. "Good thing they got a mobile phone last year. I delete phone calls and texts from my history as I go... but I'm hoping no one called my phone."
"No one in the family did. You and Sebastian told us many times not to call your phones if we ever hear one of you got captured."
She put the call on speakerphone while it rang.
"FRANK! Is sister okay? We tried to call her hologram, your mobile phone and even risked hers, but we couldn't even get a connection. Holy gods from above, we heard about Madrid," said Henry on the other end of the line.
"It's me. My hologram broke during a battle in South Africa, my mobile phone was left behind in Sri Lanka, and Frank's phone died before I made it to the CMMA HQ. He just plugged it a few minutes ago... I made it out, but I'm sure you've heard about it already?"
"During a battle in South Africa? Sonylla said something about a second portion of the plan in South Africa, but she didn't have the details. Naturally, we need to hear about that. Yes, we heard about your jailbreak when we woke up, just before some people set our building on fire," said Henry.