December 24, 2004
Coralis stood in a back corner of a clearing in northern Labrador, waiting for Audrey. She didn't have her eyeglasses on, but wore her wrist binds and kept her hood pulled halfway below her eyes. She didn't want to be seen or sensed. She told Audrey where she stood, so she could quickly locate her when getting off the bus.
With the tensions rising in her community and her list of mortal foes growing longer, Coralis was worried something would happen to Audrey when she was in town just because of her connection to her. She could protect Frank from her people, but Audrey was a mage: she couldn't hide her the same way. Lizzy's apartment was well warded, but protecting her when in transit was a different challenge.
A first bus landed and Coralis made a mental note to check with Sebastian, Erik and Henry to get Lizzy's car warded like Frank's. A few minutes later, she saw Audrey getting off one of the buses and met her halfway. They were almost at the take-off area when Lucida and Bomita Chorm intercepted them.
"Blue Thunder! I was hoping to see you today!" said Lucida.
A few people near them turned to look. Coralis wanted to facepalm herself but decided against it. She didn't want to be rude to people who cared about Audrey. She was used to crowds wanting her attention, but she usually was able to dodge them, and the endless war was putting her on edge. She wasn't worried about herself, but about the people she cared about.
"Hey Lucida! Hi Bomita!"
"Is it true, what I'm hearing? That the humans wouldn't have cared or persecuted us if it wasn't for some corrupted elders at the CMMA who betrayed us?" said Lucida.
More people turned to listen. Coralis only wanted to be out of there, but knew she couldn't avoid their questions, not this time. Not knowing who was listening, she chose her words carefully.
"I don't know where you heard that. We have been betrayed, yes, but not everyone is against us and most elders at the CMMA aren't corrupt," said Coralis before remembering why the CMMA instituted their authorized contact program for mixed families. "Careful who you trust, however. Humans aren't our enemy, that is true, but many people among us want us to believe they are. Traitors are everywhere, not only among the CMMA."
"Would you still be playing flyball if you weren't persecuted by human authorities?" said someone behind her.
At this point, she decided it didn't matter if someone was listening. Her enemies knew where she stood and she understood why people were questioning her about what was being told.
"If it would have been only the human authorities wanting me dead, I would probably still be playing, but I have more enemies among our kind than I have among humans."
Twenty minutes later, she was finally able to leave.
"I am going to take a long scenic route to make sure no one is following us," said Coralis to Audrey.
That year, the Christmas Eve family gathering was at Molly's. Frank arrived there later than usual, accompanied by Samantha and Jeremie. Samantha worked until 4 that day, so he decided to wait for her before leaving and it took her a long time to get ready. Raymond arrived at the same time.
"How's Coralis?" said Raymond before turning his attention to the two shifters with him. "Hey Sam, hey Jeremie."
"She's doing good, all considering. She and Audrey will be here late this year. They missed their flight on their way back," said Frank as Molly opened the door.
"Here you are! I thought for a minute that you'd get here at the same time as Blue and Audrey this year," said Stephanie as he gave his coat to his mother.
"We might have if they didn't miss their flight in St-Johns. They got cornered by people with questions before they could take off from the student gathering spot, so Coralis decided to take a longer route to the airport, just in case they'd be followed. When she called me from the airport, she said there was a massive line to the counters and struggled to find another one going out of the city."
"Bet she considered walking out of the airport and flying here," said Sebastian.
"Yes, and she nearly did," said Frank as he sat on a folding chair. "She managed to book one with a layover in Fredericton, but they won't be here before 10."
"I think she wanted to take a taxi from the airport this year, is she still doing that?" said Sebastian.
"Yeah. Can't be too careful these days."
"They'll probably be here between 11 and midnight, then. That girl can't catch a break," said Louis.
At 22:30, Coralis and Audrey landed at the airport in Dorval. They headed toward the ATM to get enough cash to pay for a taxi before hailing one. Audrey struggled to stay awake on their way to Molly and Coralis had to wake her up when they arrived.
"Finally! Come in, I'll warm you up food. I put two plates on the side for you," said Molly as she let them in.
"I'll admit I'm surprised you didn't just decide to fly here instead when you missed your flight," said Sebastian while Lizzy hugged Audrey.
"It was tempting, I'll admit. I hate the human transit system, no offence to you guys," said Coralis, looking at Frank's family, "but Milkya is right. If I want to remain invisible around the city, buses and taxis are the way to go. Fellow elementals are more of a threat to me than humans will ever be."
"I hear that you're busier than you were when you worked two full-time jobs," said Linda as Coralis sat on a foldable chair between Frank and Jeremie.
"Even if technically, you only work for how they're called… the Shadow Elementals?" said Louis.
"What are they, exactly?" said Lizzy.
"No time wasted for question night," said Frank, chuckling.
"I seem to be busier, but it's easier to manage than when I was juggling between flyball and the rest. I'm a member of a group called the Shadow Elementals, yes. They are led by a few century-old elementals who went through several wars and witch hunts throughout the centuries."
The top 5 most wanted ones are Shadow Elementals," said Sebastian.
"When a full-blown war breaks out, endangering everyone and threatening the current balance, they go against the groups actively plotting against humans. In this case, they take down those who should be listed, but that no one sees. When the war ends, they'll disperse and regroup at the next one," said Coralis.
"That explains why Riwik is listed as 1st, and they probably tried to recruit him. I wonder, however, why they weren't involved when Lord Meozo was in power, sowing terror among us. You ended up having to destroy that thing because the CMMA and EBEE failed," said Sebastian.
"Because Lord Meozo never was a threat against humans, contrary to what most people think. Some of his associates were and used his name to promote their campaign against humans, but Lord Meozo only sought power over own kind. As a people, we are already brutal against each other, so there was no need for the shadows to step in," said Audrey.
"That is correct. People talk about that at school?" said Coralis.
"People at school only talk about the war and the brother of one of my teachers is a member of the shadows."
Coralis' phone rang. She recognized Charlie's number, so she answered it.
"Can you meet me at Sweet Vice?"
"That's the blood den Dolores worked from in Sudbury, right?"
"Yes. She said they've been receiving threats from a certain Blok Howar, and she spotted Lucas in town. She called me in a panic, I'm on my way there. I can deal with Lucas, but if the elves are involved, I need an elemental backup with us and you're the only one I trust with my life, no offence to your posse."