Chapter 92 Just Say NO

Aella stood up and sighed. She needed to get the supplies from Alfred, but she wasn't sure who all would be in the throne room. He needed to be informed of the things she wanted done over the month, to ensure that he could keep on top of them. There was just so much she was in the middle of!

Teleporting to the back corner of the throne room, her eyes danced over the room, looking to see who all was in there, but it was only Alfred and Josephine. They were standing by the throne, talking in soft voices. The table where the Advisors normally sit, was piled high with various things. Someone had gone overboard on her supplies. She wondered who.

"Alfred, where is everyone? What did you do with Jogug?" she asked, stepping towards them and making sure her eyes weren't on either of them. She didn't want to get distracted by the muscles, or curves, either of them had.

"I sent them all to bed. Jogug is to remain until you return and can decide what you want to do with him. He doesn't seem like a bad guy, just misplaced and without a home."

She nodded, continuing to walk towards the table. There was far more here than she needed, so she would have to go through it and decide what to take.

"I figured I would have your regents remain in control, since that was your last orders," he added, moving to join her at the table, but she paused, still not making eye contact, and he stopped.

"That's good. I want focus placed on helping those who were displaced and hurt by the storm, as well as a task force sent south to look for survivors from the battle at the mountains and to clean up the dead. I'm going to leave my magical goggles, so you can see if the monster in the Spell Spire is affecting anyone. He's sending these black strands of magic that can kill people, or influence their decisions and emotions. I'm pretty sure you can only cut them if you have a magical blade."

"I don't have a magical blade," he said with a shake to his head.

"I'll need to get you one. It's important you can stop him from influencing others while I'm gone. I fully expect him to try something," she said. "I'll be right back."

Teleporting to the treasury, she didn't stop to look around as she reached down to lift the lid of the chest with the weapons. There was a loud sniff behind her and a deep sigh that sent shivers down her spine.

"Touch me and die," she growled without turning around. Stepping into the chest, she didn't hesitate. That damn mimic was right behind her, his eyes wide and drool dribbling down his chin.

Grabbing the first magical sword she could, her eyes were drawn to the special sword, still stuck in the stone. She would have to bring Alfred here, at some point, to let him get that, but now was not the time. Watching the mimic puff out his feathered chest, she teleported away before he could dive at her.

"Here," she said, thrusting the sword at Alfred, before turning back towards the table.

"Why do you have feathers on your back?" asked Josephine, plucking off several with a perplexed look on her face.

"Damn mimic thinks he's a giant chicken," she grumbled, picking up the cloak on top and tossing it aside. She didn't need any clothing, as her magical cloak handled all of that.

"Mimic?" both heroes asked, looking at each other.

"Yeah, there's a guardian mimic in the treasury that is supposed to protect it, but he's changed himself to look like a giant chicken and has started raising chickens inside one of the chests."

Josephine broke out laughing. Alfred looked concerned as he studied her.

"I would ask if you were feeling alright but we've already established that you don't. Do I need to worry about this?"

"No, Alfred. I'll take you to the treasury later, to get your magical sword from the stone. Right now, I need to go through this crap and get away from you guys. Since when do you smell like fruit, Josephine? No, don't answer that."

"Aella…" began Alfred, but she held up a hand, cutting him off.

"Alfred, I am trying the best I can here, just let me get through this mountain of crap so I can get away again."

"I'm going to go check on my daughter," said Josephine, shaking her head as she left.

He stood there watching as she set things aside, picking and choosing what she thought she would need. By the time she was done, there was very little in her pile to take. A waterskin, some food, and a small tent.

"I suppose you can always come back if you need anything else," Alfred said, looking over her small selection.

"I need to be able to travel quickly, to outrun anyone who might come after me. I don't need all that other stuff. I'll return as soon as the full moon is gone. Tell Frederick and Seifer I'm sorry I'm leaving them with such a mess."

He nodded and she teleported back to the portal.

"Is there any way to keep anyone else from using you?" she asked after it greeted her again.

"If you request it, because you are loved by the realm, then it shall be so."

"I don't want any portals to be used. They're just bringing monsters through that are causing me grief."

"Then all 6 portals shall cease to function, until you request them active again."

"Wait, 6 portals?"

But there was no answer as the runes around the portal stopped glowing. She stood there, wondering how she was supposed to reactivate the portal, if it wouldn't respond to her when she spoke to it. With a sigh, she figured that at least the portal to the south, that she knew about, wouldn't be causing any more trouble to her kingdom.

Flying up into the black sky, she flew deeper into the mountains. There was only the occasional noise from below, as night predators moved about with their daily lives. It was peaceful until a roar echoed out over the land. Rockslides exploded down the sides of the mountains from the volume of the sound. Aella paused in her flight, wondering if it was a response to her smell, then decided anything that was big enough to cause that much damage just from it roaring, wasn't something she really wanted to encounter. Continuing her flight north, she hoped that if it went to follow her, at least she would be drawing it away from her people.

She hadn't been away even an hour, before causing more trouble! This was going to be a long month!

Reaching the northern edge of the mountains, a great open plain spread out before her. There was the gleam of distant ice, and a deep chill to the air as it caressed her skin. Because of the fire in her veins, she didn't mind the cold, but the ice was bothersome to her. If it was only hinting at winter right now, she imagined that ice would probably grow until it hit the sides of the mountains here. The sun was starting to brighten the edge of the world, to the east, making the ice gleam and glow in the distance.

This area would be great for summer crops, but the winter would be horrible for anything to survive. It was also far too close to the humans, to be a suitable place for her people to live. Turning to the west, she decided to head that way, keeping an eye out for anything that might be following her. She would have to find somewhere to rest for a couple hours. Even though she didn't feel tired, she didn't want to be too tired to fight or run, if she needed to.

Behind her, she heard another roar, similar to the first one. It was distant, but it was obvious the creature was following her. It must not be able to fly, which bothered her. If she were to stop, she needed to make sure whatever it was, couldn't reach her.

As the sun rose behind her, the damage the yearly ice caused to the mountains became more obvious. There were grooves dug deep into the stone where the ice rubbed against it, and left its mark. Though, it left plenty of interesting nooks and crannies for her to explore, in her search for a spot to rest. Finally, about mid-day, she encountered a deep cave. The only access to the entrance, was a steep cliff that even that goat wouldn't be able to climb. A few birds looked to have nested there, based on the scattered feathers she found, but it looked to be a perfect place for her to rest in.

After making sure the cave did indeed end, she settled down to get some sleep. No sooner, it seemed, had she closed her eyes, then there was another roar, quickly followed by deep sniffing and grunting at the entrance to her cave.