Ch 319 - Trouble in the mountains

 As he stared at the white clouds out of the window, Alex felt very agitated. Fortunately, Debbie continued to sleep in his arms.

Soon, the plane landed at the airport in D. C. 

It was slightly cooler than when they left Baltimore, and Alex wished he'd worn something warmer as he stepped off the plane.

Debbie coughed violently.

"Debbie, are you okay?" Alex was so nervous that he hugged her tightly, worried that her illness was getting worse again.

"I'm okay. Don't worry about me," Debbie said softly, but her face was so pale that he couldn't help worrying about her.

Alex and Debbie went to a restaurant and ordered dinner while Celeste went and rented an RV for them all.

As soon as she had eaten, Debbie vomited all of the food back up. Then her neck tilted back, and she passed out.

"Debbie, Debbie," Alex cried. Flustered, he quickly pulled out the medicine that he had bought at the hospital and poured some into her mouth.

"Debbie, please be okay," he said with tears in his eyes.

"Celeste, we're going straight to the Moon Palace now." Alex feared that if they delayed anymore, Debbie might not survive.

"Yes, of course," Celeste replied, "we must hurry."

Alex carried Debbie to the RV, and Callisto, Selene, and Luna sat with her to take care of her during the journey. Celeste sat in the passenger seat so that she could give Alex directions.

They drove directly to the Moon Palace, which was located deep in the Appalachian Mountains. Very people ever went near there except a few mountaineering enthusiasts and explorers.

Fortunately, despite being remote, there was good infrastructure in place, and the Moon Palace had access to modern conveniences such as electricity, good road access, and the internet.

Under a spattering of light snow, Alex drove slowly through the mountains.

The scenery was breathtaking. The lonely road seemed to disappear into the distance, surrounded on each side by majestic mountains.

"Mr. Alex, after the death of the old master, I haven't yet told the other Moon Maidens that you've taken over. They will want to hold a ceremony to make you the new lord," said Callisto.

"None of that matters right now. I just want Debbie to recover," Alex replied.

"Debbie's strong. She will get better," she told him.

Then Callisto said, "I'll call my sisters now and ask them to send someone into the mountains to pick the special orchids for Debbie. When we arrive, they'll hold a ceremony to welcome you both."

She took out her cell phone and called the Moon Palace.

The phone rang but no one answered.

What's going on? Celeste wondered.

She told the others, "I just tried to call the contact office of the Moon Palace, but I couldn't get through. There should always be someone there answering calls." She looked worried as she ended the call and tried again.

And again.

And again.

Each time she called and no one answered, Callisto felt more uneasy.

Then suddenly, the call connected, and she felt relieved. She was about to speak when the voice at the other end of the line said, "Callisto, the palace has been attacked. Because the Lord and the four of you have not been here for so long, three gangs got together and attacked us. We think the gangs are Blood Sacrifice, Ice Edge, and Falling Souls. They want to occupy our palace and all of us Moon Girls are about to meet with them to discuss their demands." 

"What? Do they all want to die? Tell them that the lord will be there soon. Tell them that anyone who dares to attack the Moon Palace will get their violence turned back on them tenfold," Callisto said angrily.

"Callisto, you're on your way back? That's wonderful news. Okay, I'll go and tell everyone now. When I tell the gangs you're all on your way here, they might rethink their attack." The girl ended the call.

"What's going on?" Alex asked. He could tell that there was something very wrong.

"Mr. Alex, because the old lord and the four of us have not been at the Moon Palace for several months, some of the gangs from D.C. took the opportunity to attack the palace. They want to occupy it. When I get there, I'll teach those gangsters a lesson," Callisto replied angrily.

"Which gangs?" Alex asked. When he had first promised to protect the Moon Palace, he had no idea that gangs from the city would bother with it. He felt responsible for the safety of everyone there.

"There are more than ten large gangs and thirty small ones that operate in this area. When the old lord was here, she was so powerful that no one ever dared to attack us. The gang leaders all knew that she was a stronger and more skillful warrior than any of them. But when they heard that the old lord has gone, they knew that it was their chance to beat us. We need to get there to help." 

Alex frowned. He had only come to the palace to cure Debbie, but now it seemed that there was another problem to be dealt with.

At that moment, Luna called out from the back of the RV, "Mr. Alex. Debbie just vomited blood!"

Alex's heart started pounding in his chest. He needed to climb into the back to see Debbie.

Callisto guessed his thoughts and said, "Mr. Alex, you go, I'll drive." Alex stopped the vehicle and climbed into the back. Callisto slid into the driver's seat and started driving.

When Alex saw that there was a pool of blood on the floor of the vehicle, he ran to Debbie's side and saw that bright red blood was also splattered over her pale face.

"Where's the medicine? Give her the medicine," he shouted.

"Mr. Alex, we've already given her the medicine," Celeste told him. It was clear that the medicine was no longer helping.

"Alex," Debbie cried weakly, "I know that you're lying to me. I know I'm dying. I'm so happy that you're taking me to the Moon Palace, but I think I might not last—"

"No!" Alex interrupted her with tears in his eyes. He said, "Debbie, listen to me, I will cure you. Celeste said that they'll collect special orchids from Appalachian Mountains around the Moon Palace. If you eat them, you'll get better. Believe me."

"Alex." Debbie struggled for breath. Then her eyes rolled back and she fainted.

"Debbie, Debbie!" Alex exclaimed. After checking that she was still breathing, he asked Celeste and Selene to hold her as she lay on the bed. He sat down next to her.

"Debbie, you won't die. We haven't had enough time together. You can't leave me now; I won't let you." As he spoke, he put his hands on Debbie's back and tried to transfer all of his internal power into Debbie's body.