September 6, 2004
"You're thorough," said Nancy.
Coralis was on the way to Winnipeg to attend a practice given by Panjik when her MI6 contact called.
"That's why you liked me in the first place."
"It seems you are becoming a witch-living nightmare. Two months ago, an informant based in Mexico spoke with a trusted white witch there. She said that a coven of witches threatened a local pack of werewolf. The werewolves mentioned your name when the witches couldn't pass through their wards. The white witch said that the coven immediately left the entire area."
Coralis struggled to stay serious after hearing that, remembering the coven she terrorized with Sebastian when searching for Audrey. An hour after ending her call, she landed at the CMMA Headquarters. She wasn't working for them, so she was grateful that the elders didn't mind her attending some training sessions, once in a while.
While she was sparring with Emery, High Mage Finnas and High Elf Yalor entered the training room to talk to her.
"As you very well know, we've been at war for a year and we don't yet see the end of it," said High Elf Yalor when Coralis and Emery stopped their spar and turned their attention to the two elders. "We are encouraging all elementals to hide in elemental hubs. However, we know very well that not everyone can hide, and we do not want to separate mixed families."
"Hiding isn't an option I have. I could technically take my husband there if I complete the bond, but I don't want to cut him from his friends, and he works among humans. My enemies are mostly elementals anyway."
"Everyone is at risk of being captured or shot on sight, including those who aren't on any lists and any humans close to us. For the mixed families, we are now urging the elementals to tell their human family members not to listen to anyone they have never met before, even those claiming to represent us at the CMMA," said High Elf Yalor.
"Can't trust anyone these days. I'll tell that to my mate even if she's also a mage," said Emery.
"Wise precaution. To facilitate communication if something was to happen to the elemental spouses, we are instituting a program for the mixed families we have on record. We want the elementals whose spouses are humans to name one who would be allowed to speak on their behalf to their human partners if something happens to them," said High Elf Yalor.
"Similar to the duties of a guardian for elemental children living with a human parent?" said Emery.
"Yes. The Department of Family Affairs will be handling it. They are notifying our living elementals who received a finger branding, but since you are here today, we'll collect your contact for them," said High Mage Finnas to Coralis.
"That's a good program, I like the idea behind it. Put Sebastian Larameer for me."
Meanwhile, Roberto called Sebastian on his hologram to explain the program. Sebastian didn't have a practice scheduled for that day and was home with Stephanie.
"Put Blue Thunder for me."
"Hmm, of course. I suppose I don't need to verify with her," said Roberto while entering the information in Sebastian's file. "I just received the notification that Finnas updated her file with your name as such."
"It's nice to see that you are asking instead of assuming, just in case, but yeah, I think it was obvious they would be each other's emergency contact," said Stephanie.
"Indeed, and I remember well the day I met with Ms Lizzy and Molly Hudson."
Coralis returned home late afternoon. In the evening, Sebastian called her. He was curious about why High Mage Finnas was the one to update her file.
"I was at a training session at the Headquarters this afternoon. I was sparring with Emery when High Mage Finnas and High Elf Yalor came into the training room to talk to me about the program. I didn't think I needed to check with you first."
Stephanie and Frank laughed at that comment. Stephanie and Sebastian sat on their living room couch, with Sebastian's hologram on the table across them.
"We are already using you two as our go-to contact whenever we're worried," said Stephanie, looking at Frank's holographic image. "Right, brother?"
"Definitively. I sometimes call Vic, but if something were to happen, Sebastian would know before she does."
Coralis and Frank were standing in their kitchen as they just finished dinner when Sebastian called. Her hologram sat in the middle of their kitchen island.
"I trust Victoria, but she isn't in that line of work and as connected as Sebastian is to your family and the CMMA. It made more sense to put him as my authorized elemental to Frank. High Mage Finnas will also have Audrey's file amended, to add Sebastian as my emergency contact to Lizzy if something happens to me."
"Oh yeah, I didn't think of that. We also need to tell Lizzy about that program, to not trust any other elemental besides us, except maybe Victoria," said Sebastian.
Stephanie got up to pull two beers out of the refrigerator.
"I was about to take four bottles out until I realized we were talking to you two over hologram."
"Technically you could pass us bottles through portals, but even if I had one with me, I wouldn't use it for that," said Coralis as Frank pulled two beers out of their refrigerator. "Speaking of Lizzy and Audrey, it reminds me of something."
She relayed to them the conversation she had with her MI6 contact when on her way for training, which made Sebastian nearly spit his drink and Stephanie laughed to tears. She had already told Frank about it, but he still found it funny.
"It's not only to witches that you're a living nightmare. We all know you rank 10th on the list of most beloved witches because elemental traitors are afraid of you," said Sebastian.
"It's like you and many others have said. They are going after those who stand in the way of the radicals. Rosita either pissed them off or, as we suspect for Vladina, she was tasked to take one of us out to get off the list. I killed them without wasting my time to talk to them."
"Or both. If she fled Portugal because she'd been tipped off, whoever warned her probably didn't do it out of loyalty, but was expecting something in return. Maybe she didn't deliver, which put her on the list. Those who want us dead could have reached out to her with the offer to take someone out if she wanted off that list," said Sebastian.
"Anything possible," said Coralis.
"Which makes me wonder. You know they'll update the list soon to add names to replace those who got killed. Are they going to add people who are standing against radicals or are they going to add shady people to take one of us out?"