Elmira Sielstone: The Empress

Chapter Twelve

Where’s that two-faced monster?” Alexis stormed into the Palace,running up the stairs, shouting out of anger on top of his lungs. His eyes were showing his desperation to see who he was looking for.

“Alexis, what are you doing?” The Queen comes rushing towards him and tries to calm him down, but Alexis doesn’t seem to care about the people around him trying to stop him. They don't even have any idea why he is acting like that, when he had just entered the Palace.

“Show me that Woman. I’m gonna kill her.” He said, storming in the hallway to the next floor, not looking at them. He is so desperate to kill her as seen through his eyes.

“What’s happening?” The King made him stop as he was holding him in his shoulders who suddenly appeared in front of him. Concern was all written in his face while looking at him, trying to understand what his reasons were.

“The Gemus had entered the Academy.” He said, gritting his teeth in anger, and couldn’t look at him, straight to his eyes, as he doesn’t want him to see how desperate he is, to kill their visitor.

“I can’t seem to understand, why does it concern her? You should have gone looking for us.” The King is still holding him, trying to put his fear at the back of his mind. The fear of having another problem in Harzenia that they don't know how to put in order, as Elmira is not saying anything about her ways on how to get rid of the Gemus.

“We had increased the Academy's protection with the help of everyone there, yesterday, so no one can ever enter the Academy Again." He stopped for a moment to breathe as his anger was growing much stronger as he remembered what had happened since yesterday.

"But when that woman entered, the barrier slowly decreased. And with that, Gemus has been coming and going out of the Academy since yesterday."

"How did you know that they're Gemus, son?" The King asked him, as they knew that Hazzles and Gemus were just the same.

"I saw the three of my bodyguards there. Leading there way. And they were all Gemus." He said, trying to control his anger as he was talking to the King, his Father.

"You're what?" The Queen suddenly asked, her brows formed a furrow, as she couldn't believe what she had heard.

"They were my g-"

“And why is that my problem, Hazzle?” Elmira suddenly showed up behind him, where The Queen is, cutting him from what he was trying to say. She has heard everything that Alexis has been saying since earlier, as she was just around and as Alexis' voice is so loud that it was echoing around the Palace.

“You!” He had removed the King’s hand in his shoulder, exerting a force as he's father is much stronger than him and ran towards her with his dagger in his hand and a blazing anger in his eyes.

“You slowly removed the barrier didn’t you?” He stopped in front of her, and had pointed the dagger in her throat.

Elmira can see his overflowing anger in his eyes, as his hands shakes due to his rage that he wanted to kill her, but is controlling himself not to, not until he heard something from her.

“And where is your evidence to your claim, Hazzle?” Elmira stayed unmoving and calmed, looking at his eyes, and studying his movements and breathing pattern.

Elmira had known what was happening inside the Academy, ever since. She can see it with her eyes, and inside her mind. And she also had seen what Alexis was saying, the sudden drop of the Barrier in the Academy, and the entry of the Gemus inside. But she remained silent to the Royal Family as she didn't need to tell them everything.

“And why do I have that, when it is clear that you are the reason for that? You were the only one who entered the Academy yesterday, after we had increased the barrier.”

Elmira didn’t say anything and remained calm. She doesn’t seem to understand his logic, because he's being so stupid and so unreasonable. He doesn't seem like a Prince and the next ruler of the land.

“El, you told us that you’ll look for Alexis, right? What happened?” The Queen asked as they were all getting curious on what had really happened yesterday and how the barriers got thinner, and how Gemus had entered the Academy.

“Yes. I saw him, flirting in the garden. Not doing his tasks as a Prince of Harzenia, Because I had found out that she was preventing him from doing his missions. That’s why I had come to see it myself, and it’s true, as I saw them kissing. Manipulating him over and over again.”

Elmira knew how that woman constantly manipulates Alexis, that's why she ended up entering the Academy to see it for herself, and to stop her from doing so. The woman has been manipulated by the same person who manipulated her inside the forbidden forest, and only Elmira can remove her from her manipulation.

“I have explained everything to you yesterday, Hazzle. You were there when I freed her mind from being manipulated. I even protected her so it won’t happen again. And you’re here, accusing me of something I didn’t even do, after everything I have done for her.” She said, feeling so disappointed for her good actions, but they are still doubting her for her kindness.

Alexis couldn’t answer her as he had realized what she had said, but he still didn’t put the dagger down from pointing towards her, as he just couldn't withdraw himself after putting a show in front of her.

“And that barrier you were talking about, is another reason why I had come there.” She said, removing the dagger in front of her, getting it in his hands, and making it vanish into thin air using her hands, in front of them.

“What do you mean?” He asked. He was really confused about what Elmira was saying, that he couldn’t understand some of them, because it was his first time seeing someone this powerful, and she’s not even part of the Royal Family, as he believes she isn’t.

“Yesterday morning, I had felt someone was trying to alter everyone’s Qarath for the activation of another layer of protection in the Academy. But that person used her Qarath to alter all your Qaraths that you’ve been putting on the Academy. And that’s how she managed to decrease the level of the Academy’s protection. I can’t tell you the process, though." She said, still calm, as she had foreseen everything to happen.

"Let's have a meeting as you were all here. The disease in the East is spreading fast and they still don't know the reason for its existence, call the other two. And later this day, call the Governors of each cluster, except for Tarfelli." She said and vanished with the Queen, in front of them.

They landed inside their office, where they had sorted out the reports. There were new reports in their long table and Elmira took a quick glance at them.

"38 New death counts, still rising." She read one of the papers on the table and sorted out everything again by category, using her Qaraths.

"Why didn't you tell us the real reason why you need to go there?" The Queen asked, trying to read some new reports.

"Because it's something you can't do anything about." She said while getting the papers in order, and taking note of the things they need to talk about in the meeting.

"Okay. So why did you take me here with you? Just wondering, because it's the first time."

"Because It's not my place. And I don't want to be called a thief." She said without looking at her, still busy with what she was doing.

She had made a summary of the reports on the table and got the papers they had sorted out yesterday, and made another copy of them. She directed it to the conference room inside the library, while they were still inside the office of the King and the Queen.

“So what are your plans? You haven’t let the Governors enter the Palace yet?” She said, finalizing the papers in front of her.

“We had already opened the gates. But we’re still considering them going in and out of the Palace, as it is still dangerous out there due to the Gemus circulating everywhere in Harzenia, and now, they are already inside the Academy. That’s another big problem.” The Queen was just helping Elmira on what she was doing, and sometimes, she was just behind her, and didn't know what help she could give her anymore.

“So, that explains why. Come on. They’re all there at the conference now.” She said, holding a paper and her precious pen with an Emerald Ink that she’s always using when they have a meeting.

“Explains what?” The Queen doesn’t know what Elmira was talking about and is confused.

“Nothing. Come on.” She takes her wrist and she teleports her to the conference room, where everyone’s waiting for them, looking at the pile of papers on the table, where Elmira’s seat is.

“There were another 38 recorded deaths in Tarfelli.” She started, pulling her chair, and seated.

Everyone was looking at her until she got seated, waiting for her to continue the report.

“And the number will rise up to a hundred before this day ends.” She said, looking at the paper she was holding and taking a note. She wasn’t even surprised at the sudden rise of the deaths in that part of Harzenia due to the unknown disease spreading fast there and she was just calmly reporting the number on them, without making any other expression in her face, other than her blank expression that couldn’t be read.

“Do you perhaps know what is the cause of this deadly disease?” Redina asks, reading a copy of the report from the pile of paper in front of Elmira.

Elmira stops from writing something in her paper in front of her, when she hears the question Redina had asked. Her brows formed a furrow that intrigues them, as they couldn’t read what she was thinking.

Everyone’s waiting for her to answer, looking at her.

“It was from their Government.” She said, without looking at them, sighing. “And he’s entered the gates of the Palace, just now.”

No one ever reacted from what she had said, and remained silent as they were still processing what they had heard. They're just looking at each other's eyes, unsure of how to react to the sudden news.

“Pretend that you know nothing about what they have done. They’ll ask for money and will reason out. Do not ever get swayed. He’s with someone that can manipulate people, and can read minds.” She said,fast as she could, and still not looking at them.

“Each one of you, get a paper.”

“For what?” Alexis asked in confusion. He’s starting to get nervous, all of them are, but they’re just concealing it, and making themselves completely calm outside.

“Because he was with someone so powerful.” She said, writing again in a paper. Each of them got a paper out of fear but they didn’t know what to do with it.

“That will be your protection for Mind reading, and manipulation. Put it somewhere near your body, like pockets or what.” She said. And Whatever she's writing on the paper in front of her, appears just exactly on the paper in front of them.

“Are you not gonna be here with us to face them?” The Queen asked.

“I can’t. But I’ll be around...” A knock on the double door of the conference hall had stopped them all from what they were doing. They had already inputted the paper inside their pockets, as Elmira had instructed them.

Elmira gestured for them to keep quiet. “They’re here. There were five people in total.” She said, quietly as possible.

“I’ll now leave.” She said and vanished into thin air, before the door had slammed open, showing the exact same number of people Elmira had seen. She left them in shock as they didn’t even know what to do, or how they would entertain the people now in front of them, knowing what they had done in their place.

The King stood up, and so did they, as a respect for the people who had just arrived.

“Mr. Flinn, what brings you here?” The King asked, pretending not to know his reason. They were all wearing black suits, appearing so formal in front of them.

“We had reported our condition, but we still haven’t heard from the Palace yet. So we decided to transact with you personally.” The man at the center said. They welcomed themselves and entered the place without being told to do so.

He sat in the right seat of the King, where Elmira was seated earlier.

Elmira was still inside the conference, but distanced herself from them. She was just using her invisibility to see and hear them all.

“Savvy, I couldn’t find her. She’s not in her room.” Elmira had seen them once again, inside the Academy, looking for someone.

“She’s not already here.” Sinn said, crossing his arms beside Savvy who was still in his normal self, being in his calmest nature, that no one had ever known what he was thinking, or if he’s even thinking or not.

“She’s inside the Palace.” Savvy said, looking at a distance, in his serious face.

Alexis was just looking at one person ever since they had entered the room, he was so sure that he had seen her somewhere. When the person looked directly at him, and looked at his eyes, that person grinned. She grinned so evil that sent shivers to everyone in the room, especially him.

“Loisselle Alteria, Let’s start the meeting.” Their leader had called her. When Smith had heard him call the name, he automatically raised his head, and looked at who had said it, making sure if he had heard the name right, and waiting for that person to react, because he was with two ladies and two men with him in the conference room.

“Yes Sir.” And his gaze suddenly turned to the woman who had spoken. The woman with the most angelic face between them all, a woman in her mid-twenties, and someone who doesn't look capable of doing bad things. He was just staring at her, when she smiled playfully towards him.

“Yes Pa. She’s that person you were thinking about.” Elmira said in Smith’s mind, telling him that his guess was just right. The same person who had poisoned the Palace, and killed someone.

“And that’s why I couldn’t be seen by her. Everyone will be in danger if that happens, as I am who she was looking for...And I couldn't afford to put you all in danger because of me." She added, worrying about their safety.

Elmira suddenly felt her world was spinning, as he held onto her head, closing her eyes, and held from the wall near her to support her balance, so she could remain standing from where she was.

"Not now Gemus. Not Now!" She said in her mind, breathing heavily as she tried to conceal the burning pain inside her. She was not feeling fine since yesterday as there was a constant stealing of Qaraths happening somewhere, and she was just enduring everything as he heard Alexis storming across the Palace earlier. She didn't want to leave her room, but she was forced to.

And because she has been seeing someone, entering the barrier of the Palace, and it happened to be that same person who couldn't enter the barrier last time in the woods. The same person she had met the first time they arrived back, and the same exact person who had poisoned the Palace and who had been Manipulating Alexis' woman, and… who had removed the barriers of the Academy.

"Loisselle Alteria has now entered the Palace." Gemus Savvy said, informing his two companions, Sid and Sinn, that Elmira had heard and seen through her mind.