WITCH - The Queen

Chapter 72

Julia

The sun of the desert burned down on them unmercifully. Most harpies, therefore, kept their feet in the river water or slept where they found some shade.

Pelle and Alwin slept curled up in dragon shape next to the tent where a small group had just gathered. Alwin was surprised when Julia told him that he also had a magical bond with her. He had only one question though: he wanted to know if it meant he could hug her. Amused, Julia had confirmed this. He was allowed to.

In the tent sat Julia, Cleo, Fiete, and Jane, as well as their wife Tinke. They wanted to discuss how to proceed. Before they could discuss their plans, however, Cleo had wanted to know if harpies were immune to her magic. The question surprised Jane. Harpies were only nearly immune to spells that affected the wind. Otherwise, they weren't, she explained. Harpies were true flying artists, so wind spells were mostly in vain. This seemed to calm Cleo at first until she remembered that many of her mother's soldiers were talented witches and wizards. Someone immune to their magic would be beneficial. Fiete cleared his throat to this.

"It would be best if we flew instead of wasting time walking all the way to the steppe", Jane suggested.

"And who carries the young wolf? And me?", said Tinke. "It also takes longer to reach the steppe by air, than these mountains."

"Well, we'd have to take a break in between", Jane muttered. "I can't wait to go into battle!"

Julia sighed. "First of all, we need enough allies. My mother's army is huge. Thousands of soldiers. Even if we were to surprise them, they would have the upper hand. Even if most of the soldiers are spread all over the country."

"But that would be our advantage." Cleo ruffled her brown curls. "If she doesn't foresee our coming, she won't have enough soldiers on hand to stop us."

"If", Julia said. "Unfortunately, 'if' does not apply. She knows. According to my visions, she will await us. So, taking the flight path, at least to the steppe and the fairy forest, is a good idea. After that, we should keep a low profile. I want to go on to the mountains of the wolves and the rebels. It would be bad if the Queen's soldiers discovered us."

Cleo shook her head. "The rebels are criminals who do not shy away from kidnapping children."

"But they are our best chance to find many allies! They are numerous. Right?", murmured Fiete. "And as I understand it, we would also be considered criminals and insurgents as soon as we cross the border."

Jane grinned happily. "That sounds exciting."

Her wife rolled her eyes. "You're childish, Jane. This isn't a game. Many lives are at stake. Princess? How are you going to smuggle a large army unnoticed through the country and up to the castle? Have you thought about that?"

Julia shook her head. "No. And I still have no idea how to do this. Disguised? We would have to hide your wings. When you fly, you can be mistaken for birds. At least at first glance. But our group is very large."

Cleo grimaced. "The group is too big... But with a smaller group, we wouldn't stand a chance."

Tinke nodded in understanding. "And if we split up? Some go to the rebels, some go to the mountains? And some stay in the fairy forest? Or in the forests of the elves? And are you looking for accomplices there too?"

"That's what I thought too. It might work!", agreed Cleo. "We generally need some kind of camp. Building this between the forests of the elves and the fairy forest would be a good choice of location. From there, it is not very far to the castle. A few hours, nothing more, if we choose wisely. And only a fool approaches the fairy forest."

"And if we want to go to the mountains, the shortest route would be the vampire territory", Fiete added. "There, dragon sightings are no surprise... It would be feasible by air if a small group went there."

"And we need enough provisions and other things... We definitely need to replenish our stocks. We also lack enough weapons. And tents..." Julia leaned against Fiete, who immediately embraced her. "There is still a lot to organize. The Pale Redbacks use weapons... And we can get some things in the refugee cities."

"And how do we get into the steppe?" Jane reminded her. "We haven't decided that yet."

"By air", Julia said firmly. "We just have to make sure that Tinke and Finn get transported comfortably. So far, this hasn't been a big problem, has it?"

Tinke nodded. "But this distance will be longer than from our trees to the dragons' caves."

Lea

As soon as Lea was back at the academy, Mrs. Weich had to pack her things and leave the academy. The dismissal came as a surprise to the robust lady. Mrs. Weich tried to persuade the princess, but Lea had no patience. Mrs. Weich had to go.

Shay set up a job advertisement for Lea, in which they invited to open interviews on a certain day. He had them sent to the press so that the job advertisement could be printed.

Chloe and Benjamin stayed in their room and read the new books Lea had bought for them. Lea was glad to know that they were safe in her apartment, while she stirred her tea and looked out the window of her office.

A postman knocked on the door of her office. Confused, she let him in. "Normally, the letters are delivered to the post office", she said vigilantly.

The postman, a young man with dark blond hair, smiled mischievously. "This post is important. I had to insist on delivering it personally."

"Oh, yes?"

"Yes. You know... I forgot to wash my socks. I'm sorry about the smell."

Lea nodded. The postman was part of the rebellion. "I have socks in my drawer", she replied, accepting two letters he gave her.

"Burn the Great Envelope and the letter as soon as you have read it, Princess. We can't leave any traces", he said. "It contains all the information about your new teachers. You can expect them tomorrow." With that said he said goodbye and walked away.

Lea sat down again at her desk and opened the first letter. It contained the names of the new teachers and descriptions of their appearance. In addition, it was announced that the two would move into an apartment in the capital and therefore did not have to be accommodated in the academy. They would support the teaching staff as history, math, and art teachers.

Art? Currently, this subject wasn't taught at the Academy. Maybe it could be offered as an extracurricular activity... Obviously, the rebels didn't care about the current subjects.

The second letter was from Fritz. He was looking forward to Lea's visit and suggested the coming weekend if Lea had time. She had time. Therefore, she quickly wrote her answer and brought it to the post office. Later, she would burn the rebels' letter in her fireplace. She carried it in her coat pocket until then.

(c: sasi)