"AHH! Yes, my lovely sister has her own shield now, she doesn’t need mine. I am so proud of her." Lotus accepted the pendant back. She would infuse it with her magic again and give it to Aiko.
"I can protect all of you with my magic now, but in case we are separated, the individual shields will come in handy," Cassandra explained, and others agreed unanimously.
Haylia had to take her leave, the Elders needed her. The six of them continued their discussion.
"I can share my power with one other person so I think it would be advisable that someone other than me should have the ability to open portals," Aiko offered, drumming her fingers on the table and throwing everyone into a thought.
"Faris will remain by your side so I don’t think he will need it. Cassandra will be with me and I can always transform into my dragon and soar. I think it will be more feasible if either Lotus or Razial should have the other alternative, in case we split up," Siroos concluded, casting a glance towards the others.
"I have no objection." Faris raised his hands and clicked his tongue.
"Same," Cassandra added her piece.
"I think Lotus should have the other one," Razial spoke, crossing his arms over his chest, making her throw him an annoyed look.
"Why? Do I look like the weakest member of the group to you?" Lotus haughtily asked.
"No, more like the most responsible and smart amidst us," Razial answered smoothly. No sweat broke as he openly praised her.
Cassandra had to hide a chuckle by bringing her hand and covering her mouth.
He was treading dangerously.
Faris let out a teasing whistle, his eyes wavering from a slightly pink-faced Lotus to a very calm Razial.
Even Aiko could sense something was going on between the Princess and the Commander.
"He has a point, though, and I agree with this suggestion. But we can always take a vote. Everyone in favour of Lotus having the magic to open portals, raise your hands," Siroos asked.
Except Lotus everyone raised their hands in approval.
"Unbelievable, we are so doomed if I am to be the most responsible one in the group. Fine, I will charm my favourite piece of jewellery and give it to you." Lotus dramatically raised her hands in the air and rolled her eyes.
Laughter followed her action.
"All right, let’s draw out a list of every essential we might need and who is to carry what. Keeping in mind we might be gone for months. I have no clue how long it will take." Siroos leaned back in deep thought, stapling his hands and placing his elbows on the wooden table.
Faris was picking on some chicken legs.
"My satchel has magic space inside it, so I can fit almost everything in it without it getting heavy. It was a special gift from another prince who suspiciously never returned although he seemed quite interested in me," Lotus sighed, thinking back to the courting days.
Razial cleared his throat rather loudly and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He seemed pretty cosy a moment ago.
"Maybe he was chased away," Faris thoughtfully said, observing Razial shifting in his seat.
"I wonder the same. Too bad for him, I don’t have time for men any longer. I am going on an adventure." Lotus upped her dainty shoulders.
"You are destined for someone more thrilling than some boring prince," Cassandra leaned forward and patted her hand.
"Seriously! His loss, you seem like such a fun and amazing person," Aiko chimed in as well.
"Ah! Well, the group needs a couple of charming people, too, so I guess Faris and I will fit the roles." Lotus wriggled her brows at Faris.
"Right back at you." Faris happily took a bow.
More laughter continued, any tension between any of them seemed to have completely evaporated.
Razial remembered the unicorn hair. Taking out the small glass vial from his pouch he placed it on the table and explained what Tamkil had said.
"Who would be in charge of this?"
"We trust you with it; keep it, Razial," Siroos answered, knowing his friend had entrusted him with it.
"One second." Lotus reached out and plucked the bottle from the table.
Placing her index finger on the glass she let some of her protective magic seep into it. The glass turned frosty and blue for a second and then returned to its original form.
Others watched her with interest.
"Here, this won’t break." She handed the bottle with the silver chain attached to its edges back to Razial.
"Thank you!" His cupid-shaped lips turned into a smile. He could have easily done this tiny trick but having her do it for him made his heart flutter like a tiny bird.
"We need to put charms around the territory as well. We have magic crystals around the pack but they need to be fed magic continually. Having no mages of our own, their magic has fizzled away. Now that we will be leaving, I want the pack to be safe."
Siroos sighed; he was excited to leave, but at the same time, being the alpha he knew he had his duties to his pack. He didn’t wish to leave them vulnerable.
"Don’t worry. I will feed the crystals enough magic that the protective boundary will hold, and no one will be able to break it." Cassandra reached out and clasped her fingers around his thick wrist. Siroos placed his other hand on Cassandra’s in gratitude.
"Razial and I will help as well. The pack will be safe, and after what you did with the vampires, they will think twice before attacking here. We just need to ensure that the news of our departure doesn’t spread," Lotus said, making Razial nod.
"True, no one should know we left. Besides using Aiko’s power, we can sneak in whenever we want to ensure the safety of the pack," Faris added, finally pushing the plate of chicken bones away.
"Yes, I can bring you back whenever you wish and we can return to the exact same location later," Aiko assured them.
Their plans continued till late in the night until no one could keep their eyes open anymore and they had to retire to their beds.
An adventure of a lifetime was waiting for them ahead and the six of them were ready to face it.