Tales of the Pearly City (Pearly Tales Vol.1) [Completed]

67. Flamel's report

A few tense minutes passed as Cal hovered his glowing hands over Flamel's body.

When she finally began to stir, everyone gathered around the bed.

"Calloway?" She sat up and winced as if someone put her head in a vice. "Ow, my head, what happened?"

"You got sloshed and put me through hell, you crazy psycho bitch." Gisela coolly handed her a glass bottle of water.

Flamela remembered why she got drunk, and in her hazy parched mindset she grabbed the bottle and chugged half of it. Then spit it all over Gisela like it was poison. "What is this, this isn't Liquor!"

Gisela's brow twitched. She made a scene as she forced the bottle down Flemal's throat.

"What do you mean 'this isn't liquor', how dare you try to drink again after last night! You started a brawl with your own knights down at the dock. I had to be called from across the city just to calm you down enough to drag you back here where you proceeded throwing a tantrum. Do you know how much dignity I lost last night when you- n-never mind that!" Her face flushed as if it was a memory she'd rather not relive. "First you're going to tell us why you've been freaking out then you're going to take responsibility for what you did to me!"

While Gisela was yelling about not being able to marry anymore, Shayley leaned over to Cal to ask her what this meant. She was an aggressive huntress of the Dravenkin she hadn't ever experience the finer points of elven girlhood in the city limits.

Cal calmly whispered the answer in her ear and Shayley made a perverted snicker.

"Princess!" Gisela was mortified to the point she stopped trying to kill Flamel.

With the break in her assault Flamel gasped for air between coughing fits.

Shayley put a teasing hand over her perverted grin, and waved Gisela off Flamel like she would a teenager who'd been caught doing something embarrassing. "ho ho ho, Gisela release Flamel, you may talk about the finer points of your budding relationship at a later time." She teased while holding back her laugher.

Cal couldn't hide his laughter. He turned away and snickered into his fist as he tried to hold it back.

Gisela was defeated beyond a shadow of a doubt, only then had she realized she was straddling the beautiful golden haired elf in a rather intimate way.

"Ya, get off! Ow, my he~ad." Flamel shoved Gisela over the other side of the bed, then whined while curling her hands around her head with tears in her eyes. "I know you like it rough Gisel, but I have a headache. Can we do this tomorrow night?"

Cal couldn't contain himself anymore.

Shayley just lewdly teased Gisela with her accusing eyes.

"So you do Remember!" Gisela roared over the edge of the bed until she saw Cal and Shayley's reactions. She sank until only her head was showing, she clutched a lump of bedding and tried to hide her face. "I just want to die."

Flamel's pained expression went from physical pain to a sorrowful crushing weight.

Cal got the hint and cleared his throat, he placed a comforting healing hand on Flamel's head and began petting her comfortingly.

"I think it's time we stop playing around. Flamel, does your behavior have anything to do with what I asked you to look into?"

Flamel nodded her head, she sniffled and wiped her nose with her arm.

"Yes, forgive me Calloway. I have acted disgracefully. Allow me a moment to collect myself." Flamel's behavior went from deranged college kid back to one befitting a Sylvan knight.

"Take all the time you need."

Flamel took a few deep breaths as if it pained her until she calmed down. When she composed herself, she sat up properly over the corner of the bed to face Cal and Shayley who had pulled up chairs.

"My report on the half-breeds between the races on the council and others of mixed descent, ultimately reached an unfavorable end. There are no half-breeds in the city, no registered adults anyway. About one hundred and fifty years ago was the height of half-breed population growing no larger than maybe one hundred between infancy and adulthood. Then due to a series of mysterious circumstances they began to disappear one by one. Lost in the woods, or at sea. Strange accidents leading to death and some just disappeared into thin air."

Flamel sniffled.

"I dug into it and currently all of the elementals I talked to admitted to avoiding offspring. Although most are unwilling to admit it, it seems a common belief among the clans that half-breeds are bad luck or even taboo. Mysterious accidents happen to their family, most involving strange deaths. There are even some who leave their elemental spouse out of fear when they learn they're pregnant. Through heartbreak and more misfortune, the half-breed is abandoned to die or disappear on their own... There are no half-breeds in the city!"

Water coated Flamel's cheeks. Then she shouted as if her soul itself were howling at the injustice.

"They are not coincidence! Someone is targeting them! SOMETHING is killing children! The have been slaughtered and abandoned, abandoned and slaughtered! And it's been happening under our noses for hundreds of years! I failed, I couldn't protect them, I didn't even know!"

Flamel broke down again, but now everyone knew why.

Gisela crawled of the bed and wrapped her arms around Flamel. Flamel latched onto her and wailed her pain and frustration. "I'm so sorry Gisel, I didn't know. I couldn't protect your children or mine. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."