The others laughed again, but Benny lightly scolded, “Okay, Aurora, you proved your point. But he’s ourfriend, and we don’t biteorspit at friends.”
She huffed in response and made her way back to Benny, flicking her tail back and forth.
“She won’t be small for long,” Vira said. “They’re only babies for a couple of days. She must have just been born.”
“How’s that possible?” Askold asked, rubbing his thigh. “I don’t think my leg can handle this attitude when she’s bigger.”
“Probably not. You’d better get on her good side,” Benny chuckled as he began walking once more, Aurora following his every step.
They walked for another hour as they approached the tall, stone wall. Sephyr was in her Corvid form, flying above, peering over, and watching for any movement on the other side.
“How do we get over it?” Benny looked to Vira before peering up at the hundred feet of stone face that blocked their path into the Lycanthrope realm.
“Please don’t say we have to climb,” Askold groaned. “We had to climb that damn mountain to get to the Wisps, and I never want to do that again.”
Vira chuckled. “There’s a door here somewhere, and I assume part of the wall is down too, considering the Jotnar are now on this side.”
“Shit!” Benny said, remembering the Jotnar. “You should warn Ferona that the Jotnar are making their way to Umbrea. And Roya, too. Can you check in with them, please?”
Vira closed her eyes, focusing on her task.
Sephyr flew down and stood alongside her sister, waiting for her to finish.
“Done,” Vira said.
“Umm… Did they say anything in response? Did Roya say she was okay?” Benny asked nervously.
Vira offered a small smile. “They’re fine, Benny. We didn’t say much, as our whispers can be heard by any Corvid interested. And with Feich and others possibly listening in, we have to be discreet.”
Benny frowned. That made sense, but it was a letdown to say the least. He was glad that Roya and his sister were safe, though. He heard loud chewing and looked over at Aurora, who was happily chewing through dried grass. She looked up at him and stamped her foot, digging her two large toenails into the dirt.
“If I continue giving you all the carrots and apples we packed, there won’t be any left to give, little one,” he said to her. “Later.”
She made a grumbling sound and went back to chewing on the grass.
Benny looked up at the wall once more. “Any ideas?” he asked as he pointed to it.
Sephyr answered, “There’s a door about half a mile north. We should head that way. The Jotnar tore through the wall about a mile north of that. We need to be careful. There’s no door south. We must head that way.” She pointed north along the wall.
Benny sighed and started walking, as both Corvids took off again into the sky. Askold muttered beside him, while Aurora pranced ahead, her fluffy tail swinging back and forth in playful glee.
He sent a silent prayer to the sky, hoping they would make it safely past the door and find Ojore.
Chapter 36
Luelle
The throne felt awkward and cold as Luelle sat upon its emerald facade, looking down at her nails. She grumbled, realizing she had a chip in her red nail polish on her index finger. They were doing mundane tasks, listening to people ask for various things. She half-listened as someone ahead of her asked for more water rights to plant a new field of vegetables.
“Approved.” She waved her hand in the air to shoo them away. She had approved everything so far. Is this what Ael had to deal with every day?
Utterly boring, she thought.
“I don’t know why you get to sit on the throne,” Praxis grumbled as he stood by her side, wearing armor like he was some strong, beastly male. She glared at his half-shaved head and cuffed ears and fought a laugh as she remembered how he tore into the dining room in a panicked state over the Jotnar, looking like a child who thought a ghost was in his closet.
“Because Ael said so,” she remarked in a childish lilt with a slight curve of her lips, signaling to the next person in line.
An older man walked forward and bowed. When he stood, he said, “Advisor Luelle, as you know, the sun did not rise. What do you intend to do about it? Our magic can only go so far to produce our food without sunlight.”
