Elco narrowed his eyes at Cahir and Kalon and huffed when his gaze dropped to the spot on Cahir’s pants. Seda felt her cheeks heat, but before she could say anything, he walked over to the roses, and they parted for him, forming the same pathway as before.
She looked back at the two men and cleared her throat, “Are you coming?
They looked at each other, and Kalon smirked, taking the lead. Cahir jumped to his feet and pushed in front of Kalon, trying to get closer to Seda. She heard him snarl at Kalon behind her, “Next time I won’t let go.”
She bit the inside of her cheek and walked alongside Elco, weaving their way through the bushes. She greeted Suza before seeing Roya opening her eyes.
“We have news,” Roya said as they approached, but her gaze flicked to Kalon, and her brows furrowed. “Where did you come from?”
Seda stoodbeside Cahir while Roya relayed Vira’s words. How and why were the Jotnar attempting to reach Umbrea? What could be the Monster King’s reason for wanting to be here? She idly played with the chain around her neck with one hand, holding the stone firmly in the other.
She was surprised that Kalon actually returned it to her, as he had promised. She chewed on her lip as she watched the sparkling light from the stone glitter across the ground.
Suza had embraced Kalon when they first approached, but now she stood beside Seda, as if trying to show him that she was doing everything she could to stick to her word.
“You should tuck that into your shirt,” Suza whispered as she looked down at Seda’s moonstone. “A lot of people are after that now.”
She tucked it into her top and refocused on the others, who were now arguing.
“I’mnotleaving,” Cahir shouted. “We get to La Uma and rush back to Umbrea.”
“I can take you there now, Ael,” Kalon suggested. “If the Jotnar are on their way to your kingdom, it’s your responsibility to protect it.”
“Can you take us to La Uma directly? We can jump in, steal the stone, and transport out?” Roya asked.
“I can get us close, but not within her lair. It’s bewitched,” Kalon replied. “And despite what you may think.” He winked at Cahir. “My power isn’t endless. If we transport there now, I’ll likely need time to recharge before we can get away from her.”
“How long?” Cahir asked as he glared at him. “And how do I know you won’t just whisk Seda away from us?”
Kalon sighed and ran his hand down his face. “I swear I’m not here tostealSeda. If I wanted to do that, I could’ve just done it hundreds of times already.” He looked at Elco and pointed to him. “This guy’s massive. Normally, when I transport people, it’s not magical beings of his size. I’d probably need an hour.”
“How long do you think we need with La Uma?” Roya asked.
“No fucking clue,” Cahir answered.
Roya looked at Seda. “What do you want to do?”
Seda felt her skin tighten as everyone, including Elco, watched her expectantly, waiting for her reply.
If the Jotnar were on their way to Umbrea now, they needed the stones as quickly as possible. She inhaled and looked at Kalon. “Transport us there. We go inside, locate what we need, and return to Umbrea after you recharge. If the Jotnar were spotted beyond the border wall last night, they’ll be approaching the city soon.”
She glanced at Cahir and saw his jaw flex, but he didn’t argue her decision.
“Alright. Here we go,” Kalon said as he raised his hands.
A blackened tornado began swirling around them as darkness swallowed the world.
Chapter 38
Benny
The night sky burned brightly, a full moon illuminating the ground as they approached a large wooden door that met the path they had lost while wandering through the darkness.
Askold jogged up to the door first and jiggled the handle.
“It’s locked!” Askold huffed, shaking the handle roughly, trying to open it.
Vira and Sephyr flew down and shifted forms.
