Ojore held his hand out. “Please, just hear me out.”
“They set foot north as we headed west,” Sephyr replied. “We communicated with Roya yesterday. They’re fine.”
“Fuck,” Ojore said. He roughly sat down on the sofa, causing it to shift on the ground. He looked at Yepa. “The people who joined us today aren’t who they say they are, Yepa.”
“What do you mean? Who joined you?” Benny asked.
“King Ael and Seda did.” Ojore looked at him and pursed his lips. “But, theyactdifferently, Benny. King Ael isniceto me, and you know how much I dislike that grumpy asshole. I have reason to believe they’re not who they say they are.”
“Who do you think they are?” Yepa asked. “I swear, Ojore, you left our community years ago to go live amongst the humans, and you return to bring with you only chaos.”
“I don’t know,” he replied with a bear-like growl. “But it’s not them.”
Benny’s eyes widened. He recalled the others talking about Neoma using some potion to change Praxis into Ael. They had been sent away from Umbrea. “It’s Meir and Neoma,” he said.
“Who the hell are Meir and Neoma?” Ojore asked.
Benny sat straighter in his chair. It had to be them. “Meir’s a Fae advisor, and Neoma is some woman he’s along his side. They were sent away from Umbrea for impersonating King Ael.”
“Can you contact your friends and check?” Yepa asked, looking toward Sephyr, her lips pursed and slightly crinkled with irritation.
“Only Roya’s with them now. Ferona remained in Umbrea,” Sephyr replied. “I’ll try.”
She closed her eyes.
“What do we do?” Benny asked the others, watching as Yepa chewed her bottom lip.
Yepa exhaled deeply. “We act as if they’re who they claim until we learn more. I need to leave now. I’ll check on your friend, Askold. Don’t discuss this with anyone.” She glanced at Ojore. “Anyone. Do you understand? No need to cause trouble until we have a plan.”
Ojore huffed in response, “Fine.”
Yepa opened the door and looked back at Benny. “There’s a dinner tonight. Please join us.” She didn’t wait for their response as the door closed behind her, leaving them in silence.
Sephyr finally opened her eyes. “Roya’s unreachable. Ferona says King Ael and Seda never returned, and they’re prepping for the Jotnar to arrive. I fear I’ve said too much through the whispers.”
Roya was unreachable? Benny’s mind stalled as the news dropped into him like a pit of despair. What happened? Did that mean she was injured? They just reached out to her not that long ago. Did they reach La Uma and were now hurt… or worse?
An ache began to bloom within him, but he swallowed it down. His sister and the love of his life were okay.
They had to be.
“I don’t trust Yepa,” Sephyr said after looking around to make sure she was gone.
Benny,Sephyr, and Ojore walked the path from the medics’ tent to the courtyard where the dinner was supposed to be held. Askold was awake and seemed fine, though exhausted, and chose to remain in the tent with Vira rather than venture to the dinner. Aurora was apparently tired of people and decided to stay outside the tent as well.
They hadn’t seen Meir or Neoma yet. He wasn’t sure what heshould do when he did see them, though. Just pretend to be happy to see his sister? He felt it was strange that Yepa wasn’t more concerned with the news and wanted them to keep it a secret.
“Does anyone else have a bad feeling about all of this?” he asked the others as they listened to the loud yells and cheers coming ahead.
“Yup,” Ojore replied. “I think we need to leave tonight.”
Sephyr didn’t respond, instead choosing to remain silent as she walked alongside them, her eyes scanning the area around them.
“So we eat, pretend things are okay, and then what? Take off after?” he asked.
Ojore only nodded in response.
Benny tried his hardest not to think about Roya being unreachable, but every time his mind wandered, his heart sank further.
