Kaylia glanced back and forth between them. “I’ll be here for a while. There’s still much to do, but Elisa will want to see her sisters. I’ll take her there when the time comes.”
“We’ll see you there, but it could be a while,” Cole said. “We won’t be returning between meeting with the others anymore.”
Kaylia rose and wiped her hands on her pants. She swayed briefly before steadying herself and throwing her shoulders back. “Come with me.”
Lexi and Cole followed her through the scattered rows of the wounded before they left the chaos behind. They walked another fifty feet away from the others before Kaylia stopped and turned to face them.
“What happened?” Kaylia asked. “And where are you going?”
“First, we’ll go to the giants and then the dwarves,” Cole said. “Del, Brokk, and Maverick will check on the sirens and light fae, but I’m not expecting much. I imagine their realms were destroyed too, or at least the sirens’, but I can find them.”
Kaylia paled as she glanced behind them. “I’ll come with you.”
“You’re needed here,” Lexi said. “We’ll be fine on our own, and someone should take Elisa back when she’s ready.”
Kaylia’s eyes narrowed on her. “Why don’t you want her sisters and Beatrix leaving the prison realm?”
Lexi glanced back at the others and started to speak but stopped when Cole rested his hand on her arm. “It’s unlikely they could hear us, but we’re not taking the chance.” He focused on Kaylia again. “When you return to the prison, you’ll learn the answer. Beatrix told us the witches had agreed to work with us, but that was before all this. Do you think the witches will still be willing to help in this war?”
“After what happened to Verdan? Absolutely. They’re shocked and broken, but they’re also livid. It’s not something we’ve discussed, but we will, and I know they’ll be on our side. The crones are also here; I sent for them after the attack on Verdan. They’ll be a part of this fight too.Nooneattacks a witch like that without retribution, and the Lord will feel our wrath.”
The fury in Kaylia’s eyes made Lexiveryhappy the witch was on their side. She wouldn’t want that rage turned on her or anyone she loved.
“Good,” Cole said. “Now, we have to go.”
Kaylia looked about to protest but closed her mouth and nodded briskly.
“Sahira has cast a glamour over Orin and Varo; they’ve returned to Verdan to see if they can find any other survivors,” Lexi said.
Kaylia pulled on her good cheek as she ran a hand tiredly over her face. “We haven’t had a chance to do that yet.”
“Now you won’t have to worry about it,” Lexi said.
“They’re not concerned the witches will sense her magic on them?” Kaylia asked.
“They probably will, but they’ll never know what Varo and Orin look like behind the glamour,” Lexi said. “Is Sahira’s mother here?”
“No. She wasn’t in the village when they attacked.”
“So, she could still be in Verdan.”
“Yes. The Lord might not have gone after the other villages. Most of them are so remote, they wouldn’t be worth it unless he was determined to destroy all of Verdan. It’s more likely he went for the quick, brutal destruction that would destroy a large chunk of the realm and population but not take too much time. He has no way of knowing how many we’ve gathered against him or our plans; he won’t take the chance of having a lot of his army away for too long.”
“I agree,” Cole said. “Now it’s time to gather more soldiers.”
“Be safe,” Kaylia said.
“Always,” Lexi replied as she hugged her friend. “Take care of yourself.”
Kaylia squeezed her tighter. “Always.”
When they separated, Cole claimed Lexi’s hand. He opened a portal and turned to Kaylia. “We will see you again.”
“You will.”
Lexi followed Cole into the portal and onto the next realm.
CHAPTERFIFTY
