All the talk of battles and combat did nothing to settle my stomach.
Inkiri nodded. “We’ll be lucky to have you. But it does leave the matter of the Koa Esher.”
We didn’t discuss that further. Thankfully, Vergis came into the kitchen. He gave me one look, then grinned. “How’re you feeling this beautiful morning, Princess?”
“For all the things you say are my fault, this?” I pointed to my face. I’d seen the bags under my eyes, and my bloodshot eyeballs. “This is all your fault.”
“Mmm, but you were quite happy last night, Sadir, in the hammock with Vergis,” Inkiri said.
“Oh?” Charles turned to look at his kid.
“Not what it sounds like,” Vergis and I said together.
Charles raised a brow. “Sounds like you had a party just for the two of you. It’s always the quiet guys who get really freaky when no one is watching. Anyway, I suggest we take the prisoner along, make sure we know where he is at all times.”
“The Koa Esher from the basement?” Vergis walked to the fridge, but Nokim handed him a fresh mug of coffee before he even got there. “Thanks, Nokim.”
I blinked sleepily. That was possibly the first morning ever that Vergis had thanked Nokim for the coffee, and as a result, Nokim was sporting a beaming smile. I couldn’t imagine smiling like that. My face was hurting. Just looking at Nokim was sort of painful.
“Anytime,” Nokim said, but Vergis was already sitting down next to his dad.
“I may have a plan for how we can take him along safely.” Vergis looked at me. “Remember the bear?”
I groaned, and Inkiri clicked.
“How could I forget the bear?” I asked before carefully laying my head on my arms.
Charles stirred some honey into his polenta. “Magicy stuff?”
Vergis nodded and sipped his coffee. “Yup.”
“You double-check that with your dad.” Charles looked back at Inkiri. “A week from now is still the plan?”
I lifted my head a fraction. “Uh, wait, are we…already planning when we’ll…whatever we’ll do?”
“We talked about it last night, Sadir. Zeddira and Kinnek headed back to Aër this morning to select more protectors to help us.”
My jaw about dropped. “We’re bringing more people into this?”
Inkiri nodded. “After you were gone, as Zeddira and Kinnek talked, Zeddira said that back on Aër, the Koa Esher have been using the beasts to attack just past the border. There is some magic the humans have shown the Koa Esher that makes it possible to control the beasts to some degree. That’s what the prisoner has said before, and Zeddira just confirmed that the Koa Esher were already using that information to cause harm. As a result, the Koa Esher must still be working with humans. Which they would only be doing if they had come to an agreement regarding you.”
Charles nodded. “Yeah, basically, we’ve been able to confirm that our bunker-dwelling bagu has been giving us solid intel so far.”
“Oh. That’s bad. I mean, good about the intel, but what is happening is pretty bad.”
“It’s all the more reason to close the veils to the monsters’ world as soon as possible,” Nokim said before finally joining us. He sat next to Vergis and put down a bowl of his polenta breakfast delight in front of him. “The veils between Aër and Earth, our plan will not harm that connection? I would hate being cut off from Earth.”
Vergis leaned back in his chair. “Nah. Those two make Aër and Earth stick together.” He gestured back and forth between Inkiri and me. “Through the magic of fucking lots.”
I didn’t have the energy to turn any shade of billet bean. My teeth were hurting too much. I lowered my head back onto my arms.
A door in the house opened, then shut. “Ah!” Lissir walked into the kitchen from the direction of the mudroom. “Mostly everyone’s here. Fellisse?”
Charles cocked his head. “Bunker.”
“That can’t be helped, then.” Lissir sat down with us, though not before he checked both entrances to the kitchen. “I have news.”
Vergis snorted. “You found another Raikenga to keep you company last night? That’s not news. Everyone saw that coming.”
