The door opened, and Izaera and Ceris, carrying what looked like a long scroll, stepped into the room. Izaera sat beside Micah, and Ceris took the seat beside her and Victor.
“I see we are all here,” Ceris said, pinning me with her annoyed gaze. I offered her an equally annoyed smile. “As we suspected, the forest is gone. Somehow, Omi was able to lure some nymphs and enchant them to turn into demons prior to our arrival. When the right time came, they struck.”
I tried to hold my tongue because I knew Keisha and me—and Morgan, when he could come—were more like guests in these meetings than anything else, but I couldn’t stay quiet. “And the other nymphs?”
“A great number of my dear nymphs died during our fight, but some were smart and took advantage of the distraction to escape,” Zelen said. “Where they are hiding, I don’t know.” He stared at Ceris. “I owe you my life and that of my nymphs. With my forest gone I’m weaker, but you can count on me. I’ll do whatever I can to help you win this war.”
A relieved smile appeared on Ceris’s beautiful face. “That’s good to hear.”
“Me too,” Izaera mumbled. All eyes turned to her. She sighed. “I mean, I’m weak too. With almost all green gone, almost all clean water gone, no blue sky, and polluted air, my powers are weakening. I can feel my energy draining out of me … into oblivion.”
Ceris rested her hand over Izaera’s. “You’re strong, sister. No matter what. Hang on. We will win this war, and the green will come back.”
Lowering her gaze, Izaera patted Ceris’s hand.
“One thing is bothering me,” Micah said, drawing the room’s attention to him. “How Omi knew we were going to be there?”
“I was wondering the same thing,” Ceris said.
“It could be a coincidence,” Victor said. “Being one of the only green spots on Earth, Omi and Imha must have had their eyes on the forest for a while.”
Ceris tapped her chin. “It could be, but it’s hard to believe.”
“Are you suggesting someone here told Omi and Imha of our plans?” I asked. All gazes fell on me. “If we have a mole, how did this person communicated with Omi? We could check everyone’s phones, but I doubt you’ll find anything. And nobody left the bunker. Except you, Ceris.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Are you suggesting I told them?”
I raised my hands in a peace offering. “Of course not. I’m just saying it doesn’t make sense.”
“It could be a coincidence,” Zelen repeated Victor’s words. “I know demons were close to us. They had an eye on us for a while, probably getting ready to attack.”
“True,” Izaera said. “Demons were getting closer and closer to us.”
“That’s an unfortunate coincidence then,” Victor said.
Micah yawned loudly, raising his hands above his head and lifting his shirt a tiny bit—enough to show half an inch of his glorious six-pack. Everyone stopped and watched him. Ceris and Victor gave him an annoyed look, Zelen and Izaera shook their heads, and after gawking for a few seconds, Keisha lowered her gaze.
Unaffected, Micah knotted his hands behind his head. “So. What’s the next step?”
“Finding the scepters?” I said, sounding a little too righteous. Oops.
Victor unclasped his hands and folded his arms over the table. “Well, that isn’t going too well, is it?”
“But it should be priority.”
“It should,” Ceris said. “Unfortunately, as Levi pointed out, it isn’t going well. So, I propose we try to find another one of the creed gods.”
Unbelievable.
Micah cleared his throat. “Izaera, during all these years, you never had any contact with Sol, Lua, Ronen, or Maho?”
For sake of the discussion, I assumed those were the names of the other gods and goddesses.
“No,” Izaera said. “Never. All I know is they went into hiding, like I did, and I never heard from them again.”
“You were hiding where your powers were strongest,” Victor said. “So probably they are too.”
“That’s a good point,” Ceris said, her gaze distant. “We should try to find them. Having all of us together against Imha and Omi will make a huge difference. The odds might change in our favor then.”
Leaning back in his chair, Micah crossed his arms. “But once again, we’ll search for them with only a vague idea of where they are, just like the scepters. We’ll waste time.”
“What do you suggest we do?” Ceris sounded annoyed again. “Sit here and wait for a miracle?”
Micah stared at her, his eyes with a resolute shine. “You know what I suggest.”
Ceris tsked. “You also don’t know where they are.”
“But it’s easier to find them,” Micah said. Were they talking about the Death Lords again? “Find dead people, and you’ll find one of them. Talk to him, pass the word of a meeting, and done. We’ll get them all together, and we’ll have them on board.”
“What makes you so sure they will be willing to help?” Victor asked.
“What made you so sure Zelen would help?” Micah retorted. “What makes you so sure anyone you want to go after will help?”
“He’s got a point,” Zelen said.
Micah continued, “Well, I can tell you that besides what the Death Lords and I did, what they still do, we were a team. I knew I could count on them for anything, and I know that hasn’t changed. If they find out I’m alive, if we tell them of our quests, I’m sure they will join us.”
Ceris sighed. “I don’t know.”
Izaera squeezed Ceris’s hand. “You took a chance with Zelen, and you would have taken chances with other deities. I know you have issues with Mitrus, we all do”—she glanced at Micah, making her point. He shrugged—“but I believe he’s on your side, our side, this time. Give him a chance.”
A long minute passed. Ceris seemed to mull the options over in her mind. To me, there was no question. Come on, she was willing to go after anyone, why not Micah’s guys? It was only fair.
Her gaze met Victor’s. He nodded at her, assuring her it was the right thing.
“All right,” she said, sounding defeated. “I’ll find them and set up a meeting.”
22
Ceris left right after our meeting, and Keisha called me to train. Since I had nothing better to do, I accepted.
I changed into yoga pants and a tank top, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and met her in the gym. She wasn’t there yet, but Micah and Victor were. They talked in hushed tones.
“Hmm, sorry,” I said, whirling around to leave the room.
“No,” Victor said. “It’s okay. We didn’t know you were going to train right now.”
“I can come back later,” I said, pointing to the door behind me.
“No, it’s okay,” Micah said. “We’re done here.”
He started for the door. I stepped to the side but couldn’t help watching him as he walked by me. To my surprise, he watched me too. Our eyes locked, and I inhaled a sharp breath, my heart speeding in my chest. Was it really a surprise? Maybe it wasn’t.
He walked out, and I watched as his gorgeous frame retreated down the hall.
“Sorry about that,” Victor said, drawing my attention.
“You don’t have to apologize for anything.” I walked farther into the room. I wanted to start stretching, but I didn’t feel okay doing it with Victor watching.