Chapter 23: What Really Happened
Once I was sure Malissa was asleep, I walked back downstairs to see if I could find some sort of answers for her. If Orene was as close to Erylis and Leo as Leo stated, then I couldn’t see him simply leaving Erylis behind. There had to be an explanation.
I made my way back to the kitchen. Gwenna had just turned off the kitchen tap and took two glasses of water to Leo and Orene who were sitting on the loveseat. Leo’s hand was on the latter’s shoulder, and he graciously took the cups from Gwenna, handing one to his faithful friend.
Orene was clearly distressed—his hair was tangled and his beard was full of pieces of debris from his journey. He looked like he hadn’t slept since they left and was a far cry from the man I had met almost a week prior.
I quietly took a seat at the island.
“Start from the beginning,” Leo said calmly.
Orene took a stabilizing breath. It was shaky, but calmer than when I had last seen him.