Because I Love You✔️

Chapter 154: The Plan and a Panic Attack

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Four: The Plan and a Panic Attack

When Xaphile's eyes opened, the first thing he saw was something white.

At first, he had no idea what he was looking at, but when he lifted his hand and touched it, he realized it was Ella's hair. He blinked sleepily, then vaguely remembered that she had crawled into bed with him and Adariel the previous evening and relaxed.

She was safe.

Alive.

That was the only thing that mattered to him.

With a yawn, he sat up and rubbed his eyes, glancing around the room. 

Amelia, Vrael, Vordt, Sinmir, and Gus were already awake. 

The two blonde men both looked disheveled, grumpy, and slightly out of sorts, probably the result of a serious hangover, and the others were simply conversing in hushed tones. As he stretched to wake himself up, Adariel also sat up and rubbed his eyes. 

"Good morning, Big Brother," he rasped. 

"Morning Adariel," Xaphile rasped right back, stroking the top of his head. Amelia turned at the sound of their voices. "Morning guys."

"Good morning," Amelia said softly. "I just finished speaking with Vordt. I think you should wake Ella up. We need to talk."

"Damn right we need to talk," Vrael growled. "What's all this about splitting our group up?"

He winced, but decided to wake Ella up so she could start explaining things.

Turning slightly, he touched her shoulder and shook her until she stirred.

It took her a moment, but she eventually sat up.

"Everything all right?" she asked, dazedly looking around. 

"We need to talk," he said simply. "Everyone wants to talk about last night."

Ella's eyes went from tired to lucid within seconds.

"All right," she murmured, running a hand through her disheveled hair. "All right, fair enough. It would be better to explain it sooner rather than later since we leave after lunch."

Xaphile watched as she rose to her feet and walked over to the table, sitting down beside Sinmir and Amelia. Adariel looked around in confused curiosity, but he merely wrapped an arm around the kid's shoulder in a reassuring manner.

All eyes were on her when she folded her hands, regarding her fingers through the remnants of her smeared illusion-makeup.

"We're splitting up our group," she said simply, letting loose a sigh. "All of us are temporarily going our separate ways so we can make plans to thwart the war King Osric is trying to wage."

"What?" Sinmir scoffed, eyes widening. "Ella, what are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that you're taking Vrael and heading back to Adanac to inform your father of what's happening within Aerika, Sinmir," Ella said shakily, then shivered a little. "I have... reason to believe that last night, I was attacked by the very same person who... did that, to you. Twice."

Sinmir's bearded face went white, then darkened and wrinkling with fury.

He said nothing.

"So, you intend for me to go with Sinmir?" Vrael asked, eyes wide; he slammed his hands down on the table, rising to his feet. "No. Not happening. I refuse to be separated from Xaphile."