The Seal

29

Ziof snorted. "This has got to be the weirdest part so far. I swear, I can't take it."

Deyja's brows rose from secondhand embarrassment as she blushed. "Jaxton's dad kissed you? Why?"

After Ezeriah explained everything, they seemed even more freaked out. And so did she.

"Well, that explains a lot. I mean, why Jaxley chose to live where he did. Next to the bay where the bodies were dumped. You'd walk right up to his house." Yelun was impressed. "What a man."

"Lots of secrets." Ziof agreed. "Nava had no idea."

Heaviness hung in the air.

"Pretty screwed up. Jaxton learns one parent is still alive but has to lose the other. How's that fair," Li sat back against the brown wall.

"He's strong, he's more worried about us," Ezeriah told him. "I could feel all of his thoughts."

"We need to get him out," Li stated.

"Yeah, we know." Deyja gave him a look. "Everyone is going undercover. When Klei and Josef comes back we go from there."

"And so we wait," Ziof sighed as Yelun handed him sewing utensil for the lashes on his arms.

"I should've died two thousand years ago." Ezeriah glanced up at him as he busily worked on his wounds.

His lips were busted and his cheek was seeping blood at an alarming rate.

He swallowed hard. " I'm glad you didn't."

"Look at the mess we're in now." She pressed the cold ice pack Deyja made for her swollen cheek. "It's all my fault. I wish I would've drowned in that block of ice."

"I'm glad you didn't," He repeated.

"You shouldn't be." She turned back to him with guilt. "I think we'll all die tonight."

"No, we won't." Deyja shook her head. "We've made it this far. We've gotta fight."

Ezeriah held back tears. "Yeah, you're right."

"Let me check for any cuts, or wounds, okay?" Deyja told her.

Ezeriah nodded and the went into a smaller section of the bunker where Ezeriah was comfortable in less clothing for Deyja.

"Everything is gonna be okay," Deyja said as she worked on Ezeriah's leg.

When the bomb shook Jaxton's house and she fell, she must've landed on something sharp because she had a large slash on her thigh.

"I hope so," Ezeriah mumbled. "Save those lives stuck in slumber and save Jaxton. Then I'm going back to the Backlands forever."

Deyja chuckled. "So, so much better. How... how do we tell their kids?"

Ezeriah's eyes stung with tears. "We don't. We don't at first. They're young. They may not even understand."

Deyja nodded. "I'd like to be their guardian if you don't mind."

"I don't," Ezeriah whispered. "We didn't even get a goodbye. It happened so fast. We just ran."

"They would understand." Deyja sat down next to her.

"You think so?" Ezeriah turned to her with tears.

Deyja felt hot tears roll down her cheeks. "Yeah, I think they would. They died protecting you and Jaxton supporting the cause. They did everything they wanted to do."

"Yeah, you're right." Ezeriah wiped her face and Deyja hugged her.

"We've got each other. And we're alive. We're going to release everyone asleep. And they'll be at peace forever."