Chapter 285
Keles crossed her arms, her expression unreadable. "You’re worried."
She walked closer, standing beside him as they both watched Phantom’s glowing form high above the outpost. "Change is coming, whether we’re ready or not. Zarvok’s not the only one playing a dangerous game here. The spider queen, whom we know so little about, is surely making her move, and we are caught in the middle."
Keles shrugged slightly, her gaze distant. "She has no choice. Zarvok’s ahead in this race. If she doesn’t disrupt his plans, she’ll lose before she even gets a chance to compete. And that’s something she can’t afford."
Ikenga frowned, considering the implications. "If the spider queen is truly Zarvok’s equal, then when she strikes, she won’t do it directly. She’s too cunning for that. She’ll try to weaken us, destabilize the alliance before we can even set foot in that world, or hamper our progress."
Keles smiled faintly, a rare expression of warmth. "We’ve come this far together, Ikenga. We’ll see this through. But we have to be careful—Zarvok is ambitious, but he’s not the only one with ambitions. We have our own goals, and we can’t let his desires overshadow ours."
Ikenga turned to look at Keles, his gaze softening as he took in the warmth of her smile. It was a rare sight, one that always seemed to catch him off guard, no matter how many times he’d seen it. There was a strength in her, a quiet resolve that he had always admired. But in moments like this, when her guard was down, he saw something more—something that made his heart beat just a little faster.
"We’ve always had our own goals," Ikenga said, his voice quieter now, almost intimate. "But it’s different this time. The stakes are higher. The risks... greater."
Keles turned her head slightly, her eyes meeting his. There was a flicker of something in her gaze, something that made the air between them feel charged, electric. "We will find our way through it together."
Hearing her words, Ikenga stood up as if compelled, his hand reaching out to the hood covering Keles’ head. He hesitated for just a moment, but seeing no resistance from Keles, he gently pulled the hood down.