Chapter 544: Taint of Darkness
Eventually, the barrage of questions subsided, and I sank back into my chair, exhausted. I couldn’t remember the last time I had spoken so much, and my throat felt dry and scratchy, voice growing hoarse. Thankfully, Luke seemed to notice my fatigue and stood, clapping his hands to gather everyone’s attention.
"Thank you for waiting patiently this week," he said, meeting each of the apostles’ eyes in turn. "I know you have your own plans as we move towards Sylvarus and the Alliance, but it was important we took time to gather our forces."
"And for a certain someone to wake up," Jessia added, giving me a playful grin.
Luke glared at her, and she shrugged, muttering, "Just saying."
I stared at him, my eyes wide. They had delayed their plans for an entire week so I could recover? If he wanted access to Haven, there was no need to allow me a stable place to sleep. He could have just kept marching and, whenever I awoke, forced me to open a portal. What kind of plan had he made that required me to be comfortable and well-rested?
"Regardless," Luke continued, his voice regaining its authority, "I’ve divided up the available demon gates in the Alliance, and each of you can claim the reinforcements at your leisure. Jessia and I will cut a path to the center and take Tormod’s Breach, securing passage into the Blacksand Empire’s territory. We’ll meet up there at the beginning of spring for the final campaign to Sylvarus."
"And what of the other heroes on the continent?" Evla asked.
Luke hesitated for a moment, shooting me a glance. I held his gaze before averting my eyes, nervously clutching my skirt. His eyes lingered on me a moment longer before he sighed.
"If they try to interfere, eliminate them," he said, his voice hardening. "But our focus should be on gaining strength, not wasting scions on heroes. The last thing I want is to arrive at the Empire in the same weakened state as we did here. There won’t be another Haven to rely on this time; we’ll have to use our full power."
"Haven?" Edrin frowned at the unfamiliar name.
Luke’s lips tightened into a thin line. "That’s... the name of the condition Xiviyah had."