Zareth checked out the largest suite available in the city—large enough for all 6 of them to lounge around comfortably while they waited around for the local staff to finish booting up the teleportation array.
The room he had rented felt sterile in its luxury—high ceilings, pale marble floors, plush seating—but it couldn't quite wash away the faint unease that clung to the group like damp clothes. Even the soft lighting and rich fabrics couldn't mask how every single person sat just a bit too stiff, backs a bit too straight, eyes flickering more than they should, on guard for a sudden attack.
One would think that they'd immediately be lounging around and resting in the warm embrace of their home country—but, while they were happy to be home, they were just as tense now as they were in the South.
They were safe now. Above ground. Resting. Alive.
But this kind of peace after a storm was often its own kind of uneasy.
