"Were you with Neo?" Felix suddenly asked with narrowed eyes.
Jack was surprised by the accuracy of her guess.
"I was. How did you know, though?"
"Venyth told me," Felix replied. The snake spirit, visible only to her, coiled lazily around her shoulders. "Why did he leave without meeting us?"
"He said he was busy."
His words dampened the group's mood.
The warmth of the food now seemed less comforting.
It was clear Neo was involved in something dangerous again.
He hadn't met them because he didn't want them to worry.
If it had been before, Felix and the others would have been angry.
They would have demanded to know why Neo hadn't told them what he was doing and insisted they could help.
But that wasn't possible anymore.
They were too weak to stand alongside Neo.
If they tried to help him, they would only become a burden.
The realization stung.
It left a bitter taste in their hearts.
