People stared and pointed at Zeran, but he didn’t shrink in his seat. “Why would I still be here if I betrayed you? Make it make sense, because right now you’re just scared.”

“He’s not the one you should be worried about,” I said, though I hadn’t forgotten that he’d disappeared when the darkbringers first attacked. “He’s on our side.”

“Says the girl who befriended him and brought him back from the Dark,” Tisha Thomas shouted from the other end of the bleachers. “Who’s to say that we can even trust him? I, for one, don’t.” Whispers rose in the crowd, many agreeing with her.

“I trust him!” Eli jumped to his feet. “Zeran saved our lives more than once. He went up against the Lord of Shadows, Tyana Nulan, and his own father to help us. None of you have the right to doubt him without any evidence.”

Most people had the sense to look ashamed, but others like Tisha Thomas wouldn’t back down. She believed the future she saw of Zeran betraying me, and I had to consider it. Maybe if he weren’t always finding excuses to go off by himself, I wouldn’t still have doubts.

“Perhaps there are other darkbringers like Zeran who would stand against the Lord of Shadows,” Nana said, “but I would be surprised if there are more than a few.”

“Excuse me for saying this, but you have no idea what you’re talking about,” Zeran said. “You know nothing about my people—none of you do—only what you think you know, which clearly isn’t much.”

Nana cocked an eyebrow. No one talked to her like that unless they were prepared for a tongue-lashing.

“Whether or not the darkbringers are willing to help is beside the point right now.” Papa spoke up. I could hear the pain in his voice, the way his words cracked around the edges. “Zeran has shown true loyalty to my daughter and her friends. We would be no better than the Lord of Shadows if we condemned him over the actions of a few. Our mistake is perhaps failing to find a way to reason with the Lord of Shadows, instead of confining him to the Dark world to start with. A moment ago, someone asked how he broke through the veil. I’m afraid the answer is simple: the veil has weakened beyond repair.”

People stared at Papa with wide eyes, some mumbling, some stunned.

Yemoja raised a hand to silence the crowd. “We’ll begin evacuating the younger godlings and their human families to Azur immediately. By the time you go home to pack your things, there will be a note waiting for you with your scheduled departure time.”

“What’s going to happen to the rest of the humans?” someone asked.

“We’re working on a plan for them,” Yemoja said, assuring him.