The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 308

Chapter 308

Caera and I appeared atop the snow-capped cliff guarding the entrance to the Spear Beak village . Branches of aetheric lightning crackled around us from the use of God Step as we were greeted by the sharp, beady stares of several dozen oversized birds .

Large torch lights cast a warm glow over the once eerily cold village and filled the hollow mountain top with a wooden, slightly acrid scent .

Suddenly, a cacophony of sounds erupted from the Spear Beaks as they began to flap, honk, and screech . A few even took to the skies carrying long, colorful streamers, circling over us in an intricate pattern .

“Are they...throwing us a party?” Caera asked hesitantly .

“Stay on guard,” I whispered before taking a step forward .

Immediately, the crowd of Spear Beaks parted to create a path for us, revealing Old Broke Beak garbed in an elaborate fur coat that reflected the flickering lights cast by the torches .

Lining each side of the path to Old Broke Beak, warriors of the tribe held out a variety of food .

“Welcome, welcome mighty ascenders!” Old Broke Beak squawked excitedly, rousing another wave of cheers from his tribe . “Yes! Today, we celebrate our warriors’ return . ”

As if possessed, the overgrown birds all began to squirm and move erratically to a rapid beat made by two Spear Beaks beating their beaks on what looked to be a giant drum .

Old Broke Beak began to walk toward us, his stick-thin legs quaking slightly as he took slow step after slow step .

Curious to see what he and his village had planned, I waited for him to arrive just a step away from me and Caera . He gently placed a wing on each of our shoulders and let out a mournful honk .

“The scouts say that Swiftsure fell in battle, but he has been brave, yes, very brave, and will soar high with the Creators!” the old Spear Beak squawked . Caera and I exchanged a wary glance .

Lowering his frail wings, he continued . “Our scouts also tell of your triumph over the wild things . This deed will be written in history for all our tribe members to read, yes!”

‘Their attitudes are a lot more humble than when we first talked to them . I like that,’ Regis thought weakly from within me . Though he was no longer wrapped around my core like a leech and was speaking to me again, Regis wasn’t yet strong enough to maintain a physical form after his use of the Destruction Rune .

“It’s nothing heroic,” I dismissed . “We’re just doing what we have to do to leave this zone . ”

“Heroic, a good word! And a true one, yes . We Spear Beaks can only bow in awe at your bravery,” he said before gesturing with one wing toward the table with food . “Ascenders, you must be famished . Please, the warriors of my tribe have brought you gifts of food and drink!”

“Is that all for us?” I asked, looking more closely at the items held in the Spear Beaks’ wings . Two carried slabs of meat, while three others did their best to hold handfuls of a fruit that looked like giant blueberries . A sixth carried a sharp black stone, while the last two each held an earthenware jug that sloshed when they moved .

Old Broke Beak nodded his head . “A humble gift from humble Spear Beaks, yes . ”

Caera subtly squeezed the back of my arm twice, though her smile didn’t falter . Even without prior preparation on nonverbal signals, I knew what she meant . If the Spear Beaks were as crafty and cold-hearted as I feared, it was possible they would try to do away with us and take the portal pieces for themselves .

How would I eliminate an unwary, yet more powerful foe?

I looked at the food again . Poisoned? I wondered, though when I met Old Broke Beak’s eye, I made sure to keep my face passive, even thankful .

“Without any disrespect, we couldn’t possibly accept such gifts . Surely your brave warriors should be allowed to enjoy such spoils themselves?” I said, lowering my gaze . “It would be more than enough if we could simply ask for your hospitality once again . ”

The old bird stood wordless as his good eye travelled up and down me, his cracked beak pointing wherever his gaze went until he finally spoke .

“Very well! While some may see it as disrespectful—though not I, no, not Old Broke Beak—to reject a Spear Beak’s gift, I see that Swiftsure’s ascension to the Creators has been difficult to bear, and so has put the ascenders off their hunger . It weighs on us also, very much so . But a feast will still be prepared, yes!” he said with a nod . “Come to Old Broke Beak’s hut, so that we may sit and discuss . There is much for you to tell . ”

Old Broke Beak led us past the line of Spear Beaks holding gifts, and though the giant berries looked delicious, they served to remind me of the memory that Three Steps had shared with me, and I knew it was best to avoid any potential trap the wily birds might prepare for us .

If they were smart enough to bait in two cautious Shadow Claws, who were taught from birth to watch out for Spear Beaks, then they were smart enough to poison some food in an effort to weaken or even kill us .

‘I thought your cockroach-like body was immune to things like poison, though,’ Regis chimed in .

But Caera isn’t, I replied . I’d rather be rude than stupid . Anyway, I wanted to see how Old Broke Beak reacted to our refusal . Now stay quiet and focus on recovering . You’re useless to me in this state .

I could almost feel Regis roll his eyes as he replied, ‘Aye aye, princess . ’

The couple whose egg we had consumed, True Feather and Red Wings, stood amongst the rows of gangly Spear Beaks, staring at Caera and I as we followed Old Broke Beak into his hut . I thought of the dark shape in the sky above the Shadow Claws’ village and wondered if it had been Red Wings who had followed and spied on us .

Once the elderly chief led us inside his home, he dipped his cracked beak and stepped back outside . “Please get some rest here . There is still much to be done, but I will be back soon, yes . ”

“Wait . We came here with the portal pieces like you asked,” I said hurriedly, not wanting to wait . “I want to try and repair the portal with what we have now, so we just need your tribe’s piece and we’ll—”

“No . ” Old Broke Beak clacked his beak sharply to cut me off . “You must provide the four, and we will provide the one . Right now, ascender only holds three . Rest for now, and we will together find a way to claim the final piece . ”

With that, the chief hobbled away, leaving Caera and I alone .

Caera let out a sigh beside me as she sunk to the ground . “How frustrating . ”

“That’s putting it mildly,” I said with a scoff as my eyes flickered to the bed of straw, feathers, and grass where Old Broke Beak usually sat .

“It’s unlikely the old bird left the one thing we want alone in the same room as us,” the Alacryan noble chimed in as I made my way toward where the portal piece had previously been hidden .

I rifled through the bedding, but only found the dusty floor of the chief’s hut . “Damn it . ”

Caera remained silent as I took a seat next to her, tense and angry .

It hadn’t been that long since we’d first arrived at the Spear Beaks’ village, grateful for Swiftsure’s assistance and the village’s hospitality . But in that short time frame, a lot had changed...I had seen too much .

A part of me blamed myself for everything that transpired . I should’ve noticed it sooner: the facts that didn’t quite add up to what these tall birds had told us, the animosity that all other tribes had toward the Spear Beaks, the bird people’s eagerness to use us for their own purposes .

If it hadn’t been for the Four Fists chieftain’s challenge, we might have exterminated the entire tribe before realizing they were anything but wild aether beasts . If it wasn’t for the lingering doubt I’d felt after that battle, we might have gotten revenge against the Shadow Claws for their ambush .

I shuddered at the thought of Three Steps and the rest of her tribe’s corpses scattered about in a maelstrom of Caera’s soulfire and my aether blasts .

No . I did the right thing in following my instincts, and while lives were lost, much worse could’ve happened if I had trusted Old Broke Beak implicitly .

While the elderly chief and his tribe still thought we were on their side, I had to be patient and wait for the right moment .

“How’s Regis doing?” Caera asked, snapping me out of my thoughts .

“He’s using my aether reserves to recover while he rests,” I answered, turning to the Alacryan noble .

That was when I noticed that she was no longer shivering from the cold, or even wearing a blanket over her shoulders . “Are you not cold?”

“It’s a lot warmer here than before . Maybe because of the torches they have lit outside for the festival,” she said, shaking her head . “Anyway, do you know what caused him to behave so wildly earlier during our battle?”

“It had to do with him tapping into the Destruction godrune that I have,” I began . “It’s difficult to explain, but Regis is a lot more compatible with that specific type of magic than I am, even though I’m the one that technically has access to this magic . ”

“So he wasn’t able to fully control it,” Caera said in understanding .

I looked down at my empty palm . “Basically . This magic is really harmful to the caster if they’re not compatible, though, which makes it hard for me to practice it . Because Regis isn’t limited like I am, I think he’s learning at a much faster—”

I stopped, realizing that I had begun rambling .