The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 314

Chapter 314

The pain of my fall was really starting to set in by the time we found our way back to Elder Rinia’s cave . Most of my body was covered in black and purple bruises, which I knew would look even worse by the time I made it home .

Mom is going tofreak out .

Boo’s sense of direction was just as good as his sense of smell, so the return trip was pretty straightforward . I gave him a few scratches around his ears and across the silver crescent of fur on his chest, then limped through the narrow crack opening into the little cavern, carrying my broken bow and the blight hob’s slimy tongue wrapped in a piece of cloth from my shirt .

Inside, Elder Rinia was sitting at a little table, staring down at a square board covered in marbles . As I watched, she picked up a marble, set it back down at a different place on the board, and mumbled something under her breath .

I opened my mouth to say something suitably dramatic, like, “I’ve returned!” but the old seer raised a wrinkled hand and motioned for me to be quiet .

Typical, I thought .

After what seemed like a very long time, Elder Rinia quickly moved two more stones, then turned to me with a satisfied smirk on her face .

“You’ve returned,” she said, eyeing the bundle in my hand . “And successfully, from the looks of it . ” Her gaze quickly traveled over my body, lingering on the visible bruising on my cheek, neck, and arms . “Though not without a few bumps and bruises, I see . ”

I opened my mouth to start telling her about the hunt for the blight hob, but Elder Rinia waved for me to come closer, cutting me off again . “Here, let me see it . Quickly now!”

Scowling, I stomped across the cave and handed the cloth-wrapped tongue to the elder . She gingerly unwrapped it, examining the tongue carefully .

“Yes, yes . This will do nicely . Very nicely . ” Without even looking at me, she hopped up and practically ran across the cave .

I watched, bewildered, as she dumped the tongue into a pot that was steaming over her little fire . The cave, I realized, was filled with the scent of cooking food . My eyes bounced from the boiling pot to Elder Rinia and back again, then went wide with horror .

“You—you’re not going to—”

“Oh, yes dear . Blight hob tongue is a very rare delicacy . Tender, juicy, fatty, with just a hint of bitterness . ”

I seriously considered vomiting on her floor for the second time that day, but I choked back my revulsion .

Opening my mouth to ask for the information I’d been promised, I was cut off for the third time .

“I’m terribly sorry, but I’m afraid the tongue needs to cook just right, so it’ll need my full attention . Plus, I’m sure your mother will want to see to those injuries, shouldn’t be a problem for an emitter, I imagine . So be a dear and run along now, will you?”

“But what about—”

“Oh, yes,” Elder Rinia said distractedly . I would have sworn she was drooling as she stared down into the black pot containing her blight hob tongue stew . “Go with my blessing, of course . You tell that old fool Virion that the mission will be successful, but it won’t be without cost . ”

I blinked, my mouth hanging open . “That’s it?”

Elder Rinia turned to meet my eyes, serious for a moment . “Yes . Know there is always a cost, child . The cost of those elves’ lives may be more than Virion cares to pay . ” _{ƒrēewebnovel.com}

“I—I almost died!” I yelled, the stress of the last few hours boiling over and turning to anger, which I vented on the old seer . “I gave up my bow, just so you can eat some nasty old tongue and tell me ‘it’ll cost’?”

Elder Rinia raised a single thin eyebrow . “Died? Hardly, dear . You still have your brother’s present around your neck, don’t you?”

My hand went to the phoenix wyrm pendant hidden beneath my clothes . I’d worn it so long that I’d nearly forgotten what it was actually for .

Snorting at my surprise, Rinia continued . “As I said, there is always a price to pay, a choice to make . You made one in the tunnels, and you’ll have another to make in Elenoir . When the time comes, Ellie, you must choose the mission . ”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I said, throwing my hands up in the air and shaking my head incredulously . “Just give me a straight answer!”

“Choose the mission . The price will be paid either way, but you decide if the plan works or not . Now go, the others are beginning to worry, and they’ll come looking for you soon . ” She turned back to her pot, using a wooden spoon to carefully stir the contents, then dropping in a pinch of something from a little jar . “And I don’t want anyone turning up and ruining my meal . ”

***

The walk back to town was long and uncomfortable, but thankfully uneventful . Boo let me ride on his large and furry back most of the way, since every part of my body hurt . I spent the time preparing my story—and excuses—for my mother, though I couldn’t think of anything I could possibly say that would make her any less mad when she saw how bruised up I was .

“I can’t believe that old crackpot,” I grumbled to Boo . “That blight hob almost killed me, all so she could eat its nasty old tongue and tell me the mission ‘won’t be without cost . ’ Like, I could have told you that . ”

Boo grunted consolingly .

I was about to say something else, but was distracted by a tiny source of light that bobbed and weaved ahead of us in the tunnel . A moment later, a voice rang out: “Ellie—Eleanor Leywin, is that you?”

Oh man,I thought, realizing that people in the tunnels looking for me was a bad sign .

“Yeah,” I wheezed painfully . “Who’s that?”

The light source moved toward me quickly, accompanied by the sound of soft footfalls . The wide, kind face of Durden, one of the Twin Horns and my parents’ friend, came into focus once I blinked away the brightness of his light artifact .

“Ellie, there you are . Your mother was really worried, so Helen sent me to search for you, to make sure you are—”

“I’m fine,” I lied, forcing myself to sit up straight on Boo’s back as I stared down at Durden . “I was on a mission for the commander . I need to go see Virion at City Hall, then I’ll head home . ”

Durden smiled sheepishly . “I’ve been asked to make sure you go straight to your mother, actually . Apparently she gave the commander quite an earful...” The big mage trailed off, then added, “Don’t tell anyone I said that, would you?”

At least if Mom already yelled at Virion, maybe it won’t be so bad for me . . .

I knew it’d be worse if I didn’t go home right away, but this was mymission, and, despite Elder Rinia’s unhelpful guidance, I felt like I needed to give her words to Virion myself .

When I informed Durden of this, he hesitantly nodded . “Well, let’s get going then . I’d like to get you back to your mother before she—”

“Explodes like a volcano?” I suggested .

He smiled wryly and led the way back along the tunnel toward town .

Durden held aside the door hanging and gestured for me to enter, so I did . Boo stayed outside, curling up like a huge dog next to the stairs that lead up to the City Hall’s front door . Inside the door, Albold stood at his usual post .

“Glad to see you’re okay, Lady Eleanor . ” He gestured down the hall to the main meeting room . “The commander will want to see you right away . ”

I started down the hall, but slowed when I heard voices coming from the open archway .

“—were too late again, Commander . ” It was Bairon’s deep, nasally voice . “While there were definitely signs of Lances Varay, Aya, and Mica, we can’t find a strong enough trace to go after them . ”

“Damn . What in the world are those three up to?” Virion grumbled in reply .

“We haven’t found any reason or plausible pattern to the location of their strikes yet . We can’t even be sure they know we’re alive . I can’t see any other reason why they wouldn’t have made contact yet . ”

“Keep trying . The other Lances will be essential if we’re ever going to really push back against the Alacryans . ”

I had stopped at the edge of the archway, listening to Bairon and Virion’s conversation . There hadn’t been any news of the other Lances since Dicathen had fallen . It was good to know they were still out there fighting .

Albold walked around me, stopping in the doorway and bowing . “Commander Virion, young Eleanor Leywin has just now returned from the tunnels . ” He gestured for me to enter the room, which I did hesitantly .