Chapter 349 (1/2)
Chapter 349: Hope and Lies
ELEANOR LEYWIN
Myit to burst apart in a dusty cloud The arrow continued along its path to the goleht teoleh to count as a kill, because the ani another attack
At the saround like it was e stone axe trained at my head I let out a snort
“Dirt clods and blunt axes? I’ve trained with a Lance, Hornfels,” I said flippantly as I sidestepped a cluolem
The axe came up in a side-hand cut aimed atout fro ofthe htly different trajectories so that one pierced the axe-wielding golem’s chest, while the second took the clod-thrower in the throat
“Nice shot, Ellie!”elf a toothy grin, then yelped in surprise as the ground beneath olelowered down at me
I threwblow fro me half in the rocky cavern floor I spit out ato adjust et, I’ve also trained with a Lance, you overconfident little twig,” Hornfels said jovially
Soft footsteps darted toward me “Are you okay?” Camellia asked
Hornfels let out a low chuckle, and the stone turned to sand, releasing irl The lass has a big enough head as it is”
I drew myself out of the sand pit and brushedhead!”
Someone huffed sarcastically, and I turned to see two fa toward us
“Jasmine! Emily!” I shouted with exciteotten?”
“No, not big-headed at all…” Camellia teased I shoved playfully at her shoulder, and she poked et her back
“I just needed tointo trouble,” Jas to Caed much since I was a little kid I liked all of the Twin Horns, but was secretly a little scared of Jasinally been brought to the sanctuary, Jasmine hadn’t come with theh, so I was glad she’d co for Hornfels,” E tied a lot in a pretty short ae to her that she definitely hadn’t had before, and soo sort of blank and cold She’d chopped off her hair after it’d been burned in an explosion, but at least her eyebroere growing back
I’d been so happy when she arrived with the Twin Horns and Gideon We weren’t best friends or anything, but Emily had always been nice to me, and she had even e of enius, though, so it wasn’t exactly surprising that she’d found a way to survive She and Gideon had been captured by the Alacryans and forced to work for them, but the Twin Horns had helped to save them Or they’d helped to save Jasmine? I was still a little fuzzy on the details
She had been almost as bummed as I was to hear that my bow had been destroyed Unfortunately, we didn’t have any of the tools or resources she needed toa practice bow
It was still really good to have theood for Mom, too She’d started to come back to life a little as she realized that a lot of our friends were still alive out there, just waiting for help
“I’m about done with Princess Leywin anyway,” Hornfels jeered, nantly
“Another princess? Just e need…” Jasmine said, and she see or not
“Don’ther nose “She’s just not very good at expressing herself”
Jasirl “Careful, Skunk”
Caue out at Jas loudly “The Watsken girl I’h your abilities, Miss Flamesworth…”
My attention drifted away fro
We had chosen a flat ridge overlooking h away that eren’t likely to accidentally break so in the process I also liked it because it looked down on the village, and I could see almost every house from up here, and most of the tunnels out of town
Curtis and Kathyln Glayder wereto the teleportation gate After what happened in Elenoir, most of us never left the sanctuary anyes, were still going on ees
The members of our expedition to Elenoir had stayed pretty close after we all got back frouilt” Each of us thought we could have—should have—done more to make sure Tessia was safe
The only one who didn’t seeuard, Albold Apparently he’d wanted to return to the forest almost immediately when Tessia and I didn’t come back, but Virion wouldn’t let hione, well…
I shook my head I’d tried to consider hoould feel to know Sapin was just…gone, but…
“Ellie, you okay?” Cato call it a day, okay?”
Waving to the others, I turned and began the long descent into town, unsure what to do with myself I was tired, but I was also…
I didn’t even really know I never kne to feel any it all into the background
Was that how you dealt with it, Brother? I wondered
Sighing, I kicked a stone down the size of the natural rae, eventually landing with a splash in the stream
It didn’t help that I was surrounded by people who had lost everything I’d lost my dad and ht of Ca the invasion, her hoone, most of the people she’d ever met were dead…
I wanted to understand it I wanted to help Camellia and Virion and all the others, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around what they’d experienced
Albold was the only other elven roup Maybe it was selfish of me, but it felt like he was my connection to what happened I wanted hi, but he’d pretty
There were other elves I could talk to, of course Coh, and, as much as I had wanted to speak to him, I hadn’t been allowed in weeks
Rinia said she was too weak for visitors, but she hadn’tthat souess what And since neither one was speaking with reat, at least There were a few other kids in the sanctuary, but no one who understood what I’d been through the way she did Maybe it was because ere so led to really understand what had happened Before Jasmine saved her, she had already lost her whole family, and seemed kind of numb when it came to the attack on her homeland
There were others, too, but no one I felt like I could talk to If Tessia were still here, she could—
Could she? I flashed back to thatbeautiful, standing above her shocked and confused people…
Shaking ht Instead,for him a few times over the last feeeks, but hadn’t found hiain wouldn’t hurt, I told myself, and maybe he needed to talk to h I was sure he wouldn’t be there, I headed for the town hall first Albold hadn’t been at any of his regular guard shi+fts since I’d given my report to the council, but I really wasn’t sure where else to look
As I’d expected, two unfauards flanked the door, while the elven woman na me approach
I hadn’t made it within thirty feet of her before she said, “Sorry, Miss Leywin, the Commander is not available”
“Actually,” I started nervously, “I was looking for the guard, Albold Do you—”