Chapter 359 (2/2)
It was even worse
I knehere I needed to be, and when But there was ht tiardless of what I’d told Ellie The journey was equally as important as the destination
Which onlyout of tih, I picked the next thread, then the next, and the next after that
ELEANOR LEYWIN
I oken fro in a dreay and the air had a heavy, sickly-sweet smell that made my stomach clench up andthickly over the familiar name “What is it?”
My mind was slow from the nap, and I couldn’t shakewith Boo He alking sluggishly, taking deep, snorting, labored breaths…
My bond let out a nervous whine I patted his neck and said, “Hey, it’s just fog, Boo, we’re…”
I sniffed at the air again The fog…
Closinginintoa burst of smells and sounds from my enhanced senses
The tunnels were dank and smelled a little like rot Boo’s heavy musk was everywhere, as was the stinky smell left behind by the cave rats that used to live here, but the rotten scent of the fog overwhel else The tunnels were almost entirely silent Somewhere below me, I could just hear the faint pitter-patter of water dripping from a cave roof to splash into a shallow pool, but the only other sounds were Boo’s uneven, scuffling steps and my own slow heartbeat
Boo h my stomach
I reached for my bow, but couldn’t fuave way, and I turound I knew that it should have hurt, but all I could feel was the overwhel desire to shut my eyes
Boo’s powerful jaws closed on the back of y senses I could hear his labored breathing
“Boo…?”
I let out a le at the sound of my own voice, slurred and silly I knew I should be scared, but really, I just felt like…going…to…sleep…
Boo released ed to turn h to look down the tunnel, where I could see two silhouettes approaching Their faces were covered…orblurry
“Easy now, big guy,” one of the silhouettes said, their voice ed, his ed back, but I heard a hissing breath and a curse
“You…get ‘em…Boooo,” I slurred
Boo lurched forward and stu his claws He let out a loling grunt I thought was fear, then everything went dark
Through the darkness, I could hear footsteps approaching
“Don’t… arms scooped me up like I was a baby
“Leywin…”
A voice, soft and sad, echoed out of the black nothing that surrounded me
“Sorry, Eleanor”
My eyes blinked open, or at least I thought they did Everything was gray and fuzzy My head felt like it was full of cobwebs, and ain several tiled at the sound of my own voice, which croaked like a fat old toad The noise died instantly as ht in my chest, and I realized with a spike of clarity that so really bad had happened
“Mama? Papa?”
A shadow h my cobweb brain I couldn’t understand them
“B-Brother? Brother!”
The voices were speaking nonsense, and one of the figures came closer I lifted ling and the sensation of cold oncaasp My father and brother were dead Rinia, the gas…Boo!
“Boo!” I shouted, not trying to hide my panic He should be with ht besidehands pressed down on ht in front of uely familiar, then—
“Albold…?”
“Please cal h I can’t say the same for us We left him in the tunnels I would have preferred to do this a different way, but we must knohat you know”
“We…what?” I shookto clear the last of the cobwebs “You…you attacked ure aunt elf’s hood was still up, but the cloth covering his face had been removed “We need the truth, Eleanor We didn’t think you’d tell us unless you had no choice”
“Feyrith you…you…you jerk!” I snapped Leaning back, I screamed, “Boo! Boo, help!”
Albold kneeled in front of ave a sharp jerk that tweaked my shoulders and elbows uncomfortably His eyes—colorless in the dark cave—pinned h, Ellie We took steps to ensure that your beast couldn’t follow us Those mana suppression cuffs should—”
Pop!
A roar like earth and stone being ripped apart exploded fro backward across the cave, slaed stone A hairy wall e and fear
A thick barrier of water appeared with a whoosh and bisected the cave, separating Boo and h I could only just see the edges around Boo’s huge bulk
Feyrith’s voice was muffled as he shouted, “Eleanor, please listen! We won’t hurt you, we just need to talk”
“You have a funny way of talking,” I snapped back Boo turned to looksure I was okay I held up the chains With an irritated snort, he bit down on the the enchanted ic vanished, and I felt ain
“We…we needed to be sure, “Feyrith said desperately “With everything that’s at stake, we couldn’t have you to brush us off or tell us you couldn’t discuss it”
I stood and shook out s, which still felt half asleep When I was certain I wouldn’t fall over, I stepped around Boo and walked up to the wall of water, glaring at the elves on the other side Boo moved like a shadow besidehimself off, and I noticed his pants had been ripped and he had a bandage around his leg, soaked through with blood Both elves were eyeing my bond warily I patted Boo’s shoulder
“I can’t believe I’ve been trying to find you for weeks,” I gruriet one chance And don’t think Boo won’t eat you if you attack ly
Feyrith released his spell and the wall of water fell away, draining into the floor and leaving dry rock behind His hands were up in a gesture of peace as he stepped forward “We know Virion is lying, Eleanor His story doesn’t make sense And we know you spoke to the asura, Windsom, and that you have visited the old seer” His hands fell to his sides and gripped the edges of his cloak desperately
Albold ground his teeth audibly “I have no idea why a twelve-year-old girl is so involved in all this, but we need to knohat you know”
“Fourteen!” I said indignantly, crossing my arms over my chest “And whatever Virion has told you, it’s for your own good” I re him will only lead to catastrophe”
Albold scowled “That’s not good enough We—all of the elves—deserve to know the truth If Virion is working with the enee that they thought I was and drawing shocked looks fro it doesn’t help, trust me”
Albold had a hard, desperate look, but Feyrith see in on himself “You aren’t an elf, Eleanor You can’t knohat this is like”
I opened my mouth to snap back that I did knohat it was like to lose people, but the words died in ain? I askedet involved It’s a delicate situation…
“I know you’ve lost people too, Eleanor…” Feyrith said, taking a half-step forward, but freezing when Boo let out a lol “I didn’t know your father, really, but…Arthur Leyas reatest rival, and a close friend His loss affected us all” Feyrith’s voice was shaking “But I lost everyone, do you understand? My—”
The elf broke, his face twisting into a grimace as tears flooded down his cheeks and sobs wracked his shoulders He pressed a hand over his eyes, curling in on hih his sobs, he said, “My entire faone” He sank to the floor, and Albold kneeled aardly next to him, his expression unreadable
Feyrith wiped a sleeve across his face and took a shaky breath “I tried to save theainst their wishes to attend Xyrus Academy…to be more than just the fourth son of a noble family, but I failed theone…”
Albold was pale as a ghost next to the red-faced Feyrith His gaze focused into the distance, not looking at his coone Our hoone Our friends and faone” Only then did he et to understand why”
I couldn’t look away fro eyes What could I possibly say to ease such complete and bitter loss? If they knehat had really happened in Elenoir, would it actually make them feel better, or just more helpless—hopeless—like me? Besides, I reasoned with myself, Rinia told me to stay out of it
But then, she hadn’t told me not to tell anyone else I didn’t think the truth would bring the elves any sort of closure, but didn’t they deserve it anyway?
I leaned against Boo, runningto his heart ha teeth “Okay I’ll tell you”