Chapter 375 (1/2)

Chapter 375

ELEANOR LEYWIN

I rocked side to side as Boo’s broad back swayed with each slow step His breath was heavy and even, allitterfish We were taking our ti slowly as we returned fro spot and headed toward the square outside Town Hall

I could already hear the low ru It sounded like dozens,up in Xyrus, a day at thepaths with hundreds, even thousands of people I never thought twice about the noise of a crowd back then All those people just kind of blended into the background, there but…not important

Now, the idea of sosuffered such horrible loss, surviving the nightmare of these last several months— took root in, I patted Boo’s neck “Thanks I can always count on you, can’t I, Boo?”

The crowds’ voluees, almost all elves Several sent wary looks in my direction as I rode by, and I was surprised by how uncoitated the crowd see, only that Albold had sentfor me in the ardens, outside of the dense pack of elves filling the square

Staying entle squeeze “What’s going on?”

“I thoughtnervously around the crowd

Following her line of sight, I realized why More of the elves were looking at me now Solances as they talked quietly to their friends and family And while some seemed just curious or even—I hoped—friendly, others were much less so

Then I realized why Albold had asked for me

I wondered exactly what he and Feyrith had told these elves Everything I had shared with them about Virion and Windsom’s conversation? That seemed foolhardy, but then, I wasn’t exactly sure what I expected the at h, thatthey would have at least not ot their infor on Boo’s back, with ly aroundI did as a little kid when Art would fall asleep next tome to bed Like I was protected

But I couldn’t help but feel like all this unhappiness and frustration I saw around me was my fault

It had been a couple weeks since I told Albold and Feyrith about Virion and Windsom’s lies Rinia had warned ht they deserved to know I knew a bit too hat it felt like to be lied to, to have things hidden fros about Arthur from me Even when the Lances took him away, they made all kinds of excuses so I didn't worry

Like I was too stupid to understand that when Mo

But I wanted to be told the truth so I could grow froh the rosy lenses of what my parents wanted to show ht not feel the same Maybe in scary tinorant, unaware and clenching onto the hopeful, filtered words of our leaders

And so I waited, expecting for so to happen sincefor it just to get it over with

Because, if so bad happened, I kneould be because of , Ellie,” so backwards on Boo Feyrith and Albold had just co here?” Mo so she was between Boo and the pair of elves

They both bowed to her before Feyrith said, “Thanks to your daughter, we elves were finally told the truth of what happened to our ho our leaders have lied about to protect an alliance with false friends”

“We’re going to make Virion explain himself and his actions,” Albold said forcefully

Feyrith gave ht-lipped smile “We wanted you to be here, Ellie, to hear what Virion has to say and…offer some perspective, if necessary” He quickly held up a hand when Mouided by the seer Rinia herself You were in Elenoir when the destruction occurred…the only survivor of that attack You heard for yourself the lies shared between Virion and the asura We need you here, Ellie”

So I wasn’t brought here to be questioned, I thought in relief But what’ll Virion say—or deny—when they ask him for an explanation? Either way, it was because ofof elves happened in the first place

Mo up at me Boo isted around so he could watch the elves, his heavy bro over his se teeth bared

“It’s fine,” I said to no one in particular “We’re already here I just…did you have to tell everyone it was ht flush appeared on Feyrith’s cheeks and he looked down at the ground “People took convincing just to show up We had to tell them exactly hoe’d discovered the truth”

“Oh,” I said I wanted to be upset, but I couldn’t blame them If I didn’t want to be involved, after all, I could have just kept uess I won’t knohat I did was right or wrong until I see how it all turns out Hopefully, lad to learn the truth, but I bet a bunch of the probleain More eyes had turnedwith Feyrith and Albold An old elf with a cane—one of the council, I thought—was ht of a genuinely friendly face

Riding above the crowd on Jasmine Flamesworth’s shoulders, my friend Camellia beamed and waved at me Her pale blonde hair was tied back in thin braids, and there was a sprig of holly tucked behind her ear She tapped the top of Jas a sour frown from her mount

The rest of the Twin Horns ith them, and when they turned in our direction, the crowd parted to allow theave me a warm smile and patted Boo’s side “Ellie I should have known they’d drag you into this” She gave Feyrith and Albold a sharp look, her s

Durden, who stood out fro at least a head taller than everyone else, frowned in an exaggerated kind of way, highlighting the scars over half of his face “Ellie, you do know you’re riding your bear backwards, right?”

Cah, but it faltered quickly She looked down, letting a loose braid of pale hair fall over her face “Sorry, I suppose this isn’t the tihter”

“There’s always tiela Rose responded as she wrapped her ar

The old elf woh the crowd She hesitated, looking around at the Twin Horns and aze shi+fted to Feyrith “I was hoping for a word before we began”

Feyrith nodded, looking gaunt and serious But when he looked at me, there was a softness in his features that seee his tiain for being here, Ellie”

And then they were gone

I turned around so I was sitting properly on Boo, and Camellia clambered off Jasmine’s shoulders and onto Boo’s back behind me Her arms wrapped around htly

“Things are going to get pretty rough,” Angela Rose mumbled, one arm still wrapped around my mother

“Let’s hope not,” Helen said “But if it does, re each other”

Durden pulsed with mana, and a stone ar at the Wall “We’re with you as always, Helen”

Our strange little family fell into a tense silence as aited

It wasn’t long

Albold and Feyrith eased through the crowd until they could cliuards that would have stood there were absent, and the doors were closed

Albold tried to shout so, but his voice was lost in the din Feyrith fired a kind of water burst up into the air, where it exploded with a popping, hissing noise, silencing the crowd

“Most of you already knoe’re here,” he said when the last of the chatter had died down “Soh the lies of our commander and are here to support this effort, but I know many of you are still skeptical And I don’t bla his words settle over the crowd “My fellow elves, we have lost ain “No one can heal the hole that has been torn in our hearts and souls at the destruction of our hoenocide of our people But I, Feyrith Ivsaar III, a you now that you deserve to understand why this was done to us”

Feyrith’s voice rose as he spoke, beco a shout that filled the cavern “We have been lied to Treated like children Asked to align ourselves with our destroyers Betrayed by our own leaders!”

This wascheers from several elves, but most ree, glaring fiercely up at hi everyone who seeardless of which side of the arguray-haired elvenover the cheers He had a brand burned into the side of his neck, still shi+ny and scabbed “How dare you accuse Virion Eralith, aus without proof!”

There were a few cries of support, but more boos as Feyrith’s supporters tried to shout the man down

“Are we supposed to take the word of a huirl over our own coreen eyes so full of bitterness and disdain that I felt bile rise up in the back ofacross each other so their words were lost All I could see was the division that was being caused, the fracturing of our fragile resistance, and hoords had brought us here

“I hope you’re not taking their words personally, El,” a worried voice said as Emily Watsken appeared out of the crowd Curly hair framed Ee of one of her lenses

“E “What happened to you?”

She rubbed her cheek, further s to her skin “An explosion at the lab, one of Gideon’s new projects…but neverback against Boo “Nothing but a bunch of shouting and dirty looks so far”

Everyone else said their hellos, although the Twin Horns werecrowd I crawled back up on Boo, leaning into Camellia, who rested her chin on , you know,” she said in a whisper “They’re just scared”

“Aren’t we all?” I gruh “I just…”

Moht in theevents is apparently the curse of hed a little “We’re just lucky, I guess”