Chapter 30 #2
They kept walking. They hopped the stepping stones to the other side, and despite being wobbly and unbalanced, I followed, slipping only once.
“Please, Aven. Let me explain.”
Once on the other side, Aven strode quickly, looking around.
I couldn’t keep up. My legs protested every step. My head pounded. Every breath was agony. “Aven!”
They whirled. “Fine. You have until I find Mouse. So explain.”
“I wanted to tell you. For a long time.”
“Tell me what? That the spider was already dead when you found it?”
My mouth dropped open. “How did you know?”
“I suspected, but… Ellinore the Brave wouldn’t lie.
She’s the standard, the pinnacle, no way she’d be deceitful to the monarchs of the continent.
” They let out a breathless, bitter laugh.
“Now, with the blinders off, it was obvious. But I stupidly trusted you. What did I know, anyway? I wasn’t as good and knowledgeable as you.
Maybe massive spiders decompose quicker than other dead things.
Maybe a thirteen-year-old can slay a dragon all on her own. ”
My heart twisted. “Aven.”
“What else have you been lying about, huh?” They pointed at Dave. “The Golden Dragon is obviously alive. What about the pearl from the Lady in the Sea?”
“I found it on the eastern beach after a storm.”
Aven blinked. “And the quill from the tail of the manticore?”
“Dave helped me solve a riddle, and I asked for a quill when we told the manticore the correct answer.”
“The jewel for my aunt’s crown?”
“Made a deal with a gnome.”
“When you wrestled the gods?”
“It was the fire salamanders that were disturbing the volcano. Dave and I moved them. I wasn’t even on a quest then. I was trying to have some downtime.”
“A vacation in a place known for earthquakes and volcanoes?”
I shrugged. “Well, there was this cute girl I met on another quest who lived—”
“I don’t want to hear it!” They shook their head. “Do I even want to know about the swamp sprites?”
“I did save Princess Avriel! That happened! I promise. I just… did a few chores for them and fixed a mess the princess had made with her carriage. I didn’t need to swing my sword around like Lord Ethan.”
“So all of it? Every quest? Every great deed? They were all a lie?”
“Yes.”
They clapped their hands. “Great explanation, Ellinore! Really informative. Don’t worry, I won’t tell my uncle.
But I can’t promise Lord Ethan won’t.” They threw up their hands.
Their face scrunched; their ears turned red.
“I can’t believe I wanted to learn from you!
I can’t believe that all this time I held you up as the unrivaled peak of questing, and you were a fraud.
” They spun in a circle, still looking for Mouse. “Just why?”
“For my family. So my parents and Zig could have a better life.”
“The fame and glory had nothing to do with it, I’m sure.”
“It didn’t! Ask anyone. I hate the songs.
I hate the attention. But I endured them because that was what I had to do.
” I tugged on my hair, my fingers tangling in the damp strands.
“After I killed the Ursa, which was all luck, I was in over my head. I didn’t know how to fight with a sword other than what a few squires taught me.
I barely knew how to ride a horse. So I had to find a better way to accomplish things.
I didn’t have to kill ancients or folklores.
I didn’t have to trick them or steal from them.
I talked to them. Like the ghost dog and the pixies.
I just… found a different approach to complete the tasks that were asked of me. ”
“So you could talk to them, but you couldn’t talk to me?”
“Hey, you kept a secret too.”
They blinked. “Don’t even pretend they are the same order of magnitude.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, tears burning behind my eyes. My stomach cramped with grief. “I didn’t lie about liking you.”
Aven rolled their eyes. “Sure.”
“I didn’t! I think deep down I’ve liked you for years, but I was distracted by the quests. And I couldn’t entertain any thoughts beyond winning until I had enough gold to—”
They snorted, cutting me off. “Priorities, right?” Their shoulders slumped, exhaustion weighing them down. I saw it in their eyes, in the clench of their teeth, their clasped fists. “Where in the ancients is that horse?”
They marched off again, and I followed, pursuing a flash of white through the trunks of a few trees.
Mouse grazed on a patch of grass, currently unbothered by our argument, and by the events with the Hydra.
Aven approached him, rifled through the saddlebag, then turned to face me.
They thrust out their arm, the leather journal in their fingers.
“Here,” they said, staring at the ground. “Have your ill-gotten bouquets back.”
“No. Those are yours. I couldn’t. Aven, you have to—”
“Take them.” Their voice was soft but firm.
Tears spilled down my cheeks. The leather was cold and smooth in my palms as I held the journal. “I’m sorry.”
“Well, so am I.” Bowing their head, they wiped at their eyes.
We stood in awkward silence for a moment, until they cleared their throat. They shoved their foot in the stirrup and swung up onto Mouse’s back.
If it was possible, my stomach sank even further.
“Wait, you’re leaving?” Fear, real fear—more than what the Hydra had elicited, more than the faery, more than the salamanders, more than the cave-in—real, unadulterated fear swirled in my gut, gripped my throat.
“What about the quest? That was the wrong primordial. The map is gone. We have no leads. We have no idea where to look.”
Aven closed their eyes and pinched the bridge of their nose. They appeared as defeated as I felt. “Well, now that you have your real quest companion here, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. And you won’t have to worry about hiding anymore.”
“Aven… that’s not… I need…”
“When this is over, don’t come back to the castle.
Stay retired.” They didn’t look at me when they said it; instead they tugged on Mouse’s reins, gaze fixed on the ground, unable to look me in the face.
“Good luck, Ellinore the Brave,” they said softly, then clicked their heels against Mouse’s sides and galloped off.
I collapsed to my knees. My entire body throbbed with pain, from my hair to my toes, but out of everything, my heart hurt the worst. Every beat was agony.
I buried my face in my hands and cried.