Chapter 34 #3
Oh. She was lucky to know little of that kind of burden.
“But he obviously cares for her. Couldn’t he choose her over an arrangement that suits his father?
” Alvara took the wooden staff from him, nearly jumping when the skim of his fingers shot a spark up her arm.
She was about three seconds from eating a handful of dirt to restore her common sense.
Boden shook his head. “This is a discussion I have both been subjected to and participated in too many times. Fortunately, we have a meeting to attend.”
Hopefully they could share in the feasting, though they should have held off on sparring until after the discussion with the other local chiefs—they both stank and looked a mess.
She flapped the hem of her shirt as they walked, and her flushed skin breathed in the nyr air.
The gentle chill started to clear her head.
“If I never had to attend another meeting, I would leave this world happy,” she said.
Her words earned an eye roll. “No, you most definitely wouldn’t. Because the gods wouldn’t allow you to fight other souls in Levahem.”
“That’s quite the assumption. I could end up in Helvahem. Besides, I care about more than just weapons.”
Boden flicked her dagger and spear at the same time, and she slapped his hands away. “They also don’t have sweets in the afterlife. Eating isn’t exactly necessary if you’re faded.”
And if she faded while Boden lived, Alvara would arrive in Levahem alone. An entire realm without him.
The thought hit her mind with the force of a dalvi snowstorm, and she quickened her pace. She was going mad from starvation. She was sure of it.
The mere sight of the chief’s meeting hall and the nine leaders inside sobered her mind.
Thank Vitharen more had decided to show.
Every pair of eyes darted around the room, weapons gripped in the humans’ hands as if one of them might strike at any moment.
Chief Frigar had refused to attend the meeting unarmed, and Alvara had no doubt the other leaders felt the same way, especially after Boden had explained to her the tenuous relations between the different towns due to the humans’ penchant for raiding each other.
But if anyone could convince them of King Einar’s impending threat, it would be him. And not just because he was one of the few elves who could speak their language fluently, though that certainly helped.
If Alvara were left to it, she would have had to rely on her limited human vocabulary that mostly pertained to food and weapons. And now, dogs.
She joined Rav at the back of the room, who had promised to translate what he could to keep her informed. His other job consisted of updating the elven council members afterward on the proceedings, including his father, whom she would have liked to destroy in the sparring ring.
Seeing as that would probably cause a tangle of political and practical problems, she’d have to settle for glowering at him and daydreaming of bashing his head into the closest wall.
Or she could always find a way to add an excessive amount of salt to his food. Or—
The hoot of an owl shattered her train of thought, and she focused on Chief Frigar. His tone was even more grim than usual, a difficult thing to accomplish.
“He’s thanking them for coming and explaining why he called a meeting,” Rav murmured.
As more voices joined the fray, Rav did his best to relay the conversation, but Alvara could tell from Boden’s scrunched face that even he was having trouble keeping up.
“A few of them are saying they have out of control magic users in their settlements that are causing trouble. Of course, they blame the elves. And the chiefs from farther settlements think it’s unlikely King Einar will reach them with how small his forces are compared to the humans’. Idiots.”
“Do they not understand how powerful an army of wielders is?” Alvara drummed her fingers on her spear. If Gosibik—the town that likely had the most demi-elves in the human realm—fell, the others would soon follow. It was inevitable.
“Most of them had never seen magic until the barrier fell. And what they have seen is nothing compared to what’s happening here. They don’t understand the threat we’re facing.” Rav locked eyes with Boden, whose shoulders rose and fell in a long exhale.
As soon as Boden spoke, every head in the hall turned toward the sound, their bodies seizing up as the human words rolled off his tongue.
To her, their language sounded the most beautiful on his lips, but the chiefs clearly didn’t agree.
Both heads and weapons shook. Boden’s plea was soon drowned out by the outcries of outrage and suspicion.
A scream cleaved the tension in two.
Boden took a small step toward Alvara, but his head snapped in the direction of whatever horrors unfolded outside. Her elbows pressed into her sides and her leg muscles tightened, threatening to split when he barreled out the door toward certain danger.
Her feet moved before she could even tell them to, but they turned to stone the moment she stepped into the sunlight.
Vines devoured people and buildings. Blood flowed and foundations crumbled.
He was here.
King Einar had invaded. And they were nowhere near ready.