The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 425

By the time I stepped out of the descension portal into my family’s room in Vildorial, the others had already spread out. Boo was in the kitchen slurping up something out of a cast iron pot, and Ellie was wrapped in our mother’s embrace. Mica had thrown herself down on the couch, heedless of how filthy and blood-stained she was. Lyra was standing near the small fireplace on the far side of the sitting room, her arms crossed and a faraway look in her eye.

Mom pulled back from Ellie just enough to take my sister’s face in her hands, inspecting her closely. “You’re back in one piece…”

“Mom, you’re embarrassing me in front of a retainer and a Lance,” Ellie complained, trying in vain to wriggle free of our mother’s grasp. “I’m fine, I promise. I mean, okay, I did die like ten times, but—”

“What?” Mom exclaimed, looking incredulously from Ellie to me and then back again.

“She’s clearly in one piece, like I promised,” I said, giving my sister a warning look. When this didn’t immediately quell Mom’s furious worrying, I gave her a smile and pulled her into a hug. “How long were we gone, anyway? It always feels much longer in the Relictombs.”

“A few days,” Mom answered, giving Ellie a side-eye look that suggested she wasn’t done with the whole “died ten times” conversation. “It’s been busy here though. Lord Bairon has been here multiple times looking to see if you’d returned yet. Apparently some very important visitor is waiting for you at the palace. And Gideon has been driving me a little crazy, if I’m being honest. He’s absolutely desperate to study any advances Ellie has made.”

My sister collapsed into Mom’s favorite chair and started to kick her boots up on the footrest, but she froze when Mom’s brows shot up. With a chagrined smile, she eased the dirty boots off her feet and set them aside carefully, then leaned back and put her feet up. “He’s going to flip out when he sees everything I can do. I bet he’ll be so surprised his eyebrows will fall out again.”

I shook my head at my sister’s antics, but was still focused on what Mom had said before that. “Who is this important visitor? Do you know anything?”

Mom sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “No, the general didn’t tell me much, just insisted that you be sent to the palace immediately upon your return.” Her mouth pressed into a thin line, revealing her irritation. “I told him I may be your mother, but I wasn’t going to order you about. I also reminded him that you’d likely be tired and in need of a good home-cooked meal after traipsing around for who knows how long in the—”

“Mom,” I said, laughing lightly. “It’s all right. Thank you. I’ll go see him immediately.” I turned to my companions. “Mica, you’re free to do as you wish. Ellie, you should clean yourself up and get some rest. Don’t let Gideon pressure you, but track him and Emily down when you’re ready to debrief them on the ascent.”

“Aye aye, captain,” she said sarcastically, saluting me with two fingers at her temple.

“General,” Mica muttered sleepily.

“And me, Regent Leywin?” Lyra asked, letting her arms fall and standing straighter, an edge of defiance in her posture. “Will you be escorting me back to a prison cell?”

The tension hung in the air like an electric charge. It would have been the safe thing to do, of course. Disabling her core and putting her on trial for her crimes would have been completely justified. She would always be remembered as the Alacryan who paraded the corpses of Dicathen’s king and queens from city to city while praising the Vritra Clan for their kindness and good will.

“So you can rest? No, I’m not letting you off that easily,” I stated. “I’m sending you beyond the Wall to check on your people, see what they need. Consider it both punishment and recompense for your crimes against this continent.” To Mica, I said, “Arrange transport back and forth. Lyra of Highblood Dreide is free to move between the Elenoir Wastes and Vildorial.” My gaze went back to Lyra. “Just there, understand? This isn’t freedom.”

Lyra lifted her chin as she regarded me. “I understand, Regent. I acknowledge this punishment and accept an opportunity to aid both your people and mine.”

“I want you to represent your people on this continent,” I said, softening somewhat. “Those soldiers in the Wastes should know they haven’t been forgotten. But all isn’t forgiven, either.”

Mica had sat up to watch this conversation play out with a growing frown. _{ƒгeewebnovёl.com}

“Problem?” I asked, addressing my fellow Lance.

“No, just thinking. Things might have been a little boring if we’d actually killed this skinny Alacryan back when we had her chained up in the Beast Glades.”

Lyra snorted and rolled her eyes. “This continent has many positives, but as torturers and jailors, you are woefully lacking.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I suppose this is not a bad thing, though.”

The two devolved into familiar bickering as they headed for the front door of my mother’s rooms. Just before it closed behind them again, Lyra met my eye. She gave a small bow, then let the door close.

Ellie smirked. “The great Lance Godspell showing his soft underside to the enemy, who’d have guessed.”

“It’s a punishment,” I said, glowering at my sister.

Mom rested her head on my shoulder. “With all your many responsibilities, you may have an image to uphold to the public, but it’s just us here. No need to put up a facade in front of your family.”

Ellie broke into a fit of giggling, but I ignored her as Mom pulled away from me and headed through the kitchen arch. She had to shimmy around Boo, who took up nearly the entire room.

“Do you want anything to eat? Or will you be rushing off right away?”

I considered ignoring Bairon’s request for at least an hour or two so I could spend some time with her, but the fact that he had come here, to our home, multiple times in my absence made me uncomfortable.

“I should go,” I said. “Hopefully I’ll be back shortly. I wouldn’t mind something hot to eat, if you can reclaim your kitchen.”

“If there’s any food left in it when I do, you mean,” she said, standing on her tiptoes to see over Boo’s back. “Go on, then. The world might fall apart if it goes without you for an hour, but your family will hold itself together.”

Waving, I headed toward the door. On the way, I carefully kicked the footrest out from under my sister's feet, making her sink half out of the chair.

“Hey!” she grumbled, flicking a spark of mana at me that sizzled away against the aether clad around my skin.

I laughed and opened the door.

“Art?”

I looked back. Ellie wore a serious expression despite the slight flush to her face.

“Thank you, y’know, for…letting me come with you, and protecting me and stuff. I—it was really…cool.”

“Love you too, El,” I answered with a knowing wink, then left.

The hike through the Earthborn Institute was uneventful. You’ve been quiet, I noted of Regis as I walked. Normally he liked to get out of me as soon as he could, but he had remained in wisp form near my core since before the last ruin.

‘I was just thinking,’ he noted, his tone more serious than usual. ‘This world is fucked up.’

I scoffed. “It really is, isn’t it.” Memories of the djinn trial played behind my eyes, lingering on the city in flames.

‘Just makes moments like this, with your family, with Caera back in Alacrya… all of it a bit better.’

All I could do was agree, and we continued on in silence.

At the Earthborn institute gates, I looked up and down the highway at the crowds of people. My passage always drew attention, but at the moment I had no desire to be the object of their stares. Instead, I channeled aether into God Step.

A web of interconnecting violet lines appeared, overlaying the city before me, each line connecting two points to create a network that seemed to connect every point to every other.

Looking at them now, there had been a subtle shift in my perspective, more an awareness of potential than any visible change in the aether paths themselves. When I had learned to stop just “seeing” the paths and to hear and sense them under Three Steps’ tutelage, it had felt like a significant paradigm shift in my insight. Now, I felt compelled to do more than simply see and hear them. I wanted to grasp them.

The aetheric pathways weren’t simply doors, tools to be used for simple navigation..

I raised my hand, drawn to these streams of amethyst light that represented another dimension. My fingers twitched as they drew closer to the paths, and I felt a draw from the godrune as it reacted to my intentions.

External to the aetheric pathways, a descending pressure sent an icy shiver down my back.

My arm whipped toward the oncoming source of energy, aether coiling around my fingers and palm as I released God Step.

The aether wound around my hand faded as I saw the vaguely familiar sight of olive-green feathers.

As the shadows receded from the flying figure, I was able to make out its avian body and the single horn sprouting from the owl’s head.

Avier, I remembered.

This owl had been the bond of Cynthia Goodsky, director of Xyrus Academy. But he’d vanished after her imprisonment and eventual death.

“I’ve been waiting for your return,” the owl said, bobbing its horned head as it landed on a post.

“So you can speak,” I said. Most bonded animals could communicate with their tamer, but very few could speak to anyone else. “You’re the one who’s been waiting for me?”

“You’re confused,” Avier said. “I understand my appearance hasn’t been expected, and you might be hesitant.”

I raised a brow. “Hesitant, suspicious, either works.”

Avier’s head tilted as he regarded me with wide, intelligent eyes. “To get straight to the point, Aldir has sent me.”

I sobered instantly, but the mention of Aldir’s name only raised more questions. “You were Cynthia’s bond. Why are you working with Aldir?” I asked, voicing the most immediate one.

The owl ruffled its green feathers. “I am not. But I have been waiting too long already, Arthur. I need you to come with me. We can discuss more on the journey.”

Motion drew my eye to the highway, where two dwarves followed by a cadre of guards were rushing toward us. Looking more closely, I recognized Lords Daglun Silvershale and Carnelian Earthborn. I could only watch, mystified, as Carnelian waved off their guards as the two dwarven lords slowed to a quick walk for the last fifty feet. Both were breathing heavily as they arrived, bowing first to me and then to the owl.

Daglun cleared his throat. “Ah, Lord Avier, you left so quickly we didn’t finish our conversation. Before you leave, I would like to extend the respect of this great city, and welcome you back into it any time you wish.”

Not to be outdone, Carnelian added, “Indeed, the Earthborn Institute”—he waved a callused hand to the gates behind us—“would be most interested in hosting you for a longer stay next time. There is much we could learn from one another, I believe.”

Avier’s bushy brows rose as his head turned halfway around to face them. “I’m afraid I do not see that happening, but I thank you both for your hospitality. Farewell.”

The two dwarven lords could only stare, astonished, as the owl hopped into the air and fluttered to my shoulder. “Leave through the third eastern gate. I believe that will take us most quickly to the surface.”

Considering, I realized I really had no choice. If there was a chance to meet with Aldir, I had to take it. Addressing the dwarven lords, I said, “Please inform Virion, the other Lances, and Alice Leywin that I’ll be leaving the city for…” I trailed off, raising my brows questioningly to the owl on my shoulder.

“A few days, at least,” it answered.

“Of course, Lance,” Carnelian said quickly.

“And what of the Alacryan, General?” Daglun asked, stepping forward to be a few inches closer to us than Carnelian was.