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“This is it,” Orso said. “This is the ’stone for Phaedra.” He passed it to Merethyl, who took it gingerly.
“I agree,” she said, putting it down on the desk.
Eldren exhaled with relief. “How do we get it to her?” he asked.
Orso rubbed his chin. “Let me handle this one,” he told Merethyl, as she opened her mouth to speak. “Though if I need help, I’ll ask you first. But I think I can sort this one out on my own. I’ll summon you when I have an answer.”
Eldren stood and left the office, Merethyl on his heels. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”
“Food sounds good.”
They made their way to the dining hall, where lunch was kare kare, a hearty stew with a peanut butter sauce in it. It was one of those dishes that Temple never made the same twice, because they used leftover vegetables in it as well as whatever meat was on hand, with a side of rice. Today it was beef, which was Eldren’s favorite. “How do you think we’re going to get it to her?” Eldren asked as they sat down at a table to eat.
“We seem to run into her looking for the ’stones,” Merethyl pointed out. “If we can narrow it down to the next one they’ll look for, it should be easy.”
“Easy on paper, sure.” Eldren took a bite and chewed. “But how many are left? And how can we be sure we’ll really be able to meet up with her long enough to give it to her? I don’t like the look of the men she’s been hanging out with, and I’m not in a mood to fight off two of the Resurrected. Seems bad for my health.”
Merethyl looked thoughtful as she ate. “Temple didn’t make it this far, and get this powerful, without something to combat stuff like this,” she pointed out finally. “I think trusting that Orso can figure it out is the best thing we can do.”
“What if he can’t?”
“then we’ll ask the elven Seers.”
Eldren considered that. “Don’t they work on their own idea of time, though?”
“They do. But this is important enough. I don’t think it will take them another hundred years to get back to us.”
“I hope Orso can pull through on this one.”
Merethyl nodded. “I do too.”
***
Eldren left Merethyl at her door and walked down the hall toward his room at the other end. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was tired. Sleep would help, but it wasn’t the kind of tired that was easily resolved. Phae was out there, and he wanted more than anything to bring her back. But he had been running after her so long he had used up all his reserves.
It was a monumental effort to get back to his room, so much so he didn’t bother undressing and just fell into bed fully clothed. Staying up and worrying himself sick wasn’t going to save Phae, and he needed the rest.
Unfortunately, the rest he needed was too far away. No matter what he did, he couldn’t get comfortable enough to sleep. When the midnight bell sounded, he got up to find the night shift alchemist on staff.
“Hey, you got anything for insomnia?” Eldren asked the alchemist, a young human who he recalled was named Richard. “I can’t fall asleep.”
“Yeah, I can help.” Richard took a bottle down and measured out some thick, dark liquid. “Rumor mill has been saying so much about you that I’ve been waiting for you to pop by.”
Eldren paused. “Really?”
“Well, you’re going after Demeter, aren’t you? And Phaedra? It’s no secret what happened to them at this point.”
Something about that didn’t sit right with Eldren. “What is the rumor mill saying?”
“Oh, various things. Mostly I don’t pay much mind to it all. The only thing I noticed was you coming and going.” Richard looked at him as he finished measuring the concoction. “You stand out, you know. You’re one of the few elves that works here. It’s hard not to see how they’ve been working you since Sanctuary fell.” Richard capped the bottle and put a label on it before handing it over. “A little bit will do you. And don’t drink alcohol on this.” He held onto the bottle as Eldren took it. “And good luck, getting the sisters back. I know it was Demeter chosen to save the world, but Phaedra is a friend of mine. I hate to see her go like this.” Richard released the bottle and Eldren nodded.
“I’m doing everything I can to save them.” He looked at the bottle and its ingredients list and sighed. It almost felt like cheating, but Temple made sure to keep the alchemist dispensary open all night for a reason. They took in a lot of survivors, and the alchemists that worked there could help with the nightmares and other symptoms that came from fleeing a battle. As he walked back to his room, he wondered if alchemy could also be used in place of healing magic, but he was no alchemist. He had no idea where to even begin. Engineering was his passion, and the only alchemy he knew was for the various toxins some of his bugs carried.
Back in his room, Eldren took some of the concoction and laid down. He worried that it wouldn’t work as fast as he wanted it to, but the thought was barely completed before he fell asleep.
***
The next morning dawned with a feeling of peace Eldren hadn’t felt in eons. Riding on ’ships, eating hardtack and dried salted meat, he had been pushing himself so hard he couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept half that well. Looking at the bottle again, he was glad Temple considered that aspect of life. Everyone needed help sometimes, and he couldn’t help Phae without helping himself.
Changing quickly, he left his weapons behind and went to find Merethyl. She was in the library, a stack of books in front of her, and he paused to consider her. She had been an unlikely ally, but a welcome one. He found her easy to talk to, and her brain was easily twice the size of his. Merethyl was an encyclopedia of knowledge, and he was grateful to have her help. The old feelings of mistrust had quickly faded once he got to know her, and he had been afraid to hope she’d stick around. But stick around, she did.
“Morning,” he said, sliding into the chair across from her.
“Good morning,” she said, putting the book away.
“Any word from Orso?”
“Yeah. He said not to wake you, but that he wanted to see us when you were up.”
Eldren’s palms were suddenly sweaty. “Let’s go.”
They walked to his office in companionable silence, and Eldren knocked at his door. “Come in,” a voice called, and Eldren opened it to see Orso and Abraham.
“Oh good, you both made it.” Abraham smiled at them, a warm expression.
“Well, where do we go now?” Eldren asked. “Because we’re running out of places to cross paths with her.”
“We don’t know the location of the next ’stone, but Temple Intelligence has narrowed in on the ’ship that they think Phaedra is on. And it’s currently going here.” There was a map on Orso’s desk, and Eldren leaned over to see where Abraham was pointing. “We can’t say if there is a ’stone or not, but they think something is there.”
Eldren held his breath for a few moments. The idea that he could get the ’stone to her just like that was an intoxicating one, but what if he failed? So much was riding on her getting it. “How do we get it to her?”
“Simone is willing to set down in the area and cloak. Not too close, of course, but if we can get you out there before they get there, she can hide with the shield her ’ship is equipped with and you and Merethyl can get it to her.”
“Seems risky.” Eldren looked at Merethyl, who looked serious. “Are you on board?”
“Of course. We’ve come too far to give up now.”
“Good.” Orso rubbed his hands together. “This is the most dangerous part yet, but I have faith you can pull it off. Use the fairy circles to escape if you need to. Just do whatever it takes to get the ’stone to Phaedra and make it back in one piece.”
Eldren licked his dry lips. “You certainly don’t ask for small things, Old Man.”
Orso smiled. It was tired around the edges, but also looked hopeful. “I trust you to pull this off.” He reached into his desk and pulled out a pouch. “The ’stone is in here. Give it to her and get out. Simone has her orders to wait for you as long as possible. Just come back to us.”
“We’ll get it done,” Eldren said, taking the bag. “One way or another, we’re getting Phae and Demeter back.”