Page 89 of Forged in Fading

A few tears escaped as Oda stared at her hands. “Power. Didn’t know. Don’t want.”

Neither had Alvara, but fate had decided otherwise. She wasn’t sure she would ever understand why her path had led her here, surrounded by a foreign town and their people, praying to Vitharen that they could make this work.

She conversed with Oda in small bits and pieces, witnessing the hope sprouting within the young woman and doing what she could to nurture it. This was where Alvara was meant to be. Following in her sister’s footsteps toward a world where elves and humans could live together, in peace.

Or at the very least, without murdering each other. That seemed a good enough place to start.

Chapter Thirty-One

Sleeping on a hard floor in a hall full of people who all proved the ability to snore rather loudly did not afford Alvara the best attitude for meeting with the chief the next morning. A breakfast of plain porridge did nothing to bolster her spirits, even if it was the best that could be done with the current circumstances, and the constant cheery conversation between Kat and Lilja this early in the day was almost more than she could handle. Aurilena was already gone, busy helping the last of the Eskenti migrate to Gosibik.

Boden seemed just about as chipper as Alvara, his hair a sleep-addled mess atop his head. A deep frown creased his face, and he laid his head in his hands and groaned. “I have every confidence that you are more than capable of meeting with the chief on your own while I go back to sleep.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“If I didn’t believe you would freeze me to the floorboards in my sleep, I most definitely would.”

She blew a handful of snow in his face, and he wiped it away with a grimace. “You do still owe me a walk through the town,” Alvara said as she tugged on the hem of the itchy woolen dress she had been given. It was better than her half-burnt clothes, but she would have to find a way to afford something in the market, or the scratchy material would drive her insane.

Boden started to laugh, but it morphed into a yawn. “If I’m able to survive this meeting without falling asleep, I promise to take you.”

That soon declared itself to be a taller order than Alvara had expected. They spoke of the king’s impending invasion, though when it would occur, no one knew. But after moving on to organizing training for the demi-elves, the topics quickly spiraled into food sources, building more permanent shelters for the refugees, and other more practical and immediate matters. The chief would do his best to ensure his people took elvish money, though it would likely be a never-ending battle.

The elves could offer some crop and food production advancements that would help with the strain on the town, but it would take time. Those with archery skills, along with the shifters, would help hunt what few animals had begun to venture out of hibernation, and the humans’ fishing efforts would increase.

It all meant Alvara was going to be eating more porridge than she would have liked. She couldn’t remember the last time she ate something sweeter than a piece of fruit.

They all knew they needed to strategize defenses, but it was difficult to do so when there were so many more pressing issues that threatened their very survival.

“We’ll assign as many of our people as we are able to the tasks they have experience in,” Boden said, whom Alvara had nudged more than a few times throughout the meeting to keep awake. “Rav, I would appreciate you and your father working with what leadership remains to form a more cohesive council for representation. Aurilena will communicate with the Eskenti to ensure their cooperation and a seat on the council. Kat will fly on regular scouting missions to ensure our safety, at least for now. Lilja and the few Elan elves we have will work with the farmers on growing whatever crops we are able to. My mother has enough experience with my father’s orchard to help plan and tend to whatever we plant.”

“I’d like to visit the local weaponsmith one of these days,” Alvara said. “To see their work and try to increase production if we can.” She would also need to settle Pyry in with the blacksmith as soon as she could. He was the only other somewhat experienced weaponsmith among them.

Alvara could have listed a hundred other tasks to take on, but this would need to do for now. They had been here all morning, with hardly a second of silence passing before someone added another problem, the list of complications only growing as the day wore on.

The sounds of the conversations dulled to a distant hum as she stared at a brown and white owl sitting outside the window. The bird had been flapping around Gosibik since they arrived, clearly as dazed as the rest of them by all of the changes if it was this active during the day. She needed a breath of fresh air, a break from everything to begin adjusting to yet another new life. It was too much. The things they had discussed didn’t even touch the surface of everything that needed to be done in the next few months.

Or however long the king let them have before doing his best to obliterate them.

“Alvara?” Boden’s voice cut through her haze. “I’m happy to show you to the blacksmith whenever you’re ready.”

At least it meant escaping this meeting. “Ready whenever you are.”

He said something to the others in the human tongue before holding the door open for her. The delicious rays of sunlight washed over her skin, the air thick with saltwater as they made their way through the town.

“So where is the weaponsmith?” Alvara asked.

“We won’t be visiting him, at least not today. You looked like you were going to fade from boredom, so I thought it would be a decent enough excuse for us to enjoy some fresh air. And that tour I owe you.”

She smiled. “Thank Vitharen.”

Gosibik proved rather simple, composed mostly of farms and houses, with no taverns or shops to speak of. It didn’t stop Boden from talking nonstop about his experiences there, the people, and the food. Alvara recognized her own pride in Vorianta in his words and the joyous spark in his eye, so she did her best to ask as many questions as she could muster with the lack of sleep.

“Before we visit my favorite place in the town, I have somewhere I’d like to show you.” He led the way through more rows of homes constructed from weathered wood until they reached a central clearing.

Small stalls filled every bit of available space, leaving only enough room for a person or two to walk through the lines of tradesmen and vendors. They passed various humans, some of whom called out to Boden, presumably offering him tastes of their wares, including a simple cake topped with baked apple slices and drizzles of honey.

He passed the meager slice to her and explained that years ago he had indulged in one too many, leaving him with a stomachache that he had yet to forget. Alvara didn’t share his hesitations and devoured the dessert, even after trying her best to slow down and savor the subtle sweetness.