Tear kneeled down beside her and gave her a big hug. "I'll miss him," she said mournfully. "Everyone will, but... that monster might come back any second now."
She was right, they couldn't stay here. Ellen stood up and looked to the others. "Let's take him to the Village of Majula," she said. "I'm sure that's where he'd want to be-" She couldn't finish her sentence.
Brendon stepped forward. "I'll take care of it," he said, his voice low. "You can go on ahead."
"I'll destroy the stone," Alice said eagerly, but rather than draw her weapons, she instead yawned then dropped to her knees. "I'm really tired... So tired... I think I might-"
She collapsed onto her back and drifted off to sleep.
"She fought harder and longer than any of us," Amadeo said, beaming at Alice. "She deserves a good rest. I'll carry her back."
"I'll take care of the stone," L.L. said. "I'm not going to hold anything back. You should all clear out of here before you get hurt."
Ellen glanced one final time at Sycamore. He was gone now, but at least he'd left with a smile on his face. "We're going to save the world," she said softly. "I don't know how long it'll take, but I promise we'll do it."
Chapter 24
Despite the yellow mysterious stone having been destroyed less than a week ago, people all over the Village of Majula were already breaking free from their sickness. The old man running the tavern, who Ellen visited every day, was one of the healthy ones.
"I understand you helped our village out a great deal," he said calmly, "but I'm trying to run a business here, and I can't give everything away for free."
He stood behind the front counter, staring down at Ellen with a sharp look. He probably thought he could intimidate her into leaving, but after everything she'd been through in this dimension, there was absolutely nothing he could do or say that would rattle her.
"You wouldn't have a business if it wasn't for me," Ellen said.
The old man's glare intensified. "How old are you, anyway? I only serve adults here, not kids like you."
"I'm-" Ellen paused. She'd turned seventeen recently, but she felt older now. Much older. "I'm old enough."
"No, you're not." His glare became worse, but Ellen held his gaze without wavering. "Do you have anything to trade? I don't like giving out freebies, but if you have something valuable on you then maybe we can make a deal."
All she had was her knife, her buckler, and her coins, none of which she planned to give up. "I don't have anything," Ellen said. The old man furrowed his brow. "My friends and I cured your sickness. I don't think this is asking a lot. We also alerted everyone when that monster-"
The old man interrupted her with a loud groan. "Okay, I get it! I'll let you have another freebie, but this is the last time."
He dug a bottle of red wine out from under his counter and offered it to Ellen.
She didn't take it. One bottle would ease her worries, but it would not be enough to let her completely forget about the burden resting on her shoulders.
"You want two? Again? I hope you're not drinking these by yourself."
"You'd understand if you'd been chosen to save the world," Ellen said.
The old man studied her. He was probably looking for a smile or some indication that she was joking, but he wouldn't find one, because what she had said was the truth. Of course chosen was probably the wrong word. She'd simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
"You didn't drink a bottle of this stuff before you came in here," the old man said, "did you?" His anger was gone now, replaced by worry.
Ellen shook her head.
"I don't know what you're going through right now, but this stuff isn't going to fix your problems." The old man dug another bottle of wine out from under his counter and offered it to Ellen.
He was right, no amount of wine would fix her problems, but it sure did make them easier to cope with. Ellen took both bottles then left the tavern.
The sky outside was bright and blue. She followed a dirt road passed several rows of small homes and headed for the edge of the village, towards the cemetery. There was someone very important she needed to visit.
Partway there she pulled the cork from one of her bottles and started drinking its pungent, raspberry flavored contents. It went down much easier now than it had back in the dream world. Once she'd swallowed enough to settle her nerves, she continued on.
The cemetery was a wide-open field surrounded by trees with pink leaves. Ellen followed a broken cobblestone road down the center, careful not to set her gaze on any of the gravestones lining the path. She had enough grief already.
The gravestone she sought after was near the very back. She took another drink of wine then approached it.
"Sick-ah-more," Ellen said, reading the name carved into the gravestone. It was the only name she could read. Tear had recently started teaching her to read, but she still had a lot to learn.
She didn't say anything else. It wasn't like Sycamore could hear her anyway.
Her eyes became damp. She wiped them dry with her sleeve then took another drink of wine.
Tear came running over and stopped beside her. She glanced at the gravestone. "I wish I was stronger," she said sadly, "and faster too. That monster was already on top of him by the time I caught up, and even with four of my bows I couldn't kill it fast enough."
"It's not your fault," Ellen said. "A long time ago, when I was... Well, I don't remember how old I was. Someone told me I was a bad luck child. They were right back then, and they're still right now. Everything I touch ends up destroyed, and everyone I get close to ends up getting hurt or killed."
"I don't think you're bad luck at all," Tear said, smiling. "How many people have managed to go into that strange world and learn how to stop monsters from appearing? You're the first!"
She was the second to have entered the dream world, but Ellen had yet to tell anyone about the Autarch and the monster he'd created. That was yet another burden weighing down her conscious. She raised her wine bottle and took a drink.
After she finished, she asked Tear: "Did you learn anything new?"
"I ran into two of the village chief's sons. After they finished begging me to go home with them-" Tear quivered. "I asked them about the White Palace. They didn't know anything, but they said their father might have some ideas. He's out investigating the watchtowers right now, so we'll have to wait a few more days."
"That's good," Ellen said. "Even if we know where the palace is, it's still going to be a long, miserable trip. The longer we can put it off, the better." She took another sip of wine.
Tear gave her a smile. "I know you're still upset about Sycamore, but he wouldn't want to hear you talking like that. Besides, I'll be with you the whole time, and so will Alice and Brendon and L.L. and Amadeo. You enjoy our company, don't you?"
She loved their company, but Ellen also had not told them what would happen should she find the White Palace and enter Ain Sof Absolute: her presence would bring to life the worst monster to have ever existed.
She opened her mouth to speak, and instead took another drink of wine.
A man entered the graveyard. He was wearing a very formal white shirt and black dress pants. Not recognizing him, Ellen ignored him.
The man strolled over and stopped beside her. "What are you two doing here?" he asked plainly.
It was Amadeo, Ellen realized. She didn't recognize him with a shirt on, or with his beard so neatly trimmed and combed.
"Why are you dressed like that?" Tear asked. "You look weird."
"Would you prefer me shirtless again?" Amadeo asked, sounding almost flirtatious.
Tear recoiled away, her face curled up in disgust. "No, but we're probably going to be leaving in a few days. Those aren't clothes I'd wear if I was about to fight a bunch of monsters."
Just wearing the word monster made her shudder. Ellen raised her wine bottle and took another drink.
Her first few drinks were starting to catch up to her. In a fe
w minutes she wouldn't have to worry about monsters or Ain Sof Absolute or anything else. She couldn't wait.
"I've done a great deal of administrative work in my time," Amadeo said, very matter-of-factly, "back when the world was in better shape. I hope you don't think I'm some shirtless goon who goes around seducing young girls."
Tear still looked disgusted. "But you did seduce Alice. Maybe you should... I don't know, turn things down a little."
Hearing Tear talk about Alice that way reminded Ellen of her dream, where Alice had been pregnant. Did that dream have some truth to it? And Alice had become very defensive after she'd pointed to her stomach. If she was pregnant, that meant there was yet another life that might be lost during her search for the White Palace.
She raised her wine bottle and took a drink.
Amadeo stirred in place. His cool demeanor was starting to crack. "She initiated everything," he said. He looked to Sycamore's gravestone. "That's not why I'm here," he added, his voice mournful now. "I wanted to see that everything here had been handled properly. It's incredibly rare for anyone to be given a real burial nowadays."
"Two of my other friends-" Ellen started. She didn't want to finish. Instead she looked down at her wine.
Amadeo gave her an understanding nod. "How long did you know him?"
"Not very long," Ellen admitted, "but that doesn't change what he did. He saved me, and if I do end up finding the White Place and destroying the dream world, that means he'll have saved the world too." Her eyes became damp. Sycamore might've changed the world when he saved her, but he'd never know it.
She raised her wine bottle to drink, but Tear grabbed the neck and held it back. "Have you eaten breakfast yet? If you have to drink that stuff, you should at least eat something first."
"A very keen idea," Amadeo said. "Too much wine on an empty stomach will make you sick. At the rate you've been going, I'm surprised you're not sick already."
"I've had a lot of practice lately," Ellen mumbled. She tried pulling the bottle towards her mouth, but that only made Tear tighten her grip. Then Amadeo moved in closer. He looked like he was ready for a fight.
Ellen grumbled quietly to herself then lowered her bottle.
"The visitor center still has plenty of food laying around," Tear said, "and nobody seems to care how much we take." She glanced cautiously at Amadeo.
She wasn't completely comfortable around him yet. Ellen could relate, albeit for different reasons.
"You can come with us," Tear said, "but, um-"
"Another time," Amadeo said. "The village has scout teams that patrol the pristine road. I'm going to track down a few of them and see if they know anything. Or maybe they've run into someone who knows something. There are lots of drifters who pass through here. You never know what you'll find." He spun on his heel then waltzed off. "If you see Alice, tell her I won't be back for a day or two."
"He's kind of a creep," Tear whispered, "but at least he's helping us."
Had Tear made the connection between the shadow that had killed her back in Amadeo's castle and Amadeo? Or had Brendon and L.L.? Ellen wondered.
She dug the quark out from her tunic pocket, stuffed it into her wine bottle then followed Tear across the village to the visitor center.
A young female clerk wearing a long brown dress greeted her as soon as she stepped inside. "Welcome back!" she said. "Do you need anything?"
"Take this to my room," Ellen said, handing her the unopened wine.
"Take the other one as well," Tear said quickly, to which Ellen responded by giving her a sharp jab with her elbow. The wine wasn't interfering with their mission. How could it, when their mission hadn't started yet? There was zero reason for her to get so hung up over it.
She made her way to one of the dining tables. It was an arduous journey; the floor kept titling left and right and throwing her off balance. The bench was even less cooperative. The first time she tried to sit, it skittered sideways to avoid her, causing her to fall onto her knees. On her second attempt, she grabbed the bench tight with her free hand and pulled herself up onto it before it could slip away.
Tear brought her a plate full of monster meat then sat down beside her. "It's the greasiest batch available," she said. "There's a cook working here now, so the food should be a lot fresher."
The sights and smells before her were too much to bear. Ellen set her wine aside and dug in.
Each nugget of meat was especially greasy. And so was her cheek after she missed her mouth and shoved a piece of meat into it, but Tear was quick to hand her a linen cloth.
Brendon marched down the stairs and sat down across from her. "Is that for me?" he asked, eyeing the wine bottle. "You shouldn't have."
"I didn't." Ellen's hand shot forward and grabbed the bottle before Brendon could lay a finger on it.
Brendon gave her a curious look. "We're running low on people to ask. There are a few elderly types who've heard the name White Palace before, but they don't know anything about it. If our search keeps up like this, we're going to end up heading out into the world completely blind."
We should give up, Ellen wanted to say, but the thought alone filled her with guilt. She'd made too many promises to quit without trying.
"I'm sure you still want to find your friends. Unless we get really lucky along-"
"We won't," Ellen blurted out. She was not going to get lucky, not now or ever.
"We might get lucky and run into them on our way to the palace," Brendon said, "or maybe they're already there waiting for us, but that's asking a lot." He dawdled for a moment. "I'm sure the others will stick with you to the end, but I don't have it in me to spend another couple years wandering the world. I can either help you find your friends, or I can help you find the palace, but there's no way I can do both."
He was giving her an ultimatum, a very mild one, but an ultimatum none-the-less. She might've felt sick to her stomach if she didn't have so much wine inside it.
"I want to find my friends," Ellen said, "but..." How could she ever prioritize finding her friends when she had the opportunity to free the world from monsters forever? She grit her teeth and answered: "We have to find the palace."
Brendon nodded. "I'm sure your friends aren't going to forget you. They might even live a bit longer, assuming we pull this off."
That was a big assumption. Ellen eyed her wine, but Tear looked like she might lash out and attack should she try and take a drink.
"We don't have any idea where the palace is," Tear said. "If we have to choose between looking for Ellen's friends and looking for some palace that might not exist, I'd rather look for Ellen's friends."
Hearing Tear voice support for finding her friends did nothing to ease Ellen's guilt. Searching the world for her friends would not be any safer than searching the world for the White Palace. And what if she died along the way? Who then would go to Ain Sof Absolute and save the world? This burden had been placed on her shoulders and she couldn't ignore it.
"If we can't find any information about the palace," Brendon said, "forgetting the whole thing might be the better option. These... people Ellen spoke to don't sound like they're all that in touch with our world. Who knows if anything they said is actually true." He stood up slowly, groaning quietly with each movement. "But I'll keep asking around. It'd be a waste to shrug off an opportunity like this."
Brendon wandered off.
Alice took his place at the table, a plate full of greasy monster meat in her hands.
"Are you pregnant?" Ellen blurted out.
Alice's eyes shot open. The nugget of meat in her hand slipped free. "U-um, why would you think that? Who would even... Why are you asking?"
"She went through half a bottle of wine before we came here," Tear explained. "She's probably feeling a bit off."
She did feel off, but that wasn't why she'd asked. "Do you remember those dreams we had when that mysterious stone put us to sleep?" Ellen asked. "You were pregnant in mine. I've never thought about you that
way before." She narrowed her gaze. "That must mean you're-"
Her hand was burning up. She'd put it down on top of her monster meat, Ellen realized. She jerked it back then started wiping the grease off.
"T-that was just a dream," Alice stammered. "I dreamed about an endless white plain that stretched out forever, but nothing like that really exists. It was just something I dreamed up."
"Your weapons started off as a dream, and those ended up becoming real," Ellen pointed out. "And that place you visited really exists. I saw it on my way to the dream world. And do you remember that palace we saw on the horizon? I think that might've been-"
Alice's face turned red. She grabbed her plate and hurried away. "You've had too much to drink. I'll come back when you're normal."
"Amadeo wanted us to tell you something," Tear called out after her. "He said he's leaving the village for a day or two to look for-"
Alice disappeared upstairs.
"Well, I tried," Tear said. She glanced at Ellen. "That was really rude of you to blurt out a question like that."
"Our search won't be easy," Ellen said. "I want to know how many people are going to get killed because of me."
"We just have to find the palace, sit on the throne and then we're done, right?" Tear asked. "That doesn't sound any more dangerous than anything else we've done. Or is there something more?"
There was much more, none of which she wanted to explain. Ellen pulled the quark from her wine bottle and drank.
Tear immediately shot her a dirty look. "What else do we have to deal with? The way you've been-" She winced. "The way you've been indulging yourself, it must be something awful."
Ellen drank until her wine bottle was empty, then explained: "The people inside the dream world aren't just going to vanish."
She startled when something glass exploded nearby. It was her wine bottle. She didn't remember letting it go, but there it was now on the ground beside her, broken.
Scouring Majula (Ellen's Friends Book 3) Page 24