BooksBarbecue
Back The Ever After Save as PDF
Chapters (92)
  1. Cover
  2. TheEVERAFTER
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. 66
  69. 67
  70. 68
  71. 69
  72. 70
  73. 71
  74. 72
  75. 73
  76. 74
  77. 75
  78. 76
  79. 77
  80. 78
  81. 79
  82. 80
  83. 81
  84. 82
  85. 83
  86. 84
  87. 85
  88. 86
  89. Epilogue
  90. GLOSSARY
  91. TheEVERAFTER
  92. By Amanda Hocking

“I am the Överste,” Finn said. “So yes, I suppose I am.”

58

image

Together

In the Öhaus in the center of Isarna, Finn and Patrik Boden were briefing everyone. The large main room was a museum of sorts, with display cases of artifacts and ancient tapestries on the walls. They had moved some of the displays to the side, and set up wooden folding chairs on the antique Swedish rugs, more than we needed for the group we had. Isarna had a small guard of less than thirty Trylle and Skojare, but Finn warned me that most of them weren’t combat ready.

In addition to the Isarna guard, there were about a dozen volunteers, most of them far less equipped than the guard. Like an old Skojare fisherman, a couple Trylle farmers, and Minnie, the teenage girl that worked the Grand Bottenviken Hotel.

Plus the Ten we brought with us, and Pan, Dagny, Sumi, Eliana, Sunniva, Finn, Patrik, and me. About sixty of us altogether, and almost none of us prepared to take on a warrior cult.

I sat near the edge of the room, in between Pan and Dagny, and after a few minutes of Finn and Patrik talking, I was slumped down, with my head on Pan’s shoulder, falling asleep. I wanted to stay awake—what Finn was saying was important—but I hadn’t really slept in the past day and a half, and my body basically passed out. Pan had managed to get a few winks on the flight, but I’d sat vigilant, in case the Ten acted up, though they’d ended up spending most of the flights snoring.

“Ulla,” Pan said softly, rousing me from sleep.

“Ulla, get up,” Dagny said, and her chair banged as she stood up, startling me awake.

“What happened?” I glanced around the emptying room and wiped my mouth in case I drooled.

“You slept through everything,” she said, and held up a notebook covered in her delicate scrawling. “But I took notes, so I can go over it with you later.”

“We thought you needed the rest more,” Pan explained.

“Thanks, I think I did,” I agreed sheepishly, and I stretched. “Where’s everyone going now?”

“Everyone’s free to do whatever they want until tomorrow morning,” Pan said. “We’re meeting here at five A.M. to suit up and make the long trek out to Áibmoráigi.”

“So we’re going right into it then?” I was wide awake now, and slightly terrified.

“Yeah,” Dagny said. “Jem and Sumi remember how to get there, and we know that the Älvolk have everything they need to cross the bridge and enter Alfheim. It’ll be easier if we can stop them before the murder monsters get through, and we really don’t have much time.”

“But it’s just us going to fight the Älvolk?” I asked. “Nobody else is coming to help?”