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 sat on a garden stool, hunched over with my hands buried in my hair, listening to Wendy and Finn argue their opposing points again.

“We can’t risk unleashing this horror upon the world,” Wendy insisted.

“Then we will all die!” Finn shot back.

“Then that’s how it must be!” Wendy yelled.

“I think I know what to do,” Ulla said, her clear but soft voice cutting through the tension, and I looked back to see her standing in the greenhouse with her friend Dagny.

“What?” Finn asked her.

“I know what to do.” Her expression was nervous, but she stood tall. “I have to kill the wyrm.”

“Ulla, you’re strong, but you’re not trained,” Finn said. “The wyrm laid waste to many, many Omte soldiers today.”

“But I’m not just Omte,” Ulla reminded him. “I’m also álfar. I am the morning flower and the summer bird, and I’m the good morning that ends the violent night.”

“That’s . . . very poetic,” Loki replied carefully. “But that doesn’t tell us how you are going to go about killing the unkillable.”

“With her dagger and my arrows,” Dagny interjected.

“What are you talking about, Ulla?” I asked, since none of what she was saying made any sense to me.

She took a deep breath and looked uncertainly over at Dagny, who nodded her head in encouragement.

“I don’t know how to explain it exactly,” Ulla began. “I was reading an old text, talking about this prophecy—the suns will set in the green sky when the good morning becomes the violent night. I just knew what I needed to do.”

“I’m going to coat the tip of my dagger—” Ulla’s hand went to the ornate Omte weapon sheathed on her hip.

“And my arrows,” Dagny repeated.

“—with sorgblomma blood,” Ulla continued. “We’re going to kill the wyrm and the monsters, and when we’re done, everyone can evacuate.”

“Elof, Noomi, and Sunniva are currently looking for a way to close the portal again,” Dagny said. “Elof can hide out, surviving with the remaining Älvolk and thrimavolk, and seal themselves in again until they find a way to close the portal.”

“But what if another wyrm gets through?” Wendy asked. “Or something worse? If the portal is open, we’re all still in danger.”

“You can help Elof look through the books,” Dagny suggested. “That’s what I’ll be doing as soon as the wyrm is taken care of.”

“I don’t know what it is that you think you know, Ulla,” Finn said. “But if you go up against the dragon, you will die.”

“I know it’s not a perfect plan,” Ulla said. “But it’s the best one we’ve got.”

I stood up and looked at Ulla. “What can I do to help?”

80

image

Abyss

Ulla