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

—Noomi dragging me down the hall, the tube in my arm draining my blood, the choir singing, a room full of vials and old books, a crumbling city built into the mountainside, Indu’s face as he crouched before me, saying, “You’re making this so much harder than it needs to be,” as crippling pain cut me down—

“Nope,” I said firmly.

Ragnall narrowed his eyes, and I fought to keep my expression even. “Hmm.” Abruptly, his megawatt smile returned. “You’ll be sure to let me or Amalie know if you remember anything. We’re very interested in finding out all that we can about the First City and the Älvolk.”

“Of course,” I lied. “I know that the Mimirin is a bastion for knowledge.”

“Precisely,” he said. “I’m glad we could have this chat.”

“Me too,” I said, and then I got out of there as quickly as possible.

I didn’t know what was going on, but the whole interaction had left me unnerved. Everything Ragnall said sounded right, but somehow it all felt wrong.

21

image

Eclipsed

“So . . . you think Ragnall can read minds?” I asked, and my stomach dropped even further.

“No, that’s not what I said,” Dagny corrected me with an irritated sigh. “He has psychokinetic abilities, but plenty of trolls do and almost none of them can read minds.”

The four of us—Dagny, Bryn, Pan, and myself—were in the apartment. After my sudden meeting with the Korva, I’d gone down to the troglecology lab, and Pan was there, waiting with the others. By then, it was well after lunchtime, and Dagny’s stomach was growling, so we decided to get something to eat, while Elof decided to stay behind and continue working in the lab.

We grabbed flatbread sandwiches on the walk back to my and Dagny’s apartment, and I filled them in on how my conversation with Ragnall had gone. Bryn and Pan were sitting at the bistro table, while Dagny sat on the lumpy couch with her plate of food balancing on the arm of the couch and the Mimirin directory open on her lap, reading the brief biography of Ragnall at the back.

“Well, let’s assume the worst,” Bryn said between bites of her sandwich. “The head guy can read your mind. Would it be so bad if he did?”

“I mean, I lied to him,” I said.

Bryn swallowed her mouthful. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Because I really don’t remember much, and what I do remember is jumbled and confusing. And . . .” I took a deep breath, trying to define exactly why I’d held back from the Korva. “I don’t mind talking to you guys about it, but I don’t want to share a bunch of scattered, intense memories with strangers, especially before I get it all sorted out.”