Page 19 of Chaos Unleashed

“Hmm,” the bartender hums in reply as he starts pouring ales, “here, I can offer you a drink and we have a stew on the go if you’re hungry.”

“Yes, please,” Loki replies before anyone else can, and I think that it’s because he needs to feed; it has been a while since he fed from Farren, but he adds, “I smelt that stew as soon as I walked in and it smells awesome.”

I need to keep an eye on him. He’s not showing any of the usual signs of hunger, and it makes me wonder if it works differently in the Underworld because, by this point, he really should be at least starting to get hungry. I’ll watch him closely, just in case. The last thing we need is a hangry vamp.

The bartender grins, “Thank you. Take a seat, and I’ll bring you over some bowls.”

We pick up our drinks off the bar and then find a table big enough for all of us to sit comfortably. I have to admit that I’ve finished half of my ale before it occurs to me that it might be something unique to the Underworld that we shouldn’t drink. Since Khaos and Grey didn’t warn us though, I’m just assuming that it's okay.

Either way, it’s too late now.

“Are you okay?” Zev asks Grey.

Grey glances up from his still full glass and shakes his head, “No, my people should never have to live in fear, and if it's this bad here I shudder to think what kind of condition the soul side is in.”

“Fuck, that’s going to be an issue.” Storm agrees, a deep frown darkening his features.

“As soon as we have Farren and we know that she’s okay, we will work out a plan to stop the princes and restore the Underworld,” Zev says.

Grey looks at him, his eyes narrowing slightly as he asks, “We will?”

Zev nods firmly, and Grey’s shoulders slump.

“What’s wrong?” Khaos asks this time, “I thought that you’d be relieved?”

Our conversation is interrupted as the bartender brings each of us massive bowls of meat stew, a huge plate of still warm bread rolls, and a wedge of butter.

Once he’s gone, Grey answers Khaos’s question, “I am relieved that we’re going to fix this; my Underworld needs me, and it's my responsibility, but,” he pauses.

It suddenly occurs to me what’s wrong, “But if we help you fix it, we will need to leave at some point. We’re a part of the Warrior Games; the Fae realm needs us, and the Underworld needs you, so we will need to leave, and more importantly, so will Farren.”

Grey gives one sharp nod, letting me know that I've hit the nail on the head with my explanation. The rest of us all share a look but stay silent, there’s fuck all that we can do, that’s the reality of the situation. Grey is needed here, and we’re needed in the Fae realm; it would be ridiculous if he attended Black Onyx Academy even if he could leave the Underworld unattended, which he can’t.

“We’ll figure something out,” Zev says, but he looks worryingly unsure about his reassurances.

Grey has very quickly become one of us, and Khaos isn’t too far behind, which is weird since we’ve only really known him for a few days, at this point though I just assume that the Fates are pulling the strings and that we’ll eventually understand what’s going on.

I would miss them both, and I’d find it difficult just to leave them behind. I don’t even want to think about what Farren’s reaction will be.

We all eat in silence for a while, and I’m so glad that Loki answered before anyone else could decline because the food is absolutely delicious, and I’m not just saying that because we haven’t eaten anything but what we’ve hunted for the past few days.

“I don’t think we should stay in town,” Mayhem suddenly says.

“Why?” Storm asks around a mouth full of food.

“Because we’re making the locals extremely uncomfortable and causing them distress, it's really not a problem for us to make camp in the woods,” Mayhem replies.

“I think you’re right,” I agree, “these people have clearly been through enough, and I don’t want to cause them any extra stress just because of our presence.”

“Agreed,” Grey replies firmly. “We’ll eat and then head out.”

“Do you think he’d package some up for us?” Loki asks hopefully.

“I think, considering we scared away all of his patrons if we pay handsomely enough, he wouldn’t mind,” Reaper grins, tearing off a hunk of bread. “Hopefully, he has some more bread, too.”

“It’s settled then,” Rival says, “we’ll ask if we can take some food with us and then head out.”

Everyone nods in agreement.

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