Shining light

Chapter 9

The next day, she was determined to get some answers from the locals. After she finished her breakfast, she went up to the bar to talk to the bartender.

The bartender was a tall and slender man in his early thirties with a well-groomed beard. She was not sure how she would start a conversation with him, but luckily she didn't have to, because he started talking to her.

"I haven't seen you around befhre" he asked. "No. I am actually from another world, so that is probably why," she said. "De name is Finnegan O'Sullivan but you can just call me Finn.Tell me mhre about how you come from anoder whrld." he said and put an arm under his chin.

She told him her name and all about how she went through a portal and ended up in the castle. She also told him about how she was now looking for answers about her parents and their deaths.

"What was yooehr parents called again?" he asked. "Margaret and William Thompson." "I have never seen or hr 'ead about this Magaret. But William have been at de tavern a few times. Did not talk to him much but 'e was a very serious man always whrk." he said and took a sip of his drink.

"Do you know what he did for work?" she asked. "I just know dat 'e whrked fhr de keng and 'e got send out on some kend av missions. But i dont know what kend av missions." he answered.

She had really thought he could give her more answers."Shry i cant be av mhre 'elp" he said. She was about to leave, but he stopped her. "Let me at least give you a drink on de house" He gave her a lemonade, and she sat down at a table in the corner. Lost in thought, she looked out the window.

"Hey, beautiful!" Eleanor jumped and let out a little scream. Someone had sat down opposite her. It was a guy. He was tall, athletic, with slicked-back brown hair, amber eyes, and sun-kissed skin.

The guy laughed. "What did you say?" Eleanor asked. He put his arms crossed on the table. "I wanna talk with you," he said with a smirk. "What? Why?" she asked. He laughed again and leaned back in his seat.

"Well, I have heard that you come from another world." "Yeah, that is true," she said while fidgeting with her hands. "How did you end up here and why are you at this tavern?" he asked. She told him all about how she ended up here and why she is at the tavern.

"So, do you know anything about my parents or this Zagreus guy?" she asked. He moved to sit straight up in his seat. "I have never heard anything about your mother, but I do know a bit about your dad. But you wouldn't like to hear it," he said while intently studying her.

She sighed. "I feared you would say that but tell me anyway, I need to know."

"Your dad worked for the king as his assassin, and he killed everyone the king wanted him to, no matter the age or the reason. He killed my parents when I was a kid, right in front of me," he said and clenched his fist.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. That's horrible. I...I don't even know what to say. To think my dad was such a disgusting human being. I'm so sorry. I...I" He stops her. "Hey stop! You are not your dad so you have nothing to be sorry for. It's not your fault" Eleanor did not know what to say and needed a moment to gather her thoughts. She was fidgeting with her fingers.

"A lot of people coming to this tavern have probably heard a thing or two about your dad, so you should try asking others too. Just don't tell them that you are his daughter, then they definitely won't tell you anything." She thought about it for a second and made a mental note to try it.

"Then do you know anything about this guy called Zagreus? I have been told he is also an assassin and that he killed my dad." The guy smirked. "I don't know who told you this, but that's not true at all. Firstly, I haven't heard that your dad died, so he might still be alive. Secondly, Zagreus is not an assassin. Sure, he has killed a lot of people, but he is not an assassin," he said.

"What do you mean? Doesn't killing a lot of people literally qualify him as an assassin?," she asked, raising her eyebrows. He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "True, but the thing is, Zagreus is part of a rebellion against the king, so he only kills people loyal to the king".

"Why would anyone rebel against the king?" she asked. "Some people don't like that the king makes and collects orphans."

He leaned back in his seat again and started talking normally. "Now let's not gather more attention by talking about that more," he said. She looked around the tavern, and a lot of people were side-eyeing them, including Lucas and Daren.

"I think it's my time to ask YOU some questions ," he tells her with a smirk. "What do you want to know?" she said, as she leaned back in her seat. She couldn't help but smile.

"Firstly, you can start by telling me your name, beautiful," he said, with a wink. "Oh yeah, of course. My name is Eleanor," she said while her cheeks turned red.

He smiled. "What a lovely name." She looked down.

He raised an eyebrow, his amber eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Eleanor, tell me about your powers. I've heard whispers about your unique abilities. What can you do?" he asks, leaning in closer.

She hesitates for a moment, unsure about sharing such personal details with a stranger. However, for some reason, she felt like she could trust him. "I have the power to create portals. I created the portal that got me here but I haven't been able to create one since," she confesses.

His smirk widened, clearly intrigued by her response. "Portals, huh? That's quite an impressive ability. I can see why the king might be interested in someone like you," he remarks, leaning back in his seat again.

"But enough about your powers and the king. I want you to tell me about the animals in your world?" he inquires, his tone lighthearted. She couldn't help but smile a little as she contemplated her response.

"There are too many animals to choose from. But I could maybe start by telling you about my favorite one". "Please do," he said as his eyes sparkled with genuine interest.

"I love the Cheetah. It's the fastest animal we have on land. It can run up to 120 kilometers an hour, which makes them a really scary predator. By the way 120 kilometers an hour is incredibly fast, that's more than 10 times what a human can. They are also really cute looking with black dots covering their whole body. Unfortunately I have never seen one in real life, only in books so I hope that someday I will get the chance to see one", she says with a sigh.

He was captivated by her words. "Now you have made me wanna see one too", he said with a laugh. Eleanor couldn't help but smile. "You are truly something special," he tells her, his voice filled with a hint of admiration. She could feel her cheeks getting warmer. "Thank you," she replies, her voice barely above a whisper.

Their conversation continued as he asked her more about the animals in the world she grew up in. Time seemed to slip away for the two of them as it started to get darker.

They both said their goodbyes, and Eleanor was left alone again with her thoughts. She realized that she had forgotten to ask his name or ask anything about him. She couldn't help but feel a bit upset and embarrassed. She might never see him again.

Later, she had dinner with the elite squad, Daren, and Lucas. They discussed everything they had found out that day. Both the elite squad and Daren and Lucas had heard that Zagreus had been spotted in the forest, so the elite squad planned to focus more on that area. Eleanor did not share the information she had obtained. She was not sure what to make of it and decided it was best to keep it to herself for now.

As she tried to fall asleep in her bed, she couldn't help but recall the conversation she had with the stranger. Was what he had said true? Were her dad and the king really evil? Could her dad still be alive? Who should she believe? It was not easy for her to fall asleep that night.