The Time Keeper

Chapter 76 - Taking a Sip

With silence the rest of the way, we finally arrived at The Den on Argyle Lane, where our Huntsmen headquarters was located.

We disembarked, the cold air biting at our exposed skin as we hurried inside

As soon as we stepped inside to the warmer environment, I announced, "After the debriefing, I'm going home to get some well-needed rest."

Fleur chuckled. "You've already slept for over a day, Eli. We're planning to go out to The Red Anchor soon."

I shook my head. "I'm not that interested. We've already finished work and just want to rest after this debrief. Besides," I touched my ribs, feeling the dull ache that had settled there, "I'm still sore from the past couple of days."

Fleur's expression turned playful. "Celebration is actually part of the job. So you're coming whether you like it or not."

I rolled my eyes and glanced over at Lucas, who was in the process of lighting a cigarette.

He noticed my look and did a double-take. "What? Don't drag me into this. I had nothing to do with it."

Darius stepped in. "Let's get this debriefing over with first. Then you can discuss celebrations afterwards."

He led us to the meeting room in The Den and we settled around the table as he began.

"Gather around," he said, his voice commanding attention. "Elias, we've already had a more extensive debriefing while you were unconscious back on the boat, but I'll reiterate."

I nodded, trying to shake off the lingering effects of my earlier exhaustion.

"We managed to succeed," Darius began, his eyes sweeping across the room, meeting each of ours. "We got the pages we sought from the Underground Auction. These are powerful artifacts, and I'll be taking them to The Church of the Keeper of Time. They'll know what to do with them and can keep them safe."

"Caius has already filled me in on what Rex said to you in his office," Darius continued, turning his gaze to me. "The Black Rose and their goals, Vertigo wanting chaos, and the names of the others involved. Selena, Lorenzo, Uvan, and once again, Fritz."

Fleur chimed in, her tone serious. "We dealt with Pandora already, but we need to be on the lookout for the others. They're not going to sit idle after what we've done."

Darius nodded in agreement. "But for now, we can relax. The next step is to do some digging and scouting, which doesn't require much physical work from us. I can get the rest of the team to deal with that. You all can take the rest of the night off. You deserve it."

Letting out a sigh of relief, I felt the tension in my body start to dissipate. The idea of a break was more than welcome after everything we'd been through.

I had already dealt with Lorenzo, but the others didn't need to know that. With him out of the way and in custody at the Church, we wouldn't even run into him if we tried.

"Well, we're going to the Red Anchor," Fleur announced with a sudden burst of enthusiasm, breaking the heavy atmosphere in the room.

I raised an eyebrow, feeling the fatigue settle in. "I really don't know. I'm not really up for it."

"Come on, Eli," she said. "We all need this. Just one night to unwind. You can't refuse."

Before I could protest further, Caius had already flanked me, his expression making it clear that I didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

With a resigned sigh, I held up my arms and gave in for just one night and let them drag me along for their little escapade.

We all left The Den and made our way outside into the cold streets of Leode. The snow continued to fall, beginning to slowly blanket the city in a serene layer of white. The cold bit into my skin making my nose and ears red, and I couldn't help but tug on my coat to partially cover my face.