Eliona's War 3: Lethal Healer

Ch. 34

Later that evening, they gathered at The Grubbery.

Tripp shooed out the customers a half hour earlier and set up the CLOSED sign. There was some grumbling, but a couple of the regulars were already used to the random hours and left without a fuss. It wasn't the first time Tripp had decided to close early, after all.

Seth sat quietly at a table near the back of the diner, beneath the one light that was dimmer the rest. It flickered occasionally.

On the table before him was the wooden box. He'd already taken out the pieces and laid them out like a puzzle, arranged in the order they would fit together.

Between the puzzle and the box lay a microSD card. He'd found the little item inside the hollow torso of the figurine during the flight back. Something had rattled inside the piece when he had looked at it closer, and it hadn't taken long before he found it.

This, he suspected, had been the true item that Uncle Fenn had wanted him to have. Yet Seth barely glanced at it. His attention kept going back to the five broken pieces.

His hands clenched beneath the table and a muscle flexed in his cheek. Just once, why couldn't he have something that wasn't ruined by his family?

A chair scraped beside him as it was pulled back. Next thing he knew, a bony elbow jabbed him gently in the side.

"Hey. You all right, kiddo?"

Seth shook his head. His insides were tied into a giant knot of ugliness, and he didn't know if he wanted to cry, scream, or kill something. It was kind of scary. Back at the house, he'd truly wanted to hurt Carly. He still did. If he saw her now, he wasn't so sure that he wouldn't leap at her and perform one of the deadly moves he'd learned from Dhin.

"You haven't said a word since we left. You're making this old lady worried, Seth."

The use of his name instead of the usual kiddo made him look up. He saw Mrs Beakor, calm and unflappable as ever, yet her usual, easygoing humor had faded into obvious concern.

He looked away and forced his fingers to relax. "Sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for. You did good," she said. She plunked her elbow on the table and leaned on it in a relaxed manner. "I'm proud of you, kiddo."

Seth frowned slightly. His gaze flickered over the items on the table. Her words felt wrong. He didn't deserve the praise. Not when Fenn's gift was broken.

Chadley came out from the kitchen. He had his laptop stuck beneath an arm, and held three steaming cups of tea in his hands. He deftly set one before Seth and Mrs Beakor, before putting the third one down on the other side of Seth.

"Thank-you," Mrs Beakor said. She got a nod from him in response.

Seth eyed the steaming mug for a moment, before pulling it closer. Whatever was inside smelled earthy and slightly sweet. Distantly, he recalled having a different cup of tea in another world. Olen had served him Everberry tea when they talked about the grim fate of Eliona. There was a sense of déjà vu for he felt as grim now as he did then.

It didn't take long for Chadley to get set up. He opened his laptop, took a sip of his tea, and then gave Seth a questioning glance.

Seth knew what he was asking for. Wordlessly, he picked up the microSD card and passed it over. He didn't really care about it, not as much as the shattered figurine.

Mrs Beakor obviously picked up on that, for she gently pushed the box aside to get a better look at the pieces.

"What is it?"