Thornblade Chronicles - Volume 1

Chapter 5

 By the time Eli and Devon entered the guild's room, Charles and Albert finished setting up lunch. Sarah sat on the chair closest to the window, her feet swinging just barely over the floor. Eli looked around the room and noticed there were four beds and more storage space than his room. Seeing everyone out of uniform made Eli feel awkward. He took off some of his armor and placed it by the door, including his sword.

"Ah, welcome back, you two!" Charles said with a smile. "I heard from Sarah that you passed the test, Eli! Is this true?" he asked. Eli looked to Devon, who smiled and nodded his head. "Well, congratulations are in order, Eli!" he walked up to Eli and wrapped his arm around Eli's neck.

"Thank you, Charles," said Eli, grinning. "What is going on now?"

"As I explained yesterday, we have an adventure. It is our tradition as a guild to have a feast before going on an adventure. And now that you are one of us, please, come join us!" Charles gestured to the table in front of him. Devon rushed to the table to eat, cheering about food. Eli slowly walked to the table, entranced by the variety of smells and colors on the table. Admiring the beauty of its presentation, Eli did not want to ruin the perfect-looking food. However, his stomach grumbled, and Eli realized this would be his first real meal since the prison.

A large circular plate sat in the center of the table, containing rings of fruit and vegetables. A pale-orange colored dip with scattered light-green herbs sat in a cup in the dish's center. The inner-most ring had sliced cucumbers. Surrounding them were grapes. Baby carrots followed those, then strawberries, then apple slices. On another plate, sat sandwich slices containing meat, lettuce, tomatoes, and a different, light brown-grey sauce. A third dish had biscuits surrounding an assortment of cheeses.

Eli stood in shock. The fruits and vegetables looked so fresh and shiny, and the sandwich slices were cut so cleanly. Charles walked up behind Eli and patted him on the back as Eli's mouth began watering. "Go on, the food will not disappear," he insisted. Eli wiped his mouth dry and quickly sat down.

Sarah had already begun eating from the fruit and vegetable platter. Albert put cheese between some biscuits, and Eli quickly grabbed a sandwich slice and scarfed it down, too hungry to savor the food.

"Hungry, I see?" Sarah joked, laughing at the swordsman who had finished a large sandwich slice before Albert could finish eating his cheese and biscuit. Eli froze momentarily before wiping the sauce off his lip and placing his hands on his lap.

"My apologies, I have not eaten enough since the cell," he said, solemnly. He looked down and held his hands. Sarah's eyes widened.

"No, no! There was no problem! Please, eat as much as you want. Albert usually is the fast eater," Sarah laughed. The others joined shortly after. Albert scratched the back of his head.

"I have not done anything today. There is no need for me to eat that much," Albert retaliated.

"You ate an entire sandwich while preparing for this meal," Charles laughed. Albert rolled his eyes.

"Eli, on the other hand, has been in two fights, correct? One with the guards yesterday and one with Sarah's summon, today. What was it?" Albert asked.

"He took down a Sopala with ease," Devon explained, almost in disbelief.

"Oh, please. That knocked me around quite a bit," Eli humbled himself.

"A Sopala!" Albert laughed. "You took one down without a problem? I am surprised you lasted this long without much food," it was the first time Albert had truly smiled in front of Eli. Albert gestured to the food. "You need your strength. Please, eat," he insisted. Eli became somewhat cautious of overeating, not wanting to deprive his new friends of the opportunity to eat enough. Eli began slowly snacking on the fruit and vegetable platter. The dip was sweet but also contained a hint of spice. Eli felt the fruits' juices sliding down his throat, finally taking the time to savor every bite.