章 8: The Half-Elf’s Visit
The next morning, Lennox was jolted awake by the sound of insistent knocking on the door. For a moment, he thought it was Borin coming to taunt him about the previous day, and he groaned, burying his face in his pillow.
"Lennox!" a familiar voice called, light and musical. "I know you're in there! Open up before I kick the door down."
He bolted upright. "Elara?"
Lennox stumbled out of bed and threw the door open to find Elara standing on the threshold, her arms crossed and an amused smile playing on her lips. She was striking as always, with her sleek silver hair that shimmered in the sunlight, pointed ears that hinted at her elven heritage, and sharp emerald eyes that seemed to see straight through him. Today, she wore a practical tunic and breeches, but even in such simple clothing, she carried herself with the effortless grace of her mother's people.
"You look awful," she said, tilting her head to take him in. "Rough night?"
"You could say that," Lennox muttered, scratching the back of his neck. "What are you doing here?"
Elara pushed past him into the house, ignoring his question entirely. "So, this is your lair, huh? Cozy. A bit cluttered, though."
Lennox sighed, closing the door behind her. "Make yourself at home, why don't you."
"I intend to," she quipped, plopping down at the table. Her sea serpent, which had apparently slithered in behind her, coiled neatly in the corner of the room, its sleek body gleaming like polished emeralds.
The black cat, who had been curled up on the windowsill, opened one eye to observe the serpent. It yawned, stretched, and hopped onto the table beside Elara, sitting down as if claiming the space for itself.
Elara raised an eyebrow. "Your cat has an attitude."
"You have no idea," Lennox muttered, sitting across from her. "So, why are you here?"
"Two reasons," Elara said, leaning forward. "One, I wanted to see if you survived the Grove of Echoes. Clearly, you did."
"Barely," Lennox said, glancing at the cat. "Thanks to this furball."
"And two," Elara continued, her tone turning serious, "I wanted to warn you."
"Warn me?" Lennox frowned. "About what?"
"Rumors," she said, lowering her voice. "Word's spreading about what you did. People are saying you went into the grove and came back with something powerful."
Lennox's stomach sank. "And that's bad because…?"
"Because now people are curious," Elara said. "Curiosity leads to questions, and questions lead to trouble. Not everyone's going to believe you found that key by accident."
Lennox reached into his pocket, pulling out the Key of Whispers. It pulsed faintly in his palm, as if responding to her words. "Great. So what am I supposed to do? Hide it?"
"That's up to you," Elara said, her eyes narrowing. "But if I were you, I'd be careful who I trusted. Not everyone in this village has your best interests at heart."
Lennox sighed, rubbing his temples. "Fantastic. As if I didn't have enough to worry about."
Elara reached across the table and placed a hand on his. "Hey, you're not in this alone. You've got me, remember?"
Her touch was warm, her smile reassuring. For a moment, Lennox felt his shoulders relax.
"Thanks, Elara," he said, managing a small smile. "That means a lot."
"Of course," she said, leaning back. "Besides, if anyone tries anything, I've got a sea serpent. That usually shuts people up."
The serpent, as if on cue, let out a low rumble, making the dishes on the table rattle. The cat twitched its tail in response, its eyes narrowing at the larger beast.
"Great. Now they're sizing each other up," Lennox muttered. "Just what I needed."
As the morning wore on, Elara stayed to help Lennox clean up his house, though she spent more time teasing him than actually cleaning. She seemed to enjoy pointing out every item he'd neglected to put away, her laughter filling the small space like sunlight.
"You know," she said at one point, holding up a pair of mismatched socks, "if you ever decide to stop adventuring, you could open a thrift shop with all this junk."
"Thanks for the advice," Lennox said dryly, tossing the socks into a basket. "I'll keep that in mind."
By the time she left, the house was tidier, and Lennox felt a little less overwhelmed. The cat, as usual, offered no help, choosing instead to nap in the sunbeam that had conveniently shifted to the center of the room.
"Thanks for stopping by," Lennox said as he walked Elara to the door.
She turned to him, her expression serious again. "Just… be careful, okay? That key might be more trouble than it's worth."
Lennox nodded. "I will. And thanks, Elara. For everything."
Her smile returned, bright and genuine. "Anytime, Lennox."
As she walked away, her sea serpent gliding behind her, Lennox stood in the doorway, watching until she disappeared around the corner. He glanced back at the cat, who was now watching him with an unreadable expression.
"What?" Lennox said, closing the door. "Don't look at me like that."
The cat flicked its tail, jumped down from the table, and padded over to him, its eyes gleaming with something almost like amusement.
"Fine," Lennox muttered. "But you better not start knocking things over again. I just cleaned."
The cat purred softly, and Lennox sighed. Between the mysterious key, the rumors spreading through the village, and Elara's warning, his life was becoming far more complicated than he'd ever imagined. And something told him this was just the beginning.
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