Page 101 of Journey to the Elderoak
“I think I almost died.”
“What?” A flare of alarm washed over him as he pulled back, searching her face.
“Creatures. I had to fight them,” she rambled. “They had poison and there was so much blood. I lost so much blood.” She was fighting tears. “When I reached the tree, I collapsed, and everything went dark.”
His heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. “Youdied?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “Maybe…or I almost did. The monsters…they were the same ones that attacked the ship.”
“What?” He gasped.
She nodded. “But they were an illusion. Kind of. I mean, obviously they were real enough to hurt me but when I killed them, they vanished.”
“What happened after you collapsed?” He tried to hide the panic he was feeling. She wasn’t dead now. She was here, in front of him. Alive.
“Pain. So much pain. And there was light everywhere. Then suddenly I woke up. And I felt different. Ifeeldifferent.” She looked at him and touched his face. “I’m not dead. I’m here,” she said, trying to comfort him.
“Okay. How do you feel different?”
They continued to kneel before each other. He refused to remove his hands from her as he stroked her hair. He couldn’t stop touching her and though she was safe, he wanted to get her back to the castle as soon as possible.Neededto. Needed to take care of her. To get her assessed by Kai and clean off the blood and hold her.
“It’s overwhelming. I can hear everything. And smell everything.”
“You’ll take time to adjust,” he said. “Can you stand?”
“Yes.”
He stood, helping her rise with him. He wrapped her in his arms, holding her as he kissed her forehead, and she laid her head upon his chest. They stayed there for a moment, and he peppered the top of her head with kisses, murmuring he would always protect her.
He pulled back, and Ava kissed the tears upon his cheeks.
“Do I look different?” she added.
“Not much. A little taller and your ears are different.”
She reached up and touched them. “That’s so strange.”
He chuckled. “That’s all you have to say? That’s strange?”
“Itisstrange.”
He let go and took her hand. “Let’s get back to the castle. The others are waiting.”
As they walked through the woods, over roots and under branches, Casimir felt lighter, hopeful. He could breathe easy knowing she had survived the journey. There would be more danger to come, but he put that out of his mind. For now, they would enjoy the peace, the upcoming ball and celebration.
“Do you feel your magic?” he asked as they continued to walk. He had let go of her hand for them to climb through denser brush and felt its absence, needing to touch her every moment.
“I think so,” she said.
“What does it feel like?”
“It’s hard to describe. I feel like something is living in the pit of my stomach. It’s warm and writhing. Wants to get out.”
“That’s it.”
“Does it always feel this way?”
“Yes, but you’ll get used to it. And you will learn how towield and control it. You can’t let it overtake you or it can become dangerous.”
