Page 89 of Journey to the Elderoak
Casimir put his shirt back on as Ava approached Quinn. “Honestly, I’m freaking out.”
Quinn put her hands on Ava’s shoulders. “Look, I know I’m not always easy to get along with. And I know I was unkind to you initially, but I believe in you. Youcando this.”
“Thank you,” Ava said. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”
“Also, I have something for you.” Quinn reached behind her and handed Ava a dagger. A beautifully crafted silver dagger with a pommel ending in vines woven around a light green gem.
Ava’s eyes watered as she looked at Quinn. “Are you serious?”
“Of course. I had it made for you. It will never fail you. As long as you remember my instructions,” she added with a wink.
Ava wiped away a tear. “Thank you so much.”
Quinn gave her a hesitant smile and pulled her into a brief hug. She released Ava and said, “It was nothing. And stop crying, you’re making it weird.”
Ava laughed, still speechless.
“Don’t question yourself and you’ll be fine,” Quinn said as she walked away.
Ava turned around, sheathing the dagger, as Casimir approached. “I’ve never seen Quinn hug anyone.”
“She just likes me more than you.”
“That’s probably true. Come on, I want to show you something.” He took her hand and led her out of the training area.
“No more training?”
“I can tell you’re still too anxious. I think I know how to help you relax.”
She stayed quiet as they entered the forest and walked along a mossy path. Purple and yellow blooms in the grass hosted bees gathering pollen, buzzing from flower to flower. Beams of dappled sunlight warmed up the morning as they burst through the canopy above.
They walked deeper into the woods until they reached a dense copse of trees with a giant willow among them. The tips of the branches tickled the grass, swaying in the breeze. Casimir let go of her hand as he parted the leafy curtains and followed her inside.
She gasped as she looked above her. There were hundreds of shimmering purple butterflies fluttering around the canopy. A small golden pond sat near the base of the tree and brightly colored fish darted about in the water. The ground was covered with soft grass and brilliant pink flowers. It was dim, the branches filtering most of the daylight, but the bioluminescence of the creatures and flowers provided an ethereal light.
“This is beautiful,” she whispered as Casimir stopped beside her.
“This is where I come when I need to think. Need to center myself.”
She turned to him. “Is there where you went last night during the meeting?”
“Yes,” he said reluctantly.
He walked to an area next to the pond where the ground dipped as if there were two seats made of grass facing each other. He sat on one side, legs outstretched and pointed to the other. “Sit.”
She joined him, crossing her legs as she ran her hand through the velvety grass. A small golden snake slithered through her fingers, and she picked it up, murmuring to it as it stuck out its forked tongue. She released it, letting the reptile continue on its way and turned back to Casimir. He was staring at her with fascination.
“What?”
He shook his head. “You’re not scared of snakes, but you’re scared of horses.”
She huffed. “I’m notscaredof horses. They’re just unpredictable.”
He laughed. “Take off your boots.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to give you a foot massage.”
