Page 93 of Journey to the Elderoak
A flicker of concern flashed in his eyes before he put the mask of the general back on. “Alright, let’s go then.”
They walked through the halls, Ava counting to four in herhead with each breath, striving to remain calm. Emerging outside, they were greeted by soft rays of the morning sun peeking over the trees. Ava pinched a bud of lavender as they passed through the herb garden and brought her fingers to her nose, inhaling the relaxing scent and trying to ground herself.
Waiting for them was the rest of the group. Thorne, Raine, Jorrar and Quinn. Even Kai and Fanya were there to give their support. Though their faces were hopeful, it wasn’t enough to hide the unease beneath their masks. Every single one of them was nervous. The fate of their world depended on Ava’s success.
They approached the group and stopped before them.
Raine gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and said, “You two look like you’re headed to a funeral.”
The joke fell flat, and Ava attempted to smile back. He grabbed her and hugged her, whispering in her ear. “You’ll be fine, dainty human.” He pulled back. “That’s the last time I can call you that.”
“It is.”
Raine reached behind him and handed her a bow and a quiver of arrows. “As your archery teacher, I decided you needed something better, so I had this made.”
Ava removed her current bow and quiver, handing it to Quinn, as she looked at Raine in awe. “I can’t believe you did this. I don’t know what to say.”
“Read what it says.” He pointed to an inscription in the wood.
To our missing piece.
Her eyes filled with tears, and she hugged him again. “Thank you.”
Pulling away, he shrugged. “It was nothing.”
She turned to the rest of the group, giving them all hugs, Thorne holding on the longest and squeezing her tight. When he pulled back, he held her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “I have something for you.” He reached behind him andpresented her with a sword. “This was our mother’s,” he explained. “Its name is Silverglow. And now it belongs to you.”
A lump in her throat, she touched the silver blade engraved with something in old fae. The grip was gold and the pommel ended with a motif of the Elderoak and a large emerald in the center.
“It’s beautiful. What does it say?”
“Vaî l’ioh trenässe. Which means ‘you belong to us.’ I had it engraved a few weeks ago.”
Ava’s lip quivered at her brother’s words. “Thank you,” she whispered through her tears. She sheathed the blade at her hip before yanking him into another hug, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Alright, little sister. The next time I see you, you won’t be human anymore.” He pulled away. “Remember your training and keep your wits about you.”
She let go, looking at the rest of them. “Thank you. All of you. I don’t even know how to express how much you mean to me.”
“Stop being so sappy and hurry up,” said Quinn. “I’m ready for you to be stronger so you can help me kick the rest of the idiots’ asses.”
“Fine, lady warrior.” Ava gave her a smile.
Quinn rolled her eyes but smiled back despite herself.
Casimir and Ava said their goodbyes and walked to the woods, heading in a direction she had never gone before. There was no path as they trudged through the brush and over logs, making their way through the dense forest.
“How far away is it?” she asked, about ten minutes into their journey.
“A couple of hours.”
“The map you showed me yesterday made it look a lot farther than that.”
“The forest is strange the closer we get to the tree. No oneknows exactly where the Elderoak is, just that it’s in that general vicinity.”
“Then how will we know when we’re close?”
“We’ll feel it.”
