Page 99 of Journey to the Elderoak
He walked in front of her, pacing, hands clasped behind his back. “Naïve girl. You think you can defeat us? Two ancient beings with an army ofthousands?” he seethed, turning toward her and walking closer. “These plans are already in motion.” She trembled at his words. “And when we arrive in Mosshaven, we will kill every single one of your friends and make you watch. Then I will torture your love in front of your very eyes. You are only one person. You can’t save Eorhan. You’reweak.”
She collapsed to her knees and put her head in her hands. He was right. She couldn’t do this. Everyone was depending on her and she would fail. She sobbed and slumped to the ground, curling around herself. Andras disappeared and the sky darkened as vines grew from the ground and slithered over her.
What was happening?
Unable to keep going, she continued to cry. She had failed. The forest was going to take her and there was nothing shecould do. The scenes of Mosshaven continuously replayed in her head. She couldn’t stop it. They would all die because of her.
Her fault. Her fault. Her fault.
Lost in a fog of uncertainty, she hardly noticed the vines working their way further around her body. It was a tender caress, the forest calling to her. Luring her in.Join me, it seemed to say.Your place is in the earth with me.
Yes. That’s where she needed to be. Deep within the forest where she would be safe. She closed her eyes and allowed the vines to tighten.
Just go ahead and take me, she thought.
Because if she gave up, if she allowed the woods to take her body and soul, she wouldn’t have to face her enemies. She wouldn’t have to watch her loved ones being murdered and tortured. She could be at peace.
Out of nowhere, she heard a voice far away in her head. Jorrar.“You can’t go around it. You must go through it.”
She opened her eyes. Another voice. Thorne.“Take your rightful place as fae. Demand it.”
Raine’s voice sounded next.“You’re our missing piece, Ava.”
Her mother.“Crush them. When they stand in your way, crush them.”
“Don’t question yourself,”said Quinn.
As the voices of her loved ones spoke to her, she knew she couldn’t give up. Succumbing wouldn’t stop the future. It would only ensure it.
A sob released itself from her throat as she struggled against the vines. Then she heard Luna, Fanya and Kai. All encouraging her, all telling her they believed in her. She fought harder, struggling against the vines and reached for her dagger.
Casimir’s voice.“I knew then and there I would tear apart the world to protect you. There’s nothing I wouldn’t give you to ensure your happiness.”
If she gave up now, she’d let him down. She would let them all down.
“I’ll be waiting here for you, love.”
And he was. He was alone in the woods, waiting for her to return. She couldn’t surrender to her fears. Refused to.
Her lungs burned as she let out a deafening scream, full of rage and fury. All her traumas, doubts and insecurities; she let them escape. She writhed and fought against her bindings as she pushed past her terror. For too long she’d succumbed to her nerves. For too long she’d run from her fears. It was time. Time to take what was hers. Time to face her task and stop running.
Time to become who she was truly meant to be.
The conversation she had with her mother in Deidamia’s camp revealed itself, a reminder of what she’d been through.
“My little bird,”her mother had said.“You’ve always thought you weren’t strong enough. That you weren’t good enough. But I’m going to remind you that you are. You are always enough.”
She was done questioning herself. There was no room for that any longer.
She was Ava Everwood, sister to the King of Monterre. Daughter of a powerful King and Queen. And Eorhan’s only hope at survival.
Her fingers reached the dagger, and she cut herself free. With trembling hands, she pulled the vines off and stood. Dizzy, exhausted, and in tremendous pain, she limped across the clearing. A path appeared in between the trees.
She closed her eyes and yelled, “Where is this fucking tree?”
What was the purpose of that obstacle? That task? To face her fears and doubts, she supposed. To trick her into questioning herself and force her to surrender.
“Keep your wits about you,”her brother had said. And she almost hadn’t.
