Page 115 of Journey to the Elderoak
“Why?”
“He delights in making people uncomfortable and will find any weakness he can and thwart it. Just for fun.”
“Great.”
They both ate in silence for a moment before Ava asked, “What happened with your father? Why didn’t you grow up in Caelestia after…you know?”
He looked like he wouldn’t respond, staying quiet, so she reached out and touched his arm. “Please. No more secrets.”
He gave her a nod. “My father had an affair. Well, he’s hadmany affairs. He doesn’t respect women and his wife looks the other way. When he found out my mother was pregnant, he threatened to kill her if she didn’t promise to keep me away from him. Hybrids used to be looked down upon and he still carried that prejudice, though most of the other kingdoms—besides Frosthaven—moved past it. So, my mother raised me in a small village in Monterre, where she was from. That’s where she met my sister’s father, but he died soon after she became pregnant with her.”
“And you eventually went to live with Raine and his family.”
“Yes.”
She grabbed his hand, lifting it, and kissed the top. “You are nothing like your father.”
“Thank you,” he said, sorrow in his eyes at the memories of his childhood.
“So, other than glowing, what else can your astral magic do?” she dared to ask.
He looked at her for a moment, a sudden glimmer of playfulness in his eyes. Before she knew it, she was floating, along with a few nearby items, as if he had turned off the gravity around her. She gripped the seat of her chair as it rose with her and hovered several feet in the air.
“Cas! I’m going to fall!” she exclaimed. “Put me down.”
He laughed and she rose higher, shrieking. “Casimir!”
Everything stopped and her chair fell to the ground, her following suit, but he caught her in time.
“Don’t do that again,” she breathed.
He kissed her before setting her back in her chair, then reclaimed his own seat. “Well, I can do that.” He nodded toward her. “And shoot starlight from my hands. Also, if I’m touching someone, I can burn them from the inside out.”
“Oh,” she said, eyes wide. “That’s why the creature was a pile of ash on the ship, wasn’t it?”
“Indeed,” he replied. “Some fae from Caelestia also have powerful healing magic but that isn’t usually passed down tohybrids. They can even bring those back from the dead if they're quick enough.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but at great cost. They must give up all their magic.”
“That’s incredible,” Ava said, still in awe of the way magic worked. “Do you know anyone who’s done that?”
“No.” He took a sip of his tea. “By the way, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you who my father was.”
“It’s okay. I understand.”
A knock sounded at the door, jarring them from their conversation. “I’m coming in!” shouted Raine from the other side. “If you two are fucking, you’d better cover up!”
Ava’s face turned bright red as Casimir chuckled.
Raine opened the door and entered, plopping in an empty chair. “Ah good, the room is free of the smell of sex. What are you two talking about?” he asked as he grabbed a plate for himself.
“Who invited you?” asked Ava.
“I invited myself. Actually, I was here to see if Cas was ready.” He looked at Casimir. “Which he obviously isn’t, and then I smelled the food and thought I’d eat.”
“You haven’t already eaten?” Casimir asked.
