Page 38 of Journey to the Elderoak
Before she could change her mind, Ava sprinted up the narrow ramp.
“Good,” Casimir encouraged.
Arms out beside her, she made her way across. Surprisingly, she only stumbled once and reached the end quicker thanexpected. Confidence boosted, she leaped, overshot the platform, and tumbled to the ground.
“Ouch,” she breathed as she rubbed her hip.
Casimir appeared above her, and she rolled onto her back. “Are you alright?”
She groaned, rising to stand. “Yeah. This course is the bane of my existence.”
“You get in your head too much and scare yourself. And you’ve been awake for who knows how long today. You’re exhausted.”
She sighed. “You’re right.”
They walked to the castle when he stepped in front of her. “What are you doing for lunch?” he asked, a sudden gleam in his eyes.
“Well, I was going to eat in my room and bathe before I met Jorrar in the library.”
He smiled. A disarming smile she rarely saw, but it lit his whole face and made his gold eyes even brighter.
“Why are you smiling at me like that?” she asked.
“Because, I have an idea. It’ll help you relax.”
“I’m not tense.”
“Well, you’re tired and stressed. This will help.” He led them back to their suite. “Bathe and change and meet me in the living room in half an hour.”
“Wait, are we not doing swords today?”
“No. You’re taking the rest of the day off.”
15
Casimir waited for Ava in the living room, having bathed and changed into a forest green tunic and brown pants.
He assumed she had a nightmare last night; could tell by the way she looked this morning and how she was more lost in her head today than usual. He’d been there before, having had nightmares about his own past, and knew what the trauma of war could do. And the war hadn’t even begun in earnest.
He yearned to take care of her again. Like he had in Saxumdale. To hold and reassure her he would never let anyone harm her. But since they’d returned, they both fell back into their roles of trainer and trainee. And he’d pulled back because he could tell she was struggling and didn’t want to cross a boundary.
Ava’s door opened and he turned as she walked in. She looked stunning in a white asymmetrical dress with blue embroidery on the hem. Her long strawberry blonde waves were left unbound, and his heart skipped a beat when he looked into her bright green eyes.
She was so fucking beautiful.
“Ready?” Casimir asked, voice hoarse.
She nodded and he led them out of the suite. They made their way outside and headed to town before Ava broke the silence.
“Where are we going?”
“First, we’re going to grab something to eat,” he answered. “Then we’re going to The Leaping Frog.”
“What’s that?”
He glanced down. “You’ll see.”
“I’ll miss Jorrar’s lessons if we’re gone too long.”
