Page 64 of Journey to the Elderoak
She sniffed. “Alright.” Raine pulled her into a crushing hug. “Ouch.”
“You know I adore you. Right, dainty human?”
She pulled away and looked at him, overcome with emotion. He smiled as his humor returned, and tears welled in her eyes.
“Why are you crying?”
“Because,” she said in between sobs, “you are all so nice to me…”
He flicked her nose and pulled her back in, letting her cry into him. “It’s because you’re our missing piece, Ava,” he whispered and kissed the top of her head.
After a quick bathand a change of clothing, Ava searched the castle, unable to find Casimir anywhere. Dejected, she trudged back to her suite, hoping he’d returned unnoticed. When she entered, she halted.
A small wooden carving sat on the floor in front of herbedroom door. She approached and gingerly picked it up, examining it meticulously. It was an exact replica of Luna.
“I made that for you.”
Ava jumped and turned around to find him leaning against the open door to his bedroom, arms crossed. She swallowed thickly as she looked at the figure in her hand again, running her fingers along the ears.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “It’s beautiful.”
She slipped the figurine into her pocket, avoiding eye contact with Casimir as she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. She wanted to blurt out that she was sorry. That she was an idiot for avoiding talking about her struggles, and didn’t mean the things she said. But she didn’t even know where to start.
He strode to the couch and sat, one arm across the back. “Sit with me.”
She took a deep breath and approached, lowering herself beside him. They sat in silence for a long moment, the gentle melody of birds outside the balcony drifting through the room. His hand moved to her hair, playing with it as they both waited for the other to speak.
“I’m sorry,” she blurted. “I didn’t mean what I said. I was exhausted and angry and—” She shook her head. “That’s not an excuse. I shouldn’t have?—”
“Ava,” Casimir cut her off. “Look at me.”
She met his eyes.
“I know you didn’t mean it. Neither did I. I’m sorry too. I never meant to hurt you.”
“I know,” she said.
“Please talk to me. Tell me about what’s keeping you from sleeping. Why you’re so angry.”
She summoned her courage and turned away, focusing on the flames in the fireplace as she prepared to start at the beginning.
“I felt alone most of my life. It was just my mom and me. And Grandpa whenever we would visit him. We moved a lot, and it was difficult to make friends. The other kids thought I was weird and used to make fun of me. They used to tell me my mom was a witch.”
She paused, inhaling deeply, while Casimir continued to stroke her hair.
“Then she died, and I was so lost. I didn’t know what to do without her.” She let the tears fall as she continued. “When my grandpa died and I moved to the farm, I was finally feeling some sense of peace. I had reconnected with my childhood best friend, and I was happy. At least…I thought I was.”
She paused, preparing herself to say the rest out loud.
“I met Andras, who I knew as Henry, and he was kind to me. I think I was falling for him pretty hard…I feel so stupid that I let him trick me…”
“Ava,” Cas whispered as he looked at her.
She kept her eyes forward as she continued, “As you know, it was all a lie. My best friend…Eleanor…” Her voice quivered. “Deidamia killed her. Slit her throat right in front of me and drank her blood. I tried to stop them, but I couldn’t.” She shook her head and sniffled, tears falling harder. “Sometimes I feel like it’s my fault she’s dead.”
Casimir remained silent, seeming to understand her need to get it out. He didn’t argue with her feelings as if he knew she needed to acknowledge her guilt.
“The dreams I’ve been having,” she said. “I keep dreaming I’m back at their camp. Being tortured. I’ve been dreaming about Eleanor’s death. About what happened on the ship. About Zeph dying. About Corvus. When I slit his—” She paused for a moment and closed her eyes. “When I killed him. The sound he made as he died…it was exactly how Eleanor sounded.”
