Page 113 of Whispers of the Elderoak

“Shhh…” Thorne whispered, in awe of what was unfolding.

More and more animals came. Bears and snakes and even small insects surrounded Ava, as if paying homage to her. She watched in fascination and held out her hand as a butterfly landed on her outstretched finger.

Luna appeared, bounding through the crowd of creatures toward Ava and jumped into her open arms, licking her face.The rest of the companions joined the animals; Casimir’s bear Aro, Raine’s wolf Sabriel, a gray marbled owl and Quinn’s midnight black panther.

“They’ve come to honor their princess,” Thorne whispered.

Ava stood still, holding Luna with tears in her eyes, fae warriors standing around her. They were surrounded by animals who had come for miles. Had come to see the princess who was lost. The one they’ve been waiting for to save their world.

She smiled at the creatures, heart warm at the affection they showed. Aro ambled close and bumped his head against her hip, saying hello with a low growl. She knelt and set Luna on the ground to scratch behind Aro’s ears, kissing him on the head.

She looked around, surrounded by the animals and met eyes with the members of her party. They all regarded her with fascination as they took in the significance of the moment. News had spread quickly through the animals, and they had gathered, waiting for the opportunity to see her.

Aro continued to nudge her hand and she turned to Casimir who was looking at her like she was a puzzle he didn’t know how to solve. Luna padded over to Casimir and rubbed against him, purring and chirping. He leaned down, scratched her head and she purred with contentment. He looked back at Ava, a sense of wonder on his face as he tried to make sense of what was happening. She held his gaze while Aro nudged her hand yet again.

The animals filtered away through the woods, leaving the way they came, until the group was left with their companions sitting around them.

Everyone looked at her, as if waiting for her to say something. “Well, that was…. weird.” She smiled awkwardly.

39

They were back in the dining hall for dinner, sitting at the table with a feast in front of them. Ava had quickly bathed and changed, washing the swamp from her skin as she thought about what had been revealed. Cirilla had helped her don a simple white cotton dress with a floral pattern embroidered on the chest and the hemline, a wide leather belt accentuating her waist.

A part of her was excited and curious. What would it be like to be fae? To be a princess? The other part was terrified. She was the one who had to banish the daemon queen forever. No one else could do it. How in the world was she going to accomplish that?

Most of the others had changed as well, wearing simple tunics and pants after they had cleaned up. Everyone appeared exhausted and ravenous, the sounds of them eating and chatting filling the hall.

Ava sat to the right of her brother, across from Casimir once more. Raine was on her other side while Jorrar and Quinn had placed themselves next to Casimir. She glanced across the tableand saw he was stoic yet again, back to the cold general it seemed.

“Ava,” Thorne spoke. “You’re the only one who can banish Deidamia.”

Her heart sped up as she sipped her wine. “I don’t know how.”

“We will teach you. And help you to do so,” he replied.

Jorrar cleared his throat. “We don’t know how to create new portals.”

“Our library is old. Surely we can find information there,” Thorne answered.

Ava looked at her brother. “Wait. If we’re related. Why can’t you do it?”

“Portal magic is curious. It is a rare magic that often skips generations. Our mother didn’t have those abilities. Neither do I.”

She pursed her lips. “Oh.” After a moment, she asked, “Can someone explain how Deidamia and Andras got here in the first place? They aren’t from Eorhan, right?”

“There was an old king who craved power,” began Jorrar. “He was messing around with portals and accidentally summoned Andras. Andras promised him power if he allowed his queen and her armies into Eorhan.”

Ava nodded. It was the same story her grandfather used to tell her.

“But Andras had tricked him and the moment he entered Eorhan, killed the king. The war went on for decades as they conquered both Igneothenia and Frosthaven before disappearing in pursuit of you it seems,” he finished.

“So they knew I’d be the one who could send her back?” she asked.

Jorrar shook his head. “We don’t know for sure, but it appears that way. They knew you were important at least. Important enough to pause their war and pursue you instead.A lot of the history surrounding the early years of the war has been lost. Burned or destroyed.”

“Why?”

“We don’t know,” Thorne answered. “My father…ourfather, wasn’t invested in the history of our kingdom. In the years before he died on the battlefield, he went a bit mad. Firing librarians and destroying texts, seemingly for no reason.”

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