Page 68 of Whispers of the Elderoak

They had finally stoppedto make camp and Ava’s legs were heavy from trying to keep pace with the fae warriors. Not even pretending to slow for her sake, she had to jog at times to avoid falling from the tug of the rope. They’d told her they still had several days left in their journey and she was unsure if her legs would even make it.

“Sit down,” Casimir said gruffly as he pointed to a tree next to camp.

She obeyed, relieved to be allowed to rest, and leaned her back against the tree. He took the rope from Jorrar and tied it to the tree with a complicated knot she knew she’d never be able to undo. There was enough slack for her to put her hands in her lap but not much more, wrists bound together so tightly the rope was starting to chafe. Her body ached and exhaustion made itself known from days of hiking through the forest.

“I’ll remove your gag but don’t think I won’t immediately put it back should I deem it necessary,” Casimir stated, standing over her. “Understood?” She nodded and he leaned down to untie the fabric. Standing up again, he asked, “Where did you get that dagger? The one you stabbed my captain with.”

“Someone gave it to me.”

“That’s a daemon weapon.” He looked at her accusingly.

“Okay.” She shrugged. “Like I said, someone gave it to me. They probably stole it from one of the soldiers or something.”

“Don’t cause trouble again. You’re lucky you stabbed the nice one.”

“You call kidnapping me nice?” she retorted, irritation flaring.

He knelt again, face to face with her. “You wouldn’t have liked what would have happened had I been the one you stabbed.”

Asshole, she thought.

Turning on his heel, Casimir walked over to Raine and Quinn, having a hushed conversation as they set up the tents. They had chosen a small clearing for their camp, surrounded by towering trees with vivid green leaves and bark that was mottled black and gray. A number of the plants and animals in Eorhan looked similar to some of those back home, yet they were more vibrant and teemed with magic that Ava could sense, even in her human body. The clearing was full of soft grasses interspersed with minuscule white flowers, like tiny brilliant pearls.

Ava had been paying close attention to the warriors all day, noting each of their behaviors and the hierarchy of the group. The other three looked up to Casimir and he was a focused leader, almost never cracking a smile and always alert for danger.

Jorrar was the most generous, offering her water and food when they rested. According to Casimir, Raine was nice as well. Though she had yet to see it.

“Those are some painful looking injuries,” Jorrar said as he approached and sat down on the ground across from her.

She didn’t respond.

“Who did that to you?” he asked.

“Who do you think?”

“What’s your name?”

She realized no one had asked her yet and didn’t see the point in lying. They didn’t know who she was anyway. “Ava.”

“What a beautiful name. Well, Ava,” he said. “Why were you lurking in the woods near our camp? Did you really kill that helwraith?”

She sighed, trying to decide how much to reveal. “I wasn’t lurking. I was trying to find somewhere safe. I was told to follow the bright blue star. I didn’t know there was anyone around. And yes… I killed that creature. That helwraith. What was it?”

Jorrar frowned when she mentioned the star. “Someone told you the star would lead you to safety?”

“Yes.”

He assessed her for a long time before speaking again. “It’s risky to be in those woods at night time. A lot of foul creatures live there, as you noticed. Helwraiths were brought over with Deidamia from her world. They’re her assassins. And I have reason to believe it was stalking you,” he said.

So they’d been hunting her after all.

“Why were you being tortured by Deidamia?” he asked.

Dangerous. This felt like a dangerous question. One she shouldn’t answer. Not yet.

“I never said I was tortured,” she said instead of answering.

“We recognize the signs. Your injuries, the small limp you try to hide. Your fear when you were found. We can sense it; can tell you’re afraid you will be hurt again.”

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