Page 82 of Whispers of the Elderoak

“I’ll walk, thank you.” She was not letting the brute carry her, no matter how badly her leg hurt.

He stood and offered his hand. She grasped it, and he pulled her up, offering his arm to lean on. Reluctantly, she gripped it and leaned into him as they walked to the other end of the large living space. She caught a whiff of his scent as she unintentionally leaned closer. It was like a mix between cedar trees and sage, and for some reason it relaxed her, comforted her. She didn’t know what that meant.

He cleared his throat, indicating they had stopped before her door. She quickly pulled her arm away from him and put her hand against the wall for support, meeting his curious gaze.

“Your bedroom and bathroom are beyond this door. Mine is this way.” He pointed to another door on his right.

“So…” she hesitated. “We’re sharing a living room?”

Raising his eyebrow, Casimir looked down at her. “Is that a problem?”

“No. No. Just asking,” she replied as she turned the brass doorknob.

“Um… where do I get food? What do I do for three days while I’m not sleeping?” she asked, realizing she might be stuck in this suite with him. Maybe there was a library she could explore.

“Food will be brought to you. As will clothing. The attendant to this suite will help you bathe and dress. As for what you will do to keep yourself occupied. I don’t care. Raine seems taken with you. You can take him up on his offer of a tour,” he answered. “Anything else?”

“No, that’s all. Thank you.”

“Your room attendant will be here shortly as will the healer.They’ll knock when they arrive,” he said before crossing the living room again and exiting into the hallway.

“Well, okay then,” she muttered as she entered her bedroom and closed the door behind her.

If the living room was beautiful, the bedroom was stunning. A small balcony sat on her left, the breeze bringing in the floral scents of the garden below. Dark green curtains framed the windows and Ava paused, running her hand along the velvet fabric. The bed sat in the corner, up on a small, raised platform and was surrounded by draped fabrics and floral vines.

A small desk perched in another corner with a matching chair and a lantern dangling above. Limping to an open doorway, she passed by a reading chair next to yet another window and walked into the bathroom.

Nature had entered here too, the sunken stone tub facing open windows draped in dark green vines with vivid orange flowers. Brightly colored bottles of soaps, shampoos and oils were carefully placed along the tub’s edge and soft towels hung on the bars along the wall. A robe and sage green slippers had been left for her and she sighed as she imagined herself getting clean. Though she desired to snuggle in her cozy bed, she needed to wash the remaining grime off first.

She wandered back to the bedroom and sat in the reading chair, leaning her head back, and allowed herself to doze as she waited for the healer.

31

Casimir ventured down the hallways, through twists and turns in the brightly lit pale stone castle, buzzing birds and insects flying among the flowers along the walls. He reached the royal suite, a large wing at the other side of the castle. Nodding to the guards outside the double doors, he entered.

Following the sound of laughter, he walked through the living quarters and entered the large private dining room through a doorway on the right. Seated at a table with enough room for a dozen or so people, were Thorne and the rest of his friends.

The dining room was decorated in congruence with the rest of the castle and a fireplace roared at the back of the room. The smells of roasted meats, herbs and yeast permeated the air as he joined his friends.

“Ah, Cas! You finally deigned to join us!” said Raine, lifting his wine goblet.

Casimir took a seat next to Raine and looked at him. “Drunk already?”

His friend laughed. “There are no finer wines than those made in Mosshaven. How I’ve missed this during our travels.”

Casimir smiled and held up his empty goblet.

Raine grabbed the golden pitcher and filled his goblet to the brim, while Thorne asked from the head of the table, “I presume our guest is situated?”

Casimir took a sip. “She is. Though I don’t see why you had to put her inmysuite.”

“It’s because you’re the scariest one out of us,” said Raine. “Makes her much less likely to pull any human shenanigans.”

“Human shenanigans?” Thorne asked, humor in his voice. “And what, pray tell, are those?”

Raine waved his hand. “No idea,” he said, laughing.

Casimir leaned forward and started loading his plate with food. Roasted quail, meat pies, cakes, pastries, breads and bowls of steaming vegetables covered in herbed sauces sat at the center of the table.

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