Page 91 of Whispers of the Elderoak

“It truly is. Do you have people waiting for you back home?”

Her smile faded. “Not anymore,” she whispered.

A tear fell and she wiped it away quickly. If he noticed, he didn’t comment on it. She took a bite of a pastry. Flaky and sweet, it was filled with delicious red fruit that melted in her mouth.

Raine regarded her before softly responding. “What does that mean?”

Her heart lurched, unsure if she wanted to say anything. She took another sip of tea and set down her cup, looking off toward the balcony.

“I have no one left.” She sighed. “No family. The only person I had was my friend, Eleanor.”

“What happened to Eleanor?”

“She killed her.” She didn’t try to stop the tears this time. Let them fall, the release she needed.

“Who?”

Meeting his eyes again she replied, “Deidamia.”

Raine’s eyes widened. The air in the room shifted and the vines writhed, fury radiating off him at the mention of her name. “I started to fall for a man I met. And it turned out to be Andras.” Raine frowned, waiting for her to finish. “They were in my world somehow.” She shook her head. “I didn’t know. He was in disguise and tricked me. I got my friend killed, then was captured and tortured for weeks. And now I’m here. With all of you.”

She wasn’t ready to reveal the rest. She would wait for the meeting tomorrow to tell them about her heritage and family, still afraid they wouldn’t believe her.

Raine was speechless but had regained control and sipped his tea. “I’m sorry. That you went through all of that. That you were tricked. I would never wish Andras or Deidamia on anyone,” he said as he handed her an extra napkin to wipe her eyes.

“Thank you,” she replied as she wiped her face and took a breath. “You’ve been kind from the beginning. You and Kai and Jorrar. Thanks to all of you.”

He nodded. “Thanks for telling me. I won’t say anything until the meeting, I promise.” He stopped and looked at her. “Just one question.” He tilted his head. “Rumors say it was you who opened the portal. How?”

“They cut my hand and used my blood…” she whispered.

Raine shook his head. “That’s not possible. Humans can’t do that.”

She remained silent.

“Look,” Raine continued. “I understand the desire for secrecy. You don’t trust us; we don’t trust you.” He tucked astrand of hair behind his ear. “After what happened to your friend, I get why you’re reluctant to talk.”

Ava sighed. “Yes.”

“Just know while Jorrar and I are more understanding, the others don’t take kindly to untruths.”

“I’m not lying,” she said. “I just haven’t told you everything yet.”

He huffed a laugh. “Well, some would consider that lying by omission.”

“I’m sorry, I?—”

Interrupting, Raine replied, “It’s okay. Let’s drop it for now. We’ll know everything soon enough anyway. Now that I’ve made you spill your guts, let’s go have fun. I want to show you the castle and the city.”

She smiled with relief at the subject change. “That sounds nice.”

They spentan hour wandering through the bright stone castle, Raine pointing out highlights throughout. He showed her the staff wing, the kitchens, the grand dining hall which served as the ballroom for events, medical wing, cellars for storage of food, and the library. Ava took it all in, in awe of the size of the castle despite its cozy feel. Almost every room and hallway had those open glassless windows with the flowers and vines she had seen throughout the rest of the castle. The temperature was perfect; she never noticed a room too hot or too cold. Each staff member, guard or other individual they passed were respectful, nodding at them as they strode by.

Her favorite room by far was the library. It was spacious and dark, massive shade trees blocking the sun from the open windows to prevent the books from fading. Three stories high, oil lamps flickered between the wall-to-wall bookshelves,providing a comfortable glow to read by. Alcoves were filled with plush settees and chairs, desks and tables, the perfect place to get lost in a book or conduct research. She couldn’t wait to spend time in here, hoping she could find something she could actually read.

As they finished their tour of the castle, they exited out a different entrance than when they first arrived and walked down stone steps into a large garden. The garden was filled with herbs of every kind, some familiar and others she had never seen before.

“This is where the healers grow and harvest ingredients for their balms and tinctures,” Raine explained.

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