Avery smiled, but didn’t acknowledge her gift. “By the way, how is your grandmother doing?”
“She seems at peace. The beginning process of going into one’s rest can be a little disorienting, and I’m relieved that the rest of the family will be here soon.”
Rue and Avery walked back with Susan toward the town, but stopped along a tree-lined field just outside of Avery’s wildflower explosion. Their training began with warm-up exercises. Avery did not complain about the sets of pushups, jumping jacks, and sit-ups. It felt good to work her body in this way. It felt natural and routine. She even taught Rue how to do burpees. Rue began moaning as they worked toward a set of fifty burpees.
“You humans have a deranged sense of what makes up a warm-up exercise,” Rue whined as she forced her body to complete the set of burpees.
“If you like this, I’d be happy to lead you in a HIIT workout. I guarantee you’ll be drenched in sweat by the end,” Avery teased.
“As long as it’s you taking the hit!” Rue teased as she bumped her hip into Avery’s side, knocking her down into the trampled flower patch. Rue reached a hand down and pulled Avery up, laughing as they stood.
This budding friendship with Rue and Susan felt so refreshing. Neither were members of Savine’s council, and it didn’t feel like Avery was being forced into a friendship with them. Rue was someone thatAvery sought on her own. And Susan was like her. A human trying to find her place in an inhuman world.
Throughout the afternoon, Rue instructed Avery on how to protect herself. She taught her how to disarm a grown man with only a swift and directed kick. She showed Avery what to listen for when a fae may prepare to attack. Rue also shared how to prevent a shifter from changing into their other form.
Rue shared that she was a shifter fae. Her people had lived semi-nomadic lives for generations, keeping loose ties to Latiah and the other nearby nations of Nephel to the south and Lothwin to the north. She showed Avery how she could shift into her animal form—a swift and cunning fox. As a fox, Rue packed a lethal bite when she combined her essence with her fangs. Avery would have never guessed that any shifter fae could kill with a bite, but Rue warned her that their essence could poison the victims of any shifter’s bite.
When Avery asked how the survivors of the wolven’s bite had lived, Rue explained that the fae’s essence would counterattack the wound. Chances were not likely that a single shifter bite would kill a grown fae, but it was possible with the right combination of essence and force.
Avery’s muscles screamed, and her hands ached after their lesson. The same feeling coursed through her in the days to come as she and Rue trained in more technical moves. Rue even trusted her to train with the battle axe.
After working throughout the afternoon, Rue and Avery sat in the field of wildflowers and made flower crowns. It was so different from what they had just been doing that it felt a bit jarring. This switch from badass warrior woman to feminine flower weaver had Avery giggling.
“I never thought a warrior like you could connect with your more feminine side, Rue.” Avery smirked as she weaved more flowers into the crown.
“I have many sides, and one of those is a feminine side. Once everyone is back in Bayberry, there will be days of parties and celebrations to honor the harvest. I love dressing in the beautiful gowns and dancing the night away. That does not diminish me as a warrior or a strong female.”
“I like that about you. I’ve always worked to fit into both my identity as an outdoors woman and my identity as a woman who enjoys looking good. Once, when I was on a two-week rafting trip, I brought a sexy dress in my dry bag. About a week into the trip, I snuck off to wash up the best I could in a nearby creek and got dressed up in the dress. I even put on makeup. Everyone was surprised when I came walking up looking ready to hit a club, but was in the middle of nowhere on a sandy spit of sand. I think you get how I feel.”
“Even though I didn’t understand everything you said, I understand the desire to have those two parts of yourself. Did you only get dressed up once in those two weeks?”
Avery blushed as she remembered what had happened to that dress. “Unfortunately, the dress only lasted the night. My boyfriend at the time and I took a dip in the river after a couple of margaritas and the dress was swiftly removed. We were, um... preoccupied, and the dress floated down the river.”
Rue let out a loud laugh. “I like you, Avery Hollis. You’re just the woman to liven up these old rebels I’ve been stuck with.”
Chapter thirty-three
Savine
The reports from the trees continued to be dismal. Whole hectares of forest were lost to the loyalists as Savine gathered his forces and prepared to march on his enemies. The forests called out for help before the loyalist army decimated them. Savine had to act soon, or the forest would continue to fall.
After four days of healing, Garnel was back in the training ring with Savine and gaining strength each day. His council agreed they would need to push the enemy back over the pass before winter set in. Neither side had ever risked battling through the harsh winter months, and Savine wouldn’t allow them to start now. Not without sacrificing their food supply and the safety of Bayberry.
Savine called his council for a meeting at the winter encampments where the prairie met the forest, and the river flowed into Dorfaren Lake. Despite his growing unease, having his people back together and his council whole gave him a wave of relief. They all made it to the winter encampment. They had enough supplies between themselves and the Bayberry Folk to last the winter. Surely these were things to be thankful for, even with battle looming.
The early autumn sun cast out its last rays onto the plants and folk who called this place home. Savine wished he could linger here longer.He’d prayed to the Goddess for days that news of the loyalist retreat would be heard, but it didn’t come. In fact, the trees seemed to whisper of threats approaching from all directions. He would not leave his people or the Bayberries at risk in this exposed land.
As the six of them met in his personal tent, Savine had the nagging suspicion that Jay and Raikin were about to breach a sensitive subject. Savine remained quiet, knowing that they would say their peace before long.
Savine offered his council wine and some late summer fruits. Kyla took her brother’s hand as she already held her soulmate’s hand. Savine pulled away from her touch. He didn’t need Kyla reading into his emotions more than she already sensed without touching Savine. Garnel and Kyla both looked at him with grave faces. Kyla chewed on her bottom lip while Garnel furrowed his brow.
“Alright, out with it,” Savine said.
“Ah, brother, you know us too well,” Garnel stated. “Since you already suspect we have something to say, I’ll get to the point.”
“Thank the Goddess for that!” Kyla huffed. Garnel shot her a look that was meant to intimidate, but had Kyla smirking in that teasing way she often did around him.
“Why are you so adamant about offering Avery protection? What is your goal? What are we risking our people’s safety for? For this idea that the untested witch can defeat the King of Latiah? It’s a fool’s errand,” Raikin interrupted Garnel before he had a moment to speak. Savine crossed his arms, feeling the attack by his ambassador.
