“Actually…” A moment away sounded perfect.
“Go. It’s alright,” Casimir said. “I’ll come find you soon.”
Ava left the tent, striding through camp. Clouds had begun to roll in, blotting out most of the stars. Soldiers gathered around fires, filling their bellies. Others patrolled the edges of camp, keeping a close eye on the distant trees. What time was it? How long had it been since the river battle? It couldn’t have been more than a couple of hours…and they had begun just after sunset.
She needed something to keep her busy. A distraction to occupy her mind while she tried to make sense of everything. Ending up back at the healers’ tent, she went inside.
Kai sat at a work table, Jorrar beside him.
“Ava,” Kai said. “Do you need something?”
She wrung her hands together. “Actually, I came to see if you needed any help…”
“Let’s see.” He gestured to a pile of cloth before him. “The bandages could be sorted by size. Would you do that?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
She stepped up to the table and began to work, keeping her breathing even and focusing on the texture and feel of the fabrics. After a moment, Jorrar stood and faced her. “Are you alright?”
“I just needed a moment to think.”
“About?”
She laid a square atop one of the same size, then picked upanother. “Nothing…everything…” A pause. “Back in the human world, when I felt anxious, keeping my hands busy helped. Whether it was cleaning, cooking or organizing. Sometimes just getting up and doing something helped me work through it.”
“And you’re feeling that way now.”
“Yes. Listening to all the planning got a little overwhelming. We’re outnumbered, Jorrar. It feels like every time we succeed, more bad news follows.”
“Such is the nature of war,” he said.
“I know. I’m trying to remember that, but it’s not easy.”
“It’s never easy,” Kai said. “It wasn’t easy nearly a century ago and it isn’t easy now.”
“How will we win when we’re so outnumbered?” she finally blurted the question plaguing her as she leaned forward, bracing her hands on the table.
The pitter patter of rain sounded on the canvas above, the clouds opening up. Jorrar and Kai looked at one another before turning back to her.
“Wars have been won with worse odds, Ava,” Jorrar said quietly. “No matter how daunting it seems, there is always hope.”
A clapof thunder startled Ava awake, followed by the steady drumming of rain.
She rolled over, facing Casimir sound asleep beside her, his arm thrown over her waist. Tempted to stroke his hair, she held back, not wanting to interrupt his much needed rest after tonight’s earlier confrontation.
Instead, she allowed herself to study his face. His strong, bearded jaw. The scar along his neck—a reminder of his sister’s and mother’s deaths when he was only a boy. The lashes hidinghis golden eyes. Eyes that had always looked at her with such intensity.
She felt so lucky to have found him. Her soulmate. The man she loved so deeply she couldn’t even put her feelings into words. Her mind was brought back to that strange fortune teller back in Piney Hollow—the small town in which her grandfather’s farm resided.You will find your true love soon. He will always keep you safe,the woman had said.He is part of your path forward.Though at the time, Ava hadn’t wanted to believe her…now…well, now she knew the woman had been talking about Casimir.
And she had been right.
Ava settled beneath the blankets, wiggling closer until she was tucked beneath his chin. Casimir grunted and tightened his grip, still breathing deeply. They’d only been asleep a couple hours, so she closed her eyes, hoping to get at least a little more rest before dawn.
Eyes heavy, she began to drift off, when someone opened the flaps of her tent. Ava sat up and met the panicked eyes of Quinn. “They’re here.Now.”
“What?” Ava shook Casimir’s shoulder. “Cas. Wake up.”
He sat up abruptly at the panic in her voice. “What happened?” his voice was still gravelly.
