Page 1 of Journey to the Elderoak (Daughter of the Earth #2)

T he cry of gulls pierced the salty air, wind whipping Ava’s braid down her back as she walked through the picturesque port on the coast of Monterre. The sun had just made it over the cluster of wooden buildings lining the cobblestone streets, painting the seaside town with a warm glow.

“Nervous?” Raine asked from beside her.

Ava gave him a flat look. “What do you think?”

His blue-gray eyes danced. “You’ve been living here for almost six weeks now. It’s about time you do something princess-y.”

“Right,” she said with a sigh. “And training my ass off every day for the Elderoak journey isn’t enough, so the king thought to send me to speak to another kingdom without him?”

“Your brother wouldn’t have sent you if he didn’t believe you were capable,” Casimir said as he walked on her other side. “Besides, we know the queens well. We’ll guide you.”

“It’s good practice, dainty human,” said Raine, using the nickname he had given Ava upon her arrival in their realm of Eorhan.

Her thoughts caught on Raine’s last word.

Human. A month and a half after arriving in Mosshaven, the capital of her kingdom, she was still human.

Training to prepare for a harrowing journey to a magical tree where her true fae abilities would be unlocked.

Because she was the sole person with portal magic running through her veins who could banish the daemon queen, Deidamia, back to her realm.

The daemon queen she hadn’t even known existed until everything fell apart months ago back on her grandfather’s farm.

She was still in disbelief that this was now her life.

“At least I get a break from that awful obstacle course,” she said, glancing at Casimir.

“You still have to complete it when we return.”

Casimir, the general of her kingdom’s armies, had created a grueling training routine for Ava.

She’d spend the morning running laps and working her way through a horrific military-style obstacle course she was still struggling to complete.

Then, she’d work on weapons training—swords with Casimir, daggers with Quinn, one of the army’s captains and second in command, and archery with Raine, another one of their captains.

They rounded a corner, passing a tavern, clothing repair shop, and an inn. A lively market thrived in the square and the shouts of merchants selling their wares cut through the upbeat music winding its way through the tavern’s windows.

They ventured closer to the docks, preparing to board the ship sailing for Saxumdale, the stone kingdom.

Ava’s stomach was in knots at the thought of meeting with the queens, asking for their help to fight Deidamia and her daemon armies.

This would be her first attempt at diplomacy since learning she was the lost princess of her kingdom.

And she was terrified.

“Are you hungry?” Casimir asked, always seemingly concerned with her nutrition.

“I’m fine.” But her stomach growled with betrayal .

“You’re a terrible liar,” he chided. “Wait here.”

Ava stopped and looked at Raine.

He pushed his platinum hair behind his shoulder and smiled. “Do you two still argue all the time?”

She rolled her eyes, hands on her hips as she looked up at him. “A little. But we’re friends now.”

“Friends?” Raine raised a brow, waiting for her to elaborate.

“Yes. Friends ,” she emphasized.

And they were. After their initial arguments upon her arrival in Mosshaven, Casimir had apologized, surprising her, and they’d worked through it. Though he still got irritated with her on occasion, and she with him, he seemed to be amused rather than upset.

Casimir returned, handing Ava a paper wrapped pastry. He then held up a bright orange fruit unique to their kingdom. “They had your favorite, so I got this too.”

Her eyes brightened as she took the fruit in her other hand. “Thank you.”

Then he would go and do something like that. Remember her favorite fruit. Say something kind. Tease her. And her heart would do a somersault in her chest.

“Why didn’t you get me anything?” Raine interrupted.

“You didn’t ask.”

“Neither did Ava. I seem to recall her distinctly saying she wasn’t hungry, but you didn’t listen and?—”

Casimir glared at him. “Let’s go. We need to board soon.”

He turned and walked toward the docks, Ava and Raine hurrying to catch up. She placed the fruit in her pocket for later, while she unwrapped the pastry and took a bite, the sweet filling melting in her mouth.

Raine leaned in and whispered sarcastically, “Friends huh? Friends who remember your favorite fruit?”

“Are you going to be like this the whole trip?” Ava whispered back harshly .

“Yes,” Casimir said.

“So how are your lessons going?” Raine asked, changing the subject. “Learning anything interesting?”

After Ava trained in the mornings, she’d been spending time with Jorrar, the oldest and wisest advisor to the king.

He’d been teaching her about fae culture and any other information she would need to know now that she was living in her homeland.

The homeland where her parents had ruled as King and Queen of Monterre before dying and leaving it to her brother, Thorne.

“I learned that all of you are old.”

“Early one hundreds is far from old,” Raine said. “I’m practically a teenager.”

“You sure act like it,” Ava quipped.

Casimir chuckled quietly. “Still hard to get used to, isn’t it?”

“It is. Though you all look close to my age, it’s strange when I remember how old you really are.”

“Remember if you’d been born here, you’d be around one hundred now so technically, when you think about it, we’re practically the same age,” Raine said.

“Right...” Ava replied.

She’d learned that time in Eorhan moved roughly three times as fast as the human world, so even though Ava was thirty-two, she’d been ‘missing’ from her kingdom for close to a century.

It was all still difficult to wrap her mind around, especially since after she became fae, she’d live just as long.

They approached the docks lining the bay.

Several ships sat idle on the shimmering water, preparing to trade the goods Monterre was known for—healing balms, herbs and certain produce other kingdoms were unable to grow.

They stopped before the largest vessel, crew members scurrying back and forth, loading crates of supplies.

Raine led the way up the wooden ramp, boots echoing as Ava followed.

She had dressed in a pair of tan pants with roses embroidered on the hips and a white cotton tunic tucked into her wide leather belt.

The pants were tighter than what she typically wore, almost like leggings, and showed off the curves of her body she had finally regained after being starved in the daemon camp.

Casimir followed behind her and she may have swished her hips a little, knowing how good she looked in those pants.

“Welcome to The Song of the Wind,” said Raine as they stopped on the deck.

“This is Gisela, the captain.” He gestured to a pale-skinned fae with ice blue eyes and white hair.

She was dressed in navy pants, a white shirt with a blue vest, leather belt, and a sword at her side.

On her shoulder was a large black raven eyeing them pointedly.

“Nice to meet you, Your Highness,” Gisela said as she approached, scrutinizing Ava. “This is Pascal,” she added, gesturing to her animal companion.

The raven tilted its head at Ava, released an enthusiastic caw, and flew off to perch on one of the nearby masts. She ached at the fact that they couldn’t bring their own companions onto the ship. It was much too risky being on the open water should something happen.

“It’s nice to meet you too.”

“These two already know the rules.” Gisela jerked her thumb toward Raine and Casimir.

“But you haven’t been on one of my ships so let me lay it out for you.

I’m in charge. Period. I don’t care that you’re the princess or he’s the general.

” She jerked her head at Casimir. “Those ranks mean nothing on my ship. You do what I say, no questions asked. Especially if we come across difficult weather or enemies. Is that understood?”

“Yes,” Ava said. “Absolutely.”

“Good.” She clapped her hand on Ava’s shoulder. “Then we won’t have a problem.” She turned on her heel and walked across the deck, barking orders at the crew as they prepared to sail .

“She’s terrifying,” Ava said.

“You have no idea,” whispered Raine.

Crew members lowered the sails at each of the four masts of the large ship, readying for departure.

Wooden railings carved with intricate vines and leaves surrounded the deck and depictions of the sacred Elderoak tree were prevalent on the vessel—embroidered on the sails, carved into the base of each mast, and integrated into the steps leading to the upper deck.

“Come on,” said Raine. “I’ll show you where we’re sleeping.”

Ava followed, Casimir silent next to her, as they turned left and walked to the stern of the ship. Crew members nodded greetings as they passed, and they stopped before two doors framed by twin sets of stairs leading to the helm where Gisela now stood.

“Anchors aweigh!” she called out, preparing to set sail.

Raine pointed to the door on the left. “Captain’s quarters,” he said, then to the one on the right. “Royalty quarters.”

He stepped forward and turned the handle, entering with Ava and Casimir close behind.

It wasn’t a large space, but it was opulent and cozy with a small wooden desk in the corner and a window on the back wall overlooking the ocean.

The window was cracked open, the sea breeze swaying the ruby velvet curtains and cooling off the room.

Off to the right was a large bed in an alcove against the wall with its own set of curtains for privacy.

Ava took it in and froze. “Umm…where are all the beds?”

Raine’s hand clamped down on her shoulder as he laughed under his breath. “It’s a ship. Not everyone gets their own fancy room. We must share. You’re lucky we get this. Most sleep below deck crammed together.”

Ava glanced at Casimir who looked almost as nervous as she was. “Raine and I will sleep on the floor,” he said, strolling around the room .

“Oh, I probably won’t be sleeping in here much.” Raine winked at Ava. “Gisela and I have a lot of catching up to do. On that note, I’ll see you two later.” He turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Ava walked to the set of open windows and leaned her elbows on the frame. Moments later Casimir appeared next to her. “Sorry. We should have warned you,” he said, his gaze fixed on the ocean.

“It’s okay.”

“I’d go sleep down with the rest of the crew, but Thorne ordered us to keep a close eye on you.”

She turned and looked at him. “What? You think I’m going to get myself into trouble?”

“No. But being at sea comes with its own dangers. We don’t know if Deidamia has any ships. If she learns we’re out here, she could send her army after us. If something happens in the middle of the night, someone needs to be close.”

“I guess that makes sense.” She sighed as the ship began to move. “What now?”

“We explore the rest of the ship, so you know where everything is, introduce you to more of the crew, and relax. We’ll resume training tomorrow.”

“We’re training on the ship?”

Casimir gave her a wolfish grin, his chestnut hair blowing in the wind, framing his golden eyes. “Oh yes. You don’t get a break, princess.”