Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119158 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
“That life is about the journey, not the destination.”
“Yes! And that everyone moves at their own pace. Apprenticeships are long here, and there’s no pressure to have accomplished something by a certain age. You get it when you get it, and that’s all there is to it.”
Yep, Jasper was going to fit in here just fine, and I wasn’t the only one who thought so.
A chirp came from his robes, and I lifted my eyebrows. That sounded like Master Binx, but it shouldn’t have.
Jasper sat up from his slouch and reached into a hidden pocket in his robes, scooping out the chipmunk along with a couple of seeds. He placed them all on the table and I watched as the chipmunk stretched his front and hind legs before giving a full body shake, as if he’d woken from a nap.
“I don’t understand,” I whispered as I leaned toward Jasper. “I thought you and the Wolfrest wizards were going to change him back to an elf.”
“We tried! Master Dexius, Mistress Loralei, and the other wizards all tried. We got the spell right, but they said he’s not changing because he doesn’t want to.”
“Really?” I stared at the chipmunk who sat in the center of the coffee table, munching on a selection of seeds and nuts. It wasn’t a bad life he was living. He was being cared for by a thoughtful young wizard, getting all the food he could want, and was getting to see the world.
Jasper nodded. “Master Dexius reassured him that he wouldn’t be in any trouble by being in Wolfrest since he was technically a Galinaes elf, but he still won’t change. Mistress Loralei thinks he’s happy the way he is.”
“He probably is.”
“They told me to try the spell every few months, and if Master Binx is ready to change, then he will.”
“Is he going to the Academy with you?”
“Yep. I’ll take good care of him there, and Mistress Loralei has already spoken with the headmaster about it.”
And a wizard chipmunk was likely to be a hit with the other students.
“How’s your sister taking the news about you beginning school soon?” I inquired.
“She’s excited and relieved not to have me following behind her.”
I opened my mouth to argue that Adeline would most definitely miss her little brother, but another thought occurred to me. “Where is your sister? I think I’ve only seen her once since we cured Prince Orian.”
Jasper’s hand leaped to his mouth, smothering giggles, as he rose to his feet and waved for me to follow him. We walked across the library to one of the large oval windows that looked down on the many flower gardens that existed within the castle’s walls. It took me a few seconds of searching to spot Adeline, and she wasn’t alone.
The mercenary was walking shockingly close to Princess Saida, their heads bent together in low conversation. Every once in a while, laughter would trickle out from one or the other as they strolled the garden, not seeming to see any of the beautiful flowers around them. No, they had eyes only for each other.
“They’ve been inseparable since that day,” Jasper said, sounding utterly disgusted by his sister’s defection from being a hard, badass mercenary to a smitten young woman who simply wanted to be near the owner of her heart.
It was something I understood all too well.
“I take it she’s going to be staying in West Vale for now,” I observed, trying to keep the laughter out of my voice and failing.
Jasper grunted. “Yeah. It doesn’t bother her at all that I’m staying here, because she’s not leaving. I think she might try to join the royal guard or something. Like become Princess Saida’s personal bodyguard.”
“Sounds like a good plan.”
“Princess Saida says she’s got at least three more years of training as a healer here in West Vale, and then there’s another healer that she wants to study under, but she’s a hermit who lives on the easternmost coast. I’m sure Addie will follow her to that healer when it’s time.”
We stood at the window watching them for another minute, and my mind drifted away to another elf with laughing eyes and a sweet smile that I hadn’t seen in too many hours. I missed him. Since he’d been welcomed home, we’d not had many opportunities to talk about what came next. That night in the garden at his secret residence, we talked about silly dreams of marriage and adventure. But dreams were easy under the soft, forgiving light of the stars.
It was a different matter when they were hauled out under the harsh glare of day and had to be put into a workable plan. I wasn’t a fool. Nylian had an obligation to his family and his kingdom. It wasn’t like he could toss all of that aside.