Elixir Bound by Katie Carroll

Elixir Bound by Katie Carroll

Author:Katie Carroll
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: magic, fantasy, elixir, quest, young adult, YA, adventure, girls, females, witches, epic, romance, love, power
Publisher: Shimmer Publications, LLC via Indie Author Project
Published: 2018-06-26T14:21:22+00:00


Chapter Thirteen

Katora awoke to the briny scent of ocean water as it lapped against the beach. It looked orange reflecting the rising sun. The saturated sand and water-laden tree branches were the only remnants of the storm, and even those last bits of evidence evaporated as the sun warmed the land. The seabirds welcomed the day with a staccato squawking very different from the melodious chirp of the songbirds Katora knew from home.

She rubbed the crustiness of sleep out of her eyes and spied Palafair and Zelenka emerging from the trees. Their hands were full of firewood. She saw Kylene, Bhar, and Hirsten a little farther down the beach. They dug a hole in the sand and placed stones around it to form a large fire pit.

They had managed to sneak by this morning without waking her. Grateful for the extra sleep but annoyed no one consulted her about the day’s work, she walked to the fire pit with a heavy tread. Kylene offered her some berries for breakfast. Anxiety tied her stomach in knots. She wasn’t hungry, but thought food might help the headache throbbing at her temples.

Katora turned her attention to Hirsten, determined to stay all business today.

“We need to find a new path to The Sleeping Giant,” she said. “I want to be out of here early tomorrow morning.”

Even though she wasn’t talking to Bhar, he saluted her and said, “Aye, aye, Captain.”

Katora punched him in the arm harder than necessary. He seemed fully recovered from yesterday’s ordeal, but she wasn’t in the mood for his antics. Yeselda’s words about being bound to serve Mother Nature pounded in her head harder than the headache. She busied herself with stoking the newly formed fire, and couldn’t help but observe Hirsten from the corner of her eye.

He pulled the maps out of his backpack and unrolled the largest one, a hand-drawn map of the entire forest. As the parchment fluttered in the wind, he secured it at the corners with four small rocks. Spread out in full, the map measured four feet by six feet. It was massive and beautiful. Katora found herself drawn to it. It seemed she wasn’t the only one attracted to the map because Zelenka wandered over.

“Magnificent.” The demick stretched to see the whole map. “Your father is very talented. Do you mind if I take a look at it from your shoulder?”

Hirsten scooped her up. He glanced at Katora and his lips—the ones that felt soft on Katora’s—rose at the corners in a closed-mouth smile. She looked back at the map, angry at herself for getting distracted. A rush of energy flowed from the map into her and forced her gaze back to Hirsten. His open mouth and wide eyes told her he felt the energy too. Zelenka seemed unaware.

“Look at the detail in the drawings,” she said. “The image of the Three River Split makes me feel like I’m back there.”

“Hang on a second.” Hirsten put Zelenka back on the ground. He bent over the part of the map where the Split was drawn and whispered to it.



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