Chapter 25 – OtyliaToday’s Trial is patience, apparently.
WE WAITED IN THE THRONE ROOM FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR before Weles, clothed in a simple woolen tunic and cloak of bear furs, shuffled through the doors. He leaned on his cane more than normal, and when his eyes met me, his face was tired and more wrinkled than before.
“You look so much like your mother,” he said as I stood to the side, among the vines. “That dress confirms it—you are surely a daughter of the wilds.”
I held my chin high. His compliment meant little, but it was best for him to believe he’d bolstered my confidence. “Witch or not, they’ll always be my home.”
He chuckled, sitting upon the throne of twisting vines. Behind him, the roots of the World Tree formed the Heart of Nawia. The route to Jawia was just strides away,
