Read Proven (Daughters of the Sea #1) for Free Online Page B

kissed it. Soon I'd be braiding my armpit hair, ditching deodorant, and driving a Prius.
    One painstaking hour, two thorny bush attacks, and six blisters later, I had to take a bathroom break, which sounded more simple than it really was. Knowing the trees were not only alive, but watching my every move, I couldn't just hike up my skirt and relieve myself on their roots. I rolled my eyes at myself. The trees would just have to get over it. Unless I was going to hold it until I made it to an actual bathroom, I had no choice. I was just glad no one was around to witness any of this.
    I found an area of exposed dirt containing no discernable roots, grass, or even clover before tucking away my remaining inhibitions and squatting. As an affectionate breeze blew across my bare cheeks, I imagined the trees laughing at me. Their lush branches swished and rustled one by one before it occurred to me that they were probably communicating with one another. Maybe I should have peed on their roots after all. I finished my business and cut my eyes skyward in case they were making fun of me.
    Out of nowhere, my stomach clenched and cramped with a ferocity I'd never experienced before. Excruciating tremors of pain rippled through my mid-section like an earthquake, and I was quickly brought to my knees in agony. I cried out as my muscles charlie-horsed again and again. Deepening the misery was a single, sorrowful voice wafting into my ears. Hot tears sprang to my eyes, spilling onto my cheeks and careening silently to the grass beneath me. The voice spoke no words; it simply wailed with an essence-shattering despair that took my breath away.
    I screamed once more before the pain finally relented and my stomach was released from its torment. Though the pain receded, the emptiness and hopelessness remained. Several ragged, deep breaths later, the fog of sorrow gradually lifted but I continued to sob uncontrollably. I vaguely registered the symphony of leaves chattering above me in response, and then immediately noticed their roots shifting beneath the ground where I lay curled into a ball. A solitary root extracted itself from the earth and commenced to wrapping itself around me with a gentleness I didn't realize was possible. The invigorating smell of fresh soil blanketed my senses and I leaned into its cooling embrace.
    A few short moments was all it took for the calming energy of the root to restore my emotions and give me the motivation I needed to keep going.
    "So did you guys hear that, too?" I asked the towering giants nearby. My only answer was a deafening silence and the racing of my own thoughts. I peered down at my palm with alarm, but saw no change in my all-seeing eye trace; meaning Stasia still wasn't in imminent danger. That was most important to me, and everything else was secondary. The sky above boasted beautiful pinks and oranges as it prepared for its departure beyond the horizon. I needed to hurry. I swallowed my pride like a thick spoonful of caramel and scanned the awning of branches reluctantly.
    "Help?" I shrugged uselessly. That was one word in particular I was not fond of using, and it felt completely foreign and prickly on my tongue.  My jaw turned slack at the instant response that stared me in the face. In the blink of an eye, the forest took action. An ovation of leaves preempted a swath of trees that actually twisted back and away, revealing a perfectly visible path intended for my journey.
    "Whoa," was all I could muster, although I wished I would have thought to ask for help earlier. Far off in the distance, the sinking sun glinted off of a golden structure that could only be Maera's castle. It glowed like a beacon in the night, promising the comforts of home. I let out a sigh of relief and began to walk.

    S TASIA
    "They're back! Ms. Stasia, they're back!"
    The excited trill of Maera's youngest daughter woke me from a woefully unsuccessful night's sleep. I felt the exhaustion pulling me down, but I couldn't