CHAPTER VI #2
I turn and catch Troy’s gaze, wanting to speak to the foreign Prince more, but also knowing that Hadrill won’t join us unless Troy is in attendance.
Troy stares back at me for a small moment before he nods, turning to Hadrill.
“It will be good for you to speak more with the Prince and Princess of Pyre.”
“By all means,” the young man grins, “lead the way. I am yours to dictate tonight, per my father’s request.”
Keane releases his hold from my waist and turns back to Alanna and the rest. He leads us to the group, reaching his hand behind him in a silent call before his fingers move through mine.
I follow behind, wishing we could find a secluded place to share our thoughts on Hadrill.
The Prince is too cocky for his own good, and in that confidence, alluded to the fact that he is well aware of me.
What or how much he knows of me is still a secret, but I think it’s fair to assume he’s aware of the Council and my role in it from his father.
“Alexis,” Sutton beams when we arrive. “It makes me so happy to see you in our Warrior colors!”
Keane grins before he moves to greet Mana and Sera. I smile at the Warrior Discerni and her brother, turning to Troy and Hadrill behind me.
“It feels good to wear, Sutton. Have you met his Highness, Prince Troy?”
“Not formally,” the sister extends a hand.
“And the Prince of Aireal with him, young Hadrill,” I grin, nodding to the men. “Sutton and Tripler both own and run the black granite quarries within the southern lands of the Court of Warriors.”
The young Prince glances over the brother and sister and takes in their expensive black clothing, noticing the many jewels that are embedded into the fabric.
“No doubt the work there is aided by summoning?” he smiles to Tripler in question.
Why would he care?
You know why, my mind reminds me, you suspect why.
“It is,” Tripler nods to the young man, eyeing him in question as well.
“I would like to hear of it,” Hadrill takes a small step forward. “We have our own quarries in Aireal, though the rock we mine takes a heavy workforce of men.”
Tripler openly smiles, happy to begin a conversation on their common interest. I leave the four of them to it, feeling Troy’s gaze on my departing back as I move towards Mana, Sera and Alanna with a smile.
“So where can I place my bets?” I chuckle, releasing Sera’s hug as I look towards Mana.
“There’s a man here,” the Discerni greets, eyes glancing over the crowd. “I’ll stop him the next time he makes his rounds.”
“And Holis?” I inquire, also looking around in question. “Where is he?”
“With Cal,” Alanna bumps my shoulder in greeting. “Should be coming out any moment now.”
Her eyes narrow over my shoulder, glancing at Troy in thought.
“You’re always surprising me, human,” she murmurs.
Clair moves to my other side near Stormfall, looking at Alanna with a perceptive gaze, no doubt hearing my friend’s use of the word human.
“I surprise myself sometimes,” I nod, turning towards the fighting platform.
Keane is standing with McQuoid at the edge, both of their arms crossed in front of their chests as they chat quietly.
“You’d think they were ready to join the fight themselves,” Clair chuckles.
“From the way you described, I actually think McQuoid might.”
“Ancients, he better not!”
Alanna and I laugh as the crowd begins to cheer from the back of the room.
We all turn and watch as a human man of about my age moves through the crowd, the grin he sends to the room electric as he pounds his fists together.
He’s tall and without a shirt, showing the lean muscles of his chest that are cut to near perfection.
His muscles aren’t necessarily big, but he looks to make up for it with the quickness of his movements.
The young man raises his hands to the crowd, cloth wrapped around his knuckles and wrists as he calls more cheers to the room. He keeps his grin and walks to the platform at the opposite side of Keane and McQuoid, bowing to the King in salute before he begins his warm-ups.
“Rane,” Alanna says, “the best of our court. Hails from Dardar.”
“He looks confident,” Clair eyes the man from afar, “though much skinnier than I would have thought for a man who picks a fight with Cal.”
“He’s certainly lean, but it allows him to move quite fast,” Alanna grimaces, taking a sip of her ale. “I’ve seen him fight multiple times before. He always aims to wear out his opponent. Then he’ll strike hard.”
“Something I hope you’ve warned Cal of, Alanna,” I raise a brow.
Alanna rolls her eyes. “Of course, human.”
Clair glances at Alanna again, frowning just slightly as I notice Mana pointing an older man in my direction.
“Lady,” the man smiles crookedly, missing a few teeth, “I hear you’d like to place a bet.”
“I would,” I grin, watching as he pulls out a small pocketbook from his side. “Five cinerin on Cal from Knowledge, please.”
“And another twenty on the lanky one that just arrived,” Hadrill’s smug voice comes up from beside Clair.
The older man grins and writes quickly into his pad, catching the Prince’s gaze and nodding his head.
“But you haven’t even seen the opponent yet, Hadrill,” Clair chuckles in greeting.
“A bit last night, but I don’t think I need to see any more. This one’s confidence is enough for my wager.”
Sutton and Tripler move to Alanna’s side as Troy does the same at Hadrill’s. His gaze turns towards Keane and McQuoid up front, remaining quiet.
Troy’s stiffness makes me frown. It’s so unlike him to be quiet and rigid.
“Half now,” the old man places his book in his back pocket as he pulls out a large pouch filled with coins. I reach into my own bag at my hip and pull out the cinerin, placing it in his hand.
Hadrill’s fingers brush against mine, also dropping the coins against the man’s outstretched palm as he turns with a grin.
“Excuse me, Lady Alexis.”
I’m about to use his not so sly manners to question him more, but the roar of the crowd again has me turning my head.
Cal’s auburn hair towers over everyone as he walks with a friendly grin, the people all cheering and clasping his back as he quite literally nods to everyone in greeting.
Holis walks behind him, the dark-skinned Discerni looking proud in his silence as he nods to a few of the people as well.
He remains cool and passive in his Discerni features, though he does smile when I catch his gaze.
I point a finger to Keane and McQuoid up front with a grin, watching as both him and Cal beam at the two royals waiting in our friend’s corner.
“I forgot how fucking big he is,” Hadrill’s eyes sparkle on Cal in surprise.
I smile and tip my ale to Alanna, the two of us both grinning as we cheers to our guy.
Keane and McQuoid greet Cal with a slap on the back just as the tavern owner, Elliot, moves into the middle of the platform.
“Most of you here know the rules,” he smirks at the crowd, his voice loud for all to hear.
“But for those here tonight that don’t, welcome.
We go three full rounds at my tavern, and only knockout or submission will win the title.
We allow no kicking or aims below the waist, but otherwise, everything else is fair game. ”
“Men,” he turns first to Rane and then to Cal, beckoning them to him. “I expect a clean fight. No foul play. If either of you goes against my rules the fight will end in an automatic forfeit…”
He brings his hands in front of him and motions for the two to shake.
“May the best man win. I’ll have a large tankard of ale waiting for you two when this is all over.”
The crowd roars and lifts up their own mugs as both Cal and Rane grin at Elliot. They turn their gazes to each other and shake hands just briefly, then move back a few steps as they both eye the other.
“Round one,” Elliot takes a step back and yells to the crowd. “Fight!”
Cal won by submission in the third round. It was a close fight, with Rane tiring him out and landing a few unsavory blows, but in the end, Cal saved his strength and dropped the man to the ground.
Elliot had a table waiting for us in his tavern upstairs to celebrate the win.
McQuoid and Cal stayed for a while, until Clair had to call it a night for McQuoid.
Keane and I departed with the Prince and Princess, needing to direct them back to his residence, but we promised the others we’d be back to continue the celebration as quickly as possible.
The walk isn’t a long one, though it’s certainly made entertaining at the sight of McQuoid being slightly drunk.
He’s a big man, not as tall as Keane, but broader like Cal.
His steps are heavy when we all finally make it back to the small home, the Prince leaning on Clair for support as we move through the front door.
McQuoid grins and reaches behind his wife, pulling her towards the guest room with his own look of drunken playfulness as they head down the hall.
Clair laughs and follows him diligently, the two of them disappearing in the darkness with mischievous grins.
I’m chuckling myself when I turn back to Keane, my King waiting for me at the front door of the residence.
“Do you have your oak in there, Alexis?” his brown eyes dip down to the bag at my hip. “I don’t want to head back to the tavern without it.”
My cheeks heat as I dart quickly past Keane and into the courtyard.
“I left it upstairs.”
The King gives a knowing laugh and locks the door behind him. He swiftly walks up to my side, dipping his hand in the bag as my eyes go wide.
“Keane!”
“You should know better than to try to pass off such a pretty lie,” his grin is wicked, lifting his hand out of my bag as he holds the oak slab in front of him. “Tell me you haven’t been thinking about reading the rest of my words all night.”
My mouth slightly drops as he extends the thin wood to me, his eyes catching and holding mine in amusement. I shake my head and snatch the oak out of his hand, feeling him pinch my rear in return.