CHAPTER XVII #3
Holis is setting up a target on a large tree trunk when I greet him after Cal, handing me his longbow and a quiver of arrows.
My aim is getting better, hitting the ring in the middle at nearly every draw.
It’s so good, in fact, that Holis tells me the next time we practice I’ll be aiming at him as he runs through the woods at Discerni speed.
We’re all about done with our training when Cal starts grumbling about food. He takes a seat against a tree to cool down, while both twins and the King turn to me in silent command.
“What’s up?” I ask in small confusion.
“You need to practice your summoning, Alexis,” Keane replies.
I sigh.
I know they only have the best of interests and that this training is to help teach me better control, but it’s tiring, boring, and leaves me feeling deflated each time we go at it.
I truly do need to be in high stakes situations to get the most of the power.
Otherwise, I’ll just be standing here swaying a few limbs.
I think Keane knows this, or at least he sees the look on my face before he turns to Mana.
“Attack me,” he tells the man.
I raise a brow, eyeing the silent Discerni as he leans against a tree not far away from the King. Mana gives Keane a look of understanding before grabbing his kedge.
“You too, Holis,” Keane glances over my shoulder.
I turn with wild eyes to my friend, seeing the hint of a smile grace his lips. Both twins begin their slow walks towards the King, eyeing the defensive stance he now takes as they circle in.
“Pick one, Alexis,” Keane looks at me squarely, “pick one and help me defend.”
The moment the words leave his lips the brothers are on him.
Keane quickly summons another thick staff of stone and dirt just in time to block Mana’s attack.
I gasp at the swiftness, at the pure speed of the three men and turn my glance to Holis, watching as he angles himself to the King’s back in a hidden attempt to attack him.
My hand moves on command, feet planting in the ground as my fingers curl in front of my face.
My palm swipes to the right, willing the air out from under Holis’ boots as he stumbles in his steps.
My friend catches himself with a smile, then turns to me with a determination that tells me I’ve caught his attention.
I bring both hands in front of me and envision a firm wall of air between the two of us, watching as Holis runs straight into it.
I grin at the Discerni and look back at Keane, watching as him and Mana trade blows.
Holis takes a quick step to my right, angling to move around the barrier, but my hand moves with him as I envision the wall extending.
I leave that hand on Holis and move my left directly towards Mana, taking in the woods around him and assessing how to help the King.
It hits me, then, when I remember something Hiro did in that room in Dankworth. He bound Starc and Mal’s hands and feet together, the air holding them invisibly. Could I do that to Mana? Force his feet together so that he’s stuck in place?
Holis is quick to take advantage of my thoughts, moving around the barrier again in his Discerni speed.
I barely throw up another wall in time, halting his body just steps before mine as he stumbles back once more.
I know he’s going to attack again, so this time I envision a protective circle around my whole body.
To my surprise, the summoning does as it’s bid.
Holis moves to my side, hand skimming against my wall before he disappears behind my back and chuckles at the cage I’ve surrounded myself in. When he knows there’s no way for him to break through, he takes off in his Discerni speed to attack the King.
I quickly do the same for Keane, hands raising low from waist and into the air, guarding his tall body just as Mana comes down with a full swing.
The kedge vibrates hard against the wall, the force of his attack bouncing off the solid air and pushing him away.
Keane turns his head to me with wide eyes, staff switching towards Holis at his back.
He moves to swing his weapon but is met with the invisible wall as well, apparently not learning from Mana.
I begin laughing, a throaty chuckle that reaches the core of my stomach as I hunch over in silent tears, releasing myself and Keane from our protection. All three men look at me with wide eyes and even wider grins, waiting to see what I’ll do next.
“Oh,” I chuckle breathlessly, “this is going to be fun.”
Our tour of Fensby is a beautiful one, made even more beautiful by the proper Woodlands people that all smile quietly, no animosity gracing their features. Dacre shows us around the city, moving through the tall buildings and the excessive amounts of planks that connect them all.
At some point in the tour, the Lord takes us to the northern most end.
He points down from the balcony ledge we’re on to a large clearing under the forest. Stables have been set up in a rich wood, with white marble barracks lining the trees as training fields sit between them.
Men are moving on those fields with their arrows and swords, sparring against eachother and the targets they’ve set up.
According to Dacre the barracks can host a full twelve hundred men, nearly the full size of the small army Keane sent his way.
The Lord’s hope is to reach one thousand men of his own from Fensby, angling to protect his border without the aid of Brassard.
He currently rests at about eight hundred, the soldiers either living in the city with their families or in the barracks provided.
We finish our tour a turn before the noon apex, with Dacre leaving us to pack as he set off for the kitchens to grab us a lunch before we all departed.
We each had our packs saddled on our horses as we left them in the stalls, our full group moving back to the courtyard of the inn under the warm mid-day sun.
It’s a good lunch and one that leaves me grinning in contentment, knowing that I’ll want to travel back to this Woodlands city again.
It’s also a lunch that’s absent of Keane’s possessive hands, our thighs pressed together under the table the only touch he needs.
Lord Dacre hasn’t turned his flirtatious eyes or confident smile on me all day, instead keeping his conversation polite and limited as he directs his swagger to other people.
He heard me last night, there’s no doubt about it, and the grin on Keane’s lips all throughout lunch tells me he knows it as well.
We saddle our horses after lunch and walk them back to the courtyard, the Lord clasping arms with Keane in our departure.
He vows to keep the King updated on everything happening in his neck of the woods, even inquiring when he can next take a travel to Gaumond.
I smile at the man from atop Millie, watching as he finally turns my way with that sparkle in his eye.
He reaches out a hand to grab mine above, squeezing it softly before he bows his head in deep respect.
“I look forward to the stories that will continue to travel of you, Lady Alexis.”
“And I you, Lord Dacre. Until we meet again.”
We ride into Brassard just as the sun is setting, the black granite structures of the Court of Warriors jutting sharply into the night.
The smell of fire and burning wood consumes us from the road before we even get close to the city’s mountainous gate, the scent filling the Northern Forest and alerting us that we’re close.
Our group is smaller now, with the three Knowledge soldiers staying behind in Fensby to make their travel back to Etter. All that remains are my original crew, Keane, Canon and the three Warrior soldiers, Nathaniel, Bryson and Sam.
Brassard reminds me a bit of Dankworth in the way it has cut down the woods around it.
The metal gate we ride under is enormous, giving sight to hundreds of fires roaring in iron crates along the main road.
Their flames lick against the shops and businesses, the red and orange flames shining strong against the proud black.
Everyone around us is alive and laughing, the whole city greeting the night and their King in genuine cheerfulness.
Ancients, I’ve missed this.
I’ve missed the people that are so full of purpose and happiness, the pubs roaring with laughter and Discerni and humans walking side by side.
The men on the roads all wear short sleeved shirts or tunics in the black of Warrior, the women just as equally dark with their tops hugging their curves and their dresses flowing to just under their thighs.
Pepper fills the air around us, the spice clouding my nose and making me scrunch it in a loud sneeze. But all I can do is laugh in pure happiness at the sharp smell, my heart so full and heavy in contentment.
We’ve finally made it back.
I smile and steal a look at Canon as this is the First Guard’s first introduction to the Court of Warriors.
He’s trying his best to hide his widening eyes and failing gloriously, his gaze darting in every which direction and not knowing where to look.
Keane’s own gaze has been on me this whole time, watching my body relax in contentment and smiling at the enthusiasm on my face.
I catch those eyes, hold those fiery browns to mine in appreciation, my full desire of him and his court pushing against my abdomen.
Our group finally slows in front of a wide inn, the building jutting up tall with heavy clouds of smoke rising into the sky.
Something massive stands far away and behind those clouds of smoke, almost looking like a large black tower with a wide circle on top.
I narrow my eyes as two young boys run out of the stables, trying to get a better view of whatever it is.
The black looks ominous, challenging, calling to my curiosity as I start to dismount.