CHAPTER III #2
I bring Millie to a stop in front of a water trough belonging to the village’s only pub, smiling as Cal brings his own horse to my right and Holis and Mana to our left. Cal catches my attention once we’re done watering the horses, the look in his eyes beckoning as he nods to the pub.
He wants to talk.
So do I.
The three of us enter the pub behind Cal and let the big man lead us to a table that sits in the far corner of the room.
Desmond and his own three companions are already settled a good distance away, the group out of earshot amongst the light ramble of the other travelers around us.
A curvy woman promptly approaches our table with mugs of ale in her hands, passing the first to Cal and letting her chest flash down at him in obvious greeting.
“Are you all here for lunch?” she asks sweetly, eyes lingering on my big friend.
I take a gulp of ale to hide my obvious smile.
“We are,” Cal replies, “beef stew, please. For the four of us.”
The woman smiles and walks back to the counter, her hips swaying in hopes that he’ll chance a look.
Cal does nothing of the sort and waits for her to retreat, his eyes holding mine in deliberate question before he leans forward on the table.
I feel Holis and Mana’s glances on me as well, the four of us all hunching forward as we converge over the table.
“We’re here for you, aren’t we?” Cal whispers.
I understand his question. He wants to know if this is a standard travel, like all the others we’ve taken together over the past two years, even though we’re being escorted by royalty.
I nod over my drink and glance towards Desmond, making sure he’s far enough not to hear us. Curiously, he’s got his fingers resting at the sides of his temples with his eyes closed, the Master Informer looking as if he’s soothing an aching head.
“He didn’t tell us,” Cal sighs in response and leans back in his chair. Mana does the same and seemingly loses all interest in the conversation, apparently getting the answer he needs.
“It was a quick turnaround for us all, it seems,” Holis murmurs.
It was.
The three of us had just landed in Bardot two days ago from our travel to I’Nir. We’re usually allowed a fortnight or more before the King sends us out again.
“Are we treating this the same as the other trips?” Cal inquires.
“Yes,” I nod, “same as the other trips.”
“Then let’s begin tomorrow morning before dawn,” he whispers, prompting Holis to avert his eyes.
“Okay,” I reply, rolling my own at the Discerni twin, “five days?”
“Five days,” Cal affirms and takes a drink, “which would mean one will have to be in Gaumond.”
“Are you familiar with the capitol or castle?”
Our group has never traveled north of Dalloway in the Court of Warriors, but that doesn’t mean Cal or the brothers haven’t traveled to Gaumond at some point in their lives.
“No,” he shakes his head, “none of us are familiar.”
“Alright,” I shrug, “we’ll make it work.”
Holis flashes a small smile at my response.
We all relax in our chairs as the woman behind the counter brings us our food.
She waits for Cal’s attention but ends up sauntering off with a pout, my big friend shaking his head as Holis fails to hide a chuckle.
I grab my stew with a smile and watch as Mana turns to Cal, the Discerni giving him a steady but quiet nod from his seat as if goading him on.
Cal nods back, averting his gaze from the twin before he clears his throat.
“Alex…”
“Hmm?” I ask over a mouthful.
“Once we cross the border, I’d like to share your tent.”
I nearly cough over my soup.
“I’m sorry?” I stammer, “come again?”
Cal’s eyes dart to Holis and then back to Mana, both brothers giving him a stern nod to prompt him forward.
“I want to share your tent, Alex,” he repeats, “we’ll be outside Disce borders and in foreign land. I want to be present and as close to you as possible, should anything arise.”
Ah.
For a moment there…
I shake my head and look at my friend with a genuine smile. I don’t know what I did in life to meet such a giving man, but I’m more than grateful to have him by my side.
“I would appreciate that greatly, Cal. It’s a good idea.”
Our group continued north on the Great Road after lunch, passing through the sweeping orange fields as we made our way to Brierman. About halfway through the fields I brought Millie to a walk and left the group to travel ahead, planning to catch up eventually.
Holis, always Holis, chose to stay behind with me.
I peer at my companion with a smile and reach out to the trees at my side.
The leaves rake against my fingers, the oranges ripe and falling from the branches as I pluck a few and toss one to the Discerni.
He catches it gracefully just as I bring Millie to a stop and dismount.
The brown mare pushes her snout into my hands, her teeth greedily taking a few pieces of orange from my palm before we start walking again.
I don’t know for how long we walk, but the trek is slow and content in the fields.
It’s different from our typical woods, an area surrounded by green leaves and rounds of orange with the forest never too far out of view.
We walk until the sound of the rest of groups’ horses disappears entirely, until it’s only me and Holis riding in a casual silence that we find often happens when its just us, his brother and Cal.
“They’ll want us soon,” Holis announces beside me.
I sigh and turn to meet his gaze.
“A bit longer?”
“Yes,” he nods, “I think so.”
I smile and rest my head against Millie’s neck, walking even slower.
We reach the drunken town of Brierman a little after sundown, the lanterns of bottled moonslight glowing against the shops on the main road.
Desmond leads our group straight to the Drunken Stump and announces that we’ll have some time to get situated in our rooms before meeting again for dinner, but just looking at the group tells me that no break is needed.
No one here needs a rest. There’s no weary faces when we greet the stable boys and hand them our reins, nor is anyone looking sore from a full day’s ride.
Everyone in this traveling crew is well-seasoned, and now I can’t help but wonder if the Master Informer initially offered because he thought I was the one who would need it.
I scowl at the thought and grab my traveling packs off Millie, slinging them across my shoulder before tossing a coin to the stable boy.
“You’re with me,” a cool feminine voice states from behind.
I turn to greet the Discerni woman, Alanna.
She has her packs slugged over her shoulder in a similar fashion, her pale blonde hair flowing down her back with the front tucked behind her leaf-shaped ears.
Her cool grey eyes stare directly into mine, her blonde lashes reaching just under a set of high arched brows.
Her cheeks are slim, complimenting a sharp jawline and thin lips and giving her whole face a cold look.
She’s strikingly beautiful in that cool way, her features very similar to the Discerni who live in Woodlands Court.
She passes by my side and heads for the inn, not bothering to see if I’m following behind her. She’s short for a Discerni, a good head shorter than me, though she doesn’t carry herself as if the lack of height holds any consequence.
I walk behind her and let her lead us into the common room pub, taking in how boisterous and loud it is as mugs are pushed in my direction. I nearly lose the Warrior woman to the crowded room, but end up spotting her black attire at the last moment as she moves towards a separate corner of the pub.
Alanna’s black shirt hugs her curves as she walks down a quieter hall.
The rich satin is pulled against her body in a tight fashion I would never wear, but what’s even more curious is the sight of her well-toned arm and back muscles that are visible underneath the shirt.
The girl is physically more toned than any woman I’ve seen in Knowledge, and has a brazen fluorite green cuff around her left hand.
I’ve seen many women in the southern cities of Warrior publicly flouncing their fluorite in the same way, but where that Court is bold in its attire, my Court tends towards the modest, hiding the stone in more simple settings on our fingers and ears.
Alanna stops at a door and lifts her hand to the small encircled oak that’s cut into the wood.
The door glows a vibrant black before it swings open to our room for the night, the small residence quaint but cozy and complete with two beds at opposite ends.
A small vanity with a mirror leans against the wall next to us, and at the back of the room is a small archway that leads to the bathing chamber.
I walk to the bed on the left and toss my packs on top. Alanna moves to the other and does the same, her hands tugging on her boots as her cool gaze lands on mine to begin her own assessment.
“This travel is because of you?” she asks directly, the words nearly mimicking Cal’s from earlier.
“Seems like it,” I nod.
“Don’t be coy. Desmond told us this ride is sanctioned on behalf of his father.”
“Then why ask?”
“Because I can,” she smirks, “because I’m curious.”
I ignore her and pull out a brush from my packs.
“It seems you know how to ride for a Lady who lives at the capitol. Do you travel often?”
If only she knew.
“A bit here and there.”
“Right,” she rolls her eyes and pulls her shirt over her head, “and those Knowledge men, they ride here and there with you, too?”
“Whenever the King directs us.”
“Hmm,” her eyes narrow, “well far be it for me to question the King. I’m going to take a bath. Did you need one too or can I take my time?”
I turn in her direction and instantly gaze at her body in awe.
I lied about her muscles being well-toned. They’re utterly cut to perfection. Her arms, back and stomach are completely muscled, her full physique so immensely impressive that I can’t stop staring as I watch her slide off her pants.