CHAPTER IV #2
“I know the owner,” she says off-handedly, “we can leave our horses in the stalls below her townhome. Your packs can stay with Millie. It’ll be safe.”
I ignore the curious fact that she happens to know Millie’s name and situate my mare in the small stall next to hers.
“I don’t think you’ll want to come out for this one, Golem,” I pat the bag at my hip as we walk back towards the pub.
The magical creature vibrates in agreement just as Alanna stops at the pub door.
She turns around, her cool eyes darting to my wind-blown braid and the satin green shirt I’m wearing, then to my dark brown riding pants and boots.
“It’ll have to do” she sighs before pushing through the door.
A crowd of black, brown and green overflows the large room, the full of the pub crowded under a thick, smokey haze as we walk inside.
The walls of black granite around us are intertwined with brown vines, each of them littered with hundreds of green leaves and candles protruding throughout.
There’s a massive fireplace that sits against the middle wall, it’s flames illuminating a counter of black granite to the right that hosts too many barrels of drink behind it.
The Discerni and humans around us are all smoking out of pipes of various sizes, the puffs of white clouds creating a thick air in the room that makes me think of Cal.
I study the patrons of the pub more closely, noting that both the female Discerni and human women are wearing dark and low-cut satin tops, the swells of the breasts peeking out from the middle as the fabric fits tightly around their waists.
Some of them are wearing dresses unlike any I’ve ever seen, the fabric looking as if they’ve took an evening gown and cut it straight across their upper thighs to make it the shortest possible without revealing their ass.
The males of the pub are all wearing tunics and satin shirts of various sleeve lengths, most of them in black but all hosting deep cuts down the middle that expose a good portion of their chests.
I sigh and look down at my own modest attire, now understanding Alanna’s comment.
Fuck it.
This place looks like a good time.
The cool Discerni pushes us through the crowd and leans over the pub counter, flagging down the woman working behind it with a call of familiar greeting.
The Discerni woman spots Alanna and gives her a broad smile before walking towards us, her black hair falling down her back in the long, traditional curls.
She looks a bit older than Alanna but stands around the same short height, her features softer than my traveling companion’s and more inviting.
I watch her move towards us with a curious glance, thinking she actually looks a bit like Alanna. She’s warmer than the blonde Discerni, obviously, but when the two stand side-by-side, they look like they could be related.
“Back already, Alanna?” she smiles over the yelling of the room.
Alanna gives her a cool smile in return, one that I’ve come to realize is just part of her features.
“For a few days, Marybeth, then we head out again.”
The woman nods with a hint of sadness flashing behind her eyes.
“Toddy?” she asks.
“Two,” Alanna grins, tilting her head to me, “I’ve got a new human here who might actually want to have fun tonight.”
Marybeth laughs from behind the counter and gives me a warm smile, shaking her head as she juts her chin towards Alanna.
“Don’t let this one drink you under the table, honey. You’ll never hear the end of it.”
“I’ll try not to,” I smile, extending my hand, “Alexis.”
Her eyes flick to the green of my shirt, brows raising.
“Knowledge, huh? A far cry from Woodlands at least.”
“Trust me,” I look around her pub with a grin, “this is a far cry from Knowledge as well.”
Marybeth laughs and takes my hand, “well that’s good. I would expect nothing less. This round is on the house, Alexis. Welcome to Gaumond.”
“What’s a toddy?” I ask Alanna after Marybeth turns to a barrel behind her. She pours two half glasses of dark amber, the drink unlike anything I’ve seen in southern Warrior.
Alanna smirks when the woman drops the drinks on the counter.
“You’re the one who wanted to come inside, human. Don’t ask. Just drink.”
I shrug and grab the small glass, downing the liquid in full.
“Ancients, Alexis!” Alanna stares at me with wide eyes, “you weren’t supposed to down it!”
Marybeth starts laughing. “You told her to just drink, Alanna. What else did you expect?”
She turns around quickly for a mug and pours what looks to be normal ale before handing it my way.
“Here, wash it down with this.”
I gratefully accept the ale and take a big gulp to still the burning sensation in my throat.
“I think that was the first time you’ve called me Alexis,” I point to Alanna.
“Nothing special, human,” she gives me another cool smile and takes a drink of her own toddy.
“Do you come here often?”
“Sure,” she shrugs, “but what made you want to come inside?”
I look around the pub to the equal measure of Discerni and humans, remembering the two males out front with their arms slugged around each other and the drunken smiles that were plastered over their faces.
“It seemed like a good place to live,” I reply with a grin.
The coolness behind Alanna’s eyes goes colder than I ever thought possible. She takes another drink in silence, her gaze watching me in piercing assessment.
“What an interesting thing for someone of Knowledge to say...”
“Don’t read too far into it,” I shrug easily, “I try my best to experience every place I travel to.”
“And yet you choose to remain in Knowledge…”
“I’ll always remain in Knowledge,” I smile.
It’s home.
“So!” I laugh, “will I be stumbling soon after that drink? Will I find myself unable to steer Millie back to the castle?”
Alanna looks around the pub and takes another sip. “Only if you
can’t handle your drink.”
She lifts her hand in the air and flags down a Discerni with a
grin. The man saunters over with another at his side, both of them wearing black tunics without sleeves that are embellished with deep green threading.
The first Discerni’s hair is long and blonde, his pale features and angular features cold and reminding me of Troy.
The other has flawless, deep ebony skin, his black hair cropped on top of his head with his features much warmer than his counterpart.
He’s very easy on the eyes, and I find myself smiling in his direction when they greet us.
“Heizman and Barnett, meet my human companion,” Alanna smirks.
I scowl at her and extend my hand to the two, “Alexis.”
The blonde barely takes my hand in greeting, instead moving to stand next to Alanna’s side without a word. The second, however, gives me a steady squeeze and smiles in return.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had someone from another Court in here,” he says.
“Or at least someone with the bravery to flaunt it,” Alanna nods, leaning into the blonde Discerni, Heizman.
“What brings you to Gaumond?” Barnett asks, his gorgeous hazel eyes catching mine.
“She travels with the Prince...”
Heizman’s gaze flicks my way in a small interest.
“She’s his father’s pet.”
I scowl again, remembering why I find Alanna so annoying.
“Are you staying in the city for a while?” Barnett inquires, taking a drink from his toddy.
“Yes, for a few days” I smile.
“Enough time to get to know it’s pleasures, then.”
Ancients, I can’t stop staring at his hazel eyes. I extend my mug in a small and flirtatious salute, the two of us clanking our glasses together just as the room goes eerily quiet.
I glace around the pub in confusion, watching as each silent face turns towards the entrance. Prince Keane is standing in the doorway, his eyes also passing over the many faces until they land coldly on mine.
A small shiver runs up the back of my neck, my breath hitching in my chest. I hold his gaze in silent defiance and do my best to ignore how his presence commands the rest of the room, everyone in the pub still remaining silent and waiting to see what he’ll do.
“Shit,” Alanna whispers just as his eyes narrow on mine from afar, “that was faster than I expected.’
Keane takes a step through the crowd, his features dark and foreboding as the chatter slowly begins to resume.
The crowd openly parts for him and offers a direct path to Alanna and I, as if the people here saw the initial ire in the Prince’s glance and are leading him to us.
To my surprise, Cal follows behind him with Desmond bringing up the rear, the two of them glancing around with vastly different looks.
Cal, unsurprisingly, has a wide grin on his face as he takes in the ambiance of the pub, while the Master Informer, on the other hand, looks downright bored walking behind Cal, his features looking as disinterested in the room as if he were walking along a mundane dirt path.
“He’s pissed,” Alanna downs the rest of her toddy and turns her cool gaze on me.
“He does look a bit bored,” I reply, noticing that the two Discerni males we were just with are nowhere to be seen.
“Not Desmond,” Alanna rolls her eyes, “the Prince Heir.”
“What? Why would he be pissed? We were planning on heading back to the castle after anyways.”
“He probably had some grand welcome set up for your arrival,” Alanna replies, flagging down Marybeth as we move towards the counter again.
“Well that’s stupid,” I shake my head, “why would he do that?”
I feel the Prince’s gaze pierce the back of my neck as he gets closer. The King did warn me that his son might hold court, but those events don’t usually take place until the late evening.
Alanna’s gaze swivels back to mine, exasperation lining her face.
“You travel on behalf of his father, the King, Alexis. Why in the Ancients wouldn’t he?”
“Stupid…” I retort, causing Alanna to laugh out loud.
“We can finally agree on something,” she grins and turns back to Marybeth, “five toddies, Marybeth. And an ale for the big man following the Prince.”