CHAPTER VI #3
“Him and Heizman and a few others were called to the Black Forest,” Alanna continues, “there’s a feral wolf roaming north of the castle. They’re hunting it now.”
“I hope they return safe,” is all I reply.
“You did pick one of the nicest of the bunch, though,” she goes on, tone dripping in amusement, “and that choice surprises me, human. Of all the men here at Warrior, you go and-”
“-Will you continue traveling with us to Pyre?” I interrupt with a scowl.
Alanna laughs and passes me a full toddy, “I will.”
I nod and take a drink of the amber liquid, thinking on her answer. While Alanna still hasn’t grown on me, I am grateful to know that her familiar face will be on the road, especially in foreign lands.
“Have you ever been to Pyre?”
“Once,” she nods, “to Red Falls, actually. The Princes engage in the crystal trading there. It was a few years back but I don’t think the city has changed since.”
I want to ask her of the library but take another sip of toddy instead.
“How cold was it?”
“Cold,” she frowns, “damn cold. Though when we traveled it was in the thick of winter. Hopefully the spring has started to thaw out the snow.”
“And the people there?” I ask, “is it true about their fire?”
Alanna rolls her eyes, “it’s the element of their Kingdom, human. Of course they can summon fire. Honestly, I’m really starting to wonder what kind of education you received in a Court that values Knowledge above all else.”
“That’s not what I-”
“-Let’s go get another drink,” she cuts off, eyes darting from the half-drunken toddy in my hand to the crowd in the middle of the room, “we’ll both need another soon.”
Alanna starts walking towards the barrels before noticing that I haven’t moved to follow her. She slowly turns around and levels me with a glare, her cool grey eyes holding mine.
“You’re not one to back down from something new, Alexis,” she lifts a brow.
The calm use of my name in lieu of the word human begs me to move forward.
“True,” I stare back at her, “though I have no idea what to expect once I’m over there.”
I’ve been avoiding the hub all night.
“It’ll be whatever you want it to be,” she shrugs casually, “it can be everything you want or it can be nothing at all.”
I glance at the barrels and settees and to the full crowd surrounding them.
“If it helps,” she continues, “I’ll remain with you.”
I hold Alanna’s gaze hard, hoping that she keeps her word. She gives me a small nod in recognition and turns back to the barrels, smiling when I finally follow behind her.
The crowd surrounding the barrels is immense, with everyone either dancing, laughing or engaging in conversation with everyone else.
Sure, there’s a lot of bodies grinding on others and hands that are hidden below waists, but the atmosphere is so lively that I find myself letting go of my previous hesitancy and enjoying the full of it.
Alanna and I stop at different intervals to chat with people she knows, many of them the same faces I recognize from last night.
Two of those people I commit to memory, as their story is extremely interesting, a brother and sister Discerni duo who are immensely wealthy and regarded highly in the Court of Warriors.
They own a large amount of black granite quarries in the Green Valley, their wealth new and only discovered in the past decade using their summoning.
The two tell me about the first time they found a quarry, about how the stone called out to them from deep beneath the earth.
They decided to capitalize on that feeling and quickly found a group of twenty men to start digging into the ground, the other Discerni in the area calling them foolish as no others could feel the black stone like they could.
It wasn’t until the Prince caught wind of their attempt that he sent Lord Daniel and a group of twenty men to move the rock that was hiding the granite beneath it.
Thus came the first quarry within the Green Valley, with three more following after that.
All four fueled Gaumond’s economy with untapped resources while the brother and sister found their strength in manipulating the heavy stone.
They tell me how they’ve now moved on to designing a few of the more modern structures here at Gaumond, shaping the black granite buildings within the city higher than ever before.
I think, perhaps, they might be the creators of the Shadow Oak, but don’t get the chance to ask as Alanna excuses us and drags me to towards the barrels.
I let her lead me through the crowd and try to keep my gaze fixated on her and the drink ahead, most in part because I don’t want to be caught looking at the Prince.
He’s sitting casually on the same settee as last night and laughing with a Discerni woman with long black hair, the two of them engaged in whatever they’re chatting about even though I can feel him glancing my way.
His whole demeanor is seemingly relaxed, holding a glass of toddy and leaning into the cushions with an arm flanking the back.
He laughs at something the woman says right as I avert my eyes and follow Alanna, the two of us walking past him to finally reach the barrels.
I take a deep breath when my back angles to the Prince and immediately feel his eyes raking down my skin. My full body flushes under that heated glance just as a smaller, more sound part of my mind quickly questions why I can feel it at all.
It’s uncanny.
“The first of Knowledge to grace our presence at the barrels,” the Prince announces from behind.
The crowd whoops and begins saluting their drinks at me, everyone grinning as I slowly turn around to greet Keane.
“I think this calls for a tilt,” he tells the raucous crowd.
Everyone cheers in agreement as he boldly leaves the woman behind and starts walking in my direction. His smile is sly, and I can tell that whatever this tilt is, he’s been waiting to spring it on me all night.
I quickly turn to Alanna in betrayal.
“We had to break you in eventually,” she laughs, shrugging her shoulder.
Ancients, I wish I could smack her right now.
My mind races to last night, vaguely remembering watching the people surrounding the barrels all chanting tilt into the crowd. I think the drinking game requires a full mug of ale and has two people downing the drink to see who can finish first, which isn’t too bad, but still…
I look around for the comforting presence of Cal, frowning when I’m unable to find him.
The Prince continues his strong walk in my direction that commands his court to circle around us.
He grins and takes a freshly poured mug of ale that someone offers and hands it to me, his brown eyes alighting in mischief.
“Pick your opponent, Lady Alexis,” he smiles.
I know exactly who I want and don’t care if she hands me my ass for it.
“Alanna,” I reply without hesitation, turning to look into her cool grey eyes.
“I grew up in a tavern, human,” she scoffs, “are you sure you want to challenge me?”
“Oh yes,” I chuckle in admittance, “since the near moment I’ve met you.”
Alanna rolls her eyes but gives me a genuine smile at the honesty, letting someone hand her a full mug before she moves to my front.
Keane stands between the two of us with his eyes darting back and forth in heavy approval, the sound of clanging cinerin passing around as the crowd continues to watch.
“Throw your mug on the floor when you’re done with the ale,” he announces, more for my benefit than Alanna’s. The cool Discerni just glances at me with a smirk on her face, almost as if she feels bad.
I smile sweetly in return.
“You’ll start drinking on the count of three,” Keane continues.
I steady my grip on the handle of the mug.
“One…” he begins the countdown.
“Two…”
I give Alanna’s smirk another look over, letting it fuel me.
“Three!”
I bring the mug to my lips and tilt my head back, letting my eyes land on the Prince.
He lifts his brows in surprise and holds my gaze with a small grin, watching as I let the ale fall down my throat in a warming embrace.
Everyone in the crowd begins yelling, their cheers urging us to drink faster as even more coin is passed around.
I tilt my mug higher and drink for all I’m worth, Keane’s eyes never leaving mine until he watches my hand cut down smoothly, throwing the mug onto the ground below.
“MY GIRL!” a booming voice yells from the crowd.
I feel Cal’s arms wrap tightly around my waist before he lifts me up in cheer.
“Please tell me you bet on me, Cal!” I laugh as he drops me back to the ground.
“Always, Alex,” my friend nods with sparkling eyes.
“Then don’t ever ask me to remind you why we’re friends again,” I chuckle.
“Never again,” he laughs as well, the two of us looking at eachother with foolish grins.
“You have Warrior in your heart, human,” Alanna approaches with a smile.
“I don’t think it’s Warrior, Alanna,” I laugh at the blonde Discerni, “just a small desire to take exact some revenge. You knew this would happen when you brought me here, didn’t you?”
She shrugs, “perhaps.”
“I’m glad I beat you, then,” I tell her honestly.
Alanna gives a cool laugh and walks back to the barrels, pouring another round before losing herself to the crowd.
“For the record,” Keane moves in next to me, “revenge is Warrior. You have a lot more of our attributes than you choose to acknowledge, Lady Alexis.”
My heart beats against my chest as I look up at him. The angular plains of his face are looking at me so strikingly, every feature matching the heavy intensity behind his eyes.
“Is that so?” I hold his gaze, “and what other attributes are those?”
A small smirk touches his lips as he leans in to whisper, “you have a strong desire to live, Alexis.”
I quickly pull away with a frown.
“If you think the idea of living is engaging in a drinking game born out of revenge, than I have thoroughly overestimated you, Your Highness.”
“That’s not what-”