CHAPTER VI #5
“You can drop the blade, Alexis,” his strong voice reaches the oak.
I nearly do drop it in surprise.
Ancients. He’s here?
Another crunch on the ground and my head turns towards the sound.
Prince Keane is stepping over a twisted root, his hands holding his own set of reins and guiding his large black steed behind him.
He’s changed from tonight’s court into a loose black long sleeve shirt and black riding pants, the deep brown boots I heard not moments before moving over the ground below him.
To my surprise, his horse has several large traveling packs on its side as well, the steed as ready as Millie for the road ahead.
“I’m going to tether Ash next to Millie and then walk to you,” he announces with a hint of amusement, “please don’t throw that dagger at me.”
I can feel the smugness on his lips and watch silently as he leads his horse, Ash, through the roots towards Millie.
“I’m unsure if you’re able to summon it,” I glance at his dark figure, “Golem did it for me earlier… but I have a lantern for moonslight over here.”
Keane flicks his hand to the side without looking at me or the lantern, the bottled moonslight instantly filling the space around me. I stare awestruck at the magic and then turn back to the Prince, watching as he ties Ash’s reins along the same root as Millie.
“How did you know I was here?” I ask him curiously.
He reaches up to unsaddle his horse.
“Since the first night you spent in the Court of Warriors, I have always known where you are.”
“No,” I shake my head hard, arms folding over my chest, “no. You don’t get to answer my question so vaguely like that.”
Keane gives a small laugh and turns to me with his bedroll in hand. “And you do, Alexis?”
I frown and watch him move out of the shadows beyond, the moonslight dancing across his figure with every step he takes.
Ancients, he’s perfect.
The Prince truly does belong here, under this oak. Both him and the tree are almost too unreal in their beauty, like a dark enticement that’s meant to draw only the strongest in.
Keane looks back at me with the standard indifference of a Discerni, a look that only graces his face in serious moments.
His brown eyes are watching mine without a hint of playfulness behind them, the whole of his presence causing me to outright shiver under his gaze.
I quickly look away from that coolness and glance down at the roots at my feet, hoping they don’t feed off whatever intensity he’s feeling right now and try to grab me again.
“They won’t touch you,” he states simply, continuing with his walk.
“Can you summon thoughts like your father?” I frown.
Keane lifts a brow at the question.
“It surprises me that he would share that information with you, but no, I cannot summon your thoughts. Your eyes just give you away.”
He’s standing just a little out of arm’s length from me now, his broad chest and shoulders hovering before mine.
“You don’t need to point the dagger at me, Alexis.”
I had forgotten I was even holding it.
Keane takes a strong step forward and walks past my side, letting his shoulder brush against mine before he begins airing out his bedroll a few feet away from my own.
“You can’t be serious,” I scoff, leaning down to sheath the blade back in my boot.
“Oh, I’m deathly serious,” he nods.
“What about your court?”
“Desmond is managing the night just fine without me.”
He leans down to the bedroll below him and sits on top, then settles his back against the large trunk. He hoists a knee to his body and lets an arm rest on top, the full of him perfecting a look of cool casualness.
“I planned on staying the night and into the morning,” I cross my arms at the sight of him sitting so close to my bedroll, “until our group departs.”
“I know,” he nods, “I’ve prepared for it.”
“There it is again,” I huff at his vagueness, “how do you know?”
“I’ll tell you what, Alexis,” he reaches to the side and pulls out a small flask, “I’ll tell you something you want to know in exchange for something I want to know.”
My eyes narrow on the Prince as he leans forward and offers me the drink. I know the game he wants to play…
“Or I could just go back to sleep,” I reply with an uninterested shrug.
“You try sleeping next to me and see how well that works out for you,” he nods.
Blessed Ancients.
I shift on my feet and ignore the way my body flushes at the words. Sleep probably won’t greet me tonight, not with him laying so close to me, but I can capitalize on the game he’s offering and get some answers, even if they come at the expense of indulging my own…
I take a hesitant step towards the Prince and slowly grab the offered flask from his hand. He eyes me in approval, watching as I unscrew the top and sniff at what’s inside.
“Whiskey?”
My lips part in a genuine smile, betraying my previous hesitation. Keane gives me a knowing look and nods his head, eyes watching me intently as I bring the drink to my lips and take a hefty swig.
“Okay,” I reply softly.
“Okay?” he repeats, wanting me to confirm his words.
“Yes,” I run a hand through my hair and bring the strands to my front, “let’s trade secrets, Your Highness.”
Keane’s eyes move sharply over mine, his face thoughtful before he extends his hand for the drink.
“How did you know I was here?” I ask squarely, watching as he takes a sip, “how did you know about my eventful day today?”
Keane shifts against the tree and lets his head fall to the trunk in a relaxed pose.
“A part of my summoning allows me to locate people.”
“Too vague,” I shake my head, setting the tone, “let’s keep this real, Your Highness.”
“Then I expect the same from you, Lady Alexis,” he watches me for a small moment, “I don’t want to hear any more of your pretty lies.”
“You have my word,” I nod, “now, how are you locating me?”
The Prince takes another small sip, “so long as your feet are planted on the earth below you and I can envision your likeness in my mind, I can locate you through my summoning. It’s how I knew you and Alanna were at Mary’s Tavern on the first night.
How I knew about every stop you made in Gaumond today. ”
Dear fucking Ancients.
Him and his family are fucking intrusive.
His father reading my thoughts, brother feeling my emotions, and him, damn him, able to follow me no matter where I go. My quiet laugh is one in disbelief as I look up to the Shadow Oak and shake my head at the lot of them.
This has to be a joke.
“What are you thinking?” Keane asks from his seat.
I glance back down at him with a grimace.
“I’m thinking that you and your family have no sense of personal boundaries…”
I shake my head at the audacity of them all and extend my hand for the drink, “but, you answered truthfully. I may not like the answer, but I appreciate the honesty.”
The Prince slowly hands the flask back to me, his brown eyes finding mine as he takes his turn.
“What exactly do you do for my father?”
While I expected this to be his first question, I’m still a bit disappointed that it is.
I eye the whiskey, replying straight, “I’m searching for something on his behalf. Something that he’s deemed important but hasn’t yet told me why. If I find it, I am to bring it back to his possession.”
“And you’ve been traveling our Kingdom for it?”
“Until now,” I nod, “two years ago your father approached me with the request. Our group has been traveling within Knowledge for the better half of over a year, just recently moving into your lands in the past half year. Pyre changes that. This will be the first time we’ve ever left Disce.”
Keane watches me silently, his brown eyes darting across my face in thought. I reach down and hand the drink back to him as his fingers brush against mine, the simple movement making my heart skip a single beat.
“Your summoning allowed you to see where I was tonight, where I was today…”
I glance at the bottle touching his lips and ask carefully, “did you know where I left to last night after court?”
“I didn’t have to use my summoning to know where you went off to, Alexis,” he replies bluntly, “or what for.”
A weird, unnamed emotion tugs at my stomach. I take a deep breath and will it away, remaining quiet as Keane extends his hand again and passes me the whiskey.
“You and Cal?” he asks.
My smile in response is genuine as I take a good swig.
“Never like that. We’re just friends. Good friends. A recognition and appreciation of the company of the other.”
Keane shifts his back against the tree again, his presence quiet as he continues to watch me.
I watch him in return, my mind wondering if I should do what I want to do right now.
I decide to take the flirtatious leap and step forward, offering him the flask.
I settle my boot next to his leg and place my fingers timidly on his knee, pushing it straight down as I ease myself onto the ground in front of him.
The air around us stills when I purposely sit between the spread of his legs with my toes nearly reaching the inside of his thighs.
“Trouble,” he murmurs softly, lips curving into a small smirk.
I give him a knowing grin and nod in agreement, shifting my feet slightly so that the edge of my boots actually do brush against the inside of his thighs.
Keane reaches out quickly and grasps them in response, holding the tops of my toes in a tight embrace just as I lean back comfortably on my hands.
“What made you leave Knowledge?” I ask curiously.
The Prince takes a deep breath and considers his answer, opening his mouth and then closing it again before opting to take a swig from the whiskey.
“Do you remember Lord Daniel asking you about the human and Discerni relationships at your Court tonight?” he finally asks in return.
“Yes,” I nod.