CHAPTER VI #6
“Well I was over the stiffness of it all, over the etiquette that comes between the Discerni and humans, Lords and Ladies, high born and common. Warrior was the escape from that, my way of creating a community to the standards I wanted to see. I’ve spent the majority of my time here easing those relations and offering a different way of living for every being, magical or not. ”
Ancients.
I shift in my seat and flush fiercely at his words, genuinely taken aback when they send a small tug between my legs. Keane’s brown gaze watches me intently, his eyes telling me that he wants to say more.
“Why do I get the feeling that there’s more to your answer?”
“There is.”
“And?”
He squeezes the tops of my toes through my boots, still watching me closely, “and I’ve just always had a feeling that something was wrong with the current situation of the Kingdom, between how it treats those with magical abilities and those without.”
I’m slightly confused now, “but Disce has a high population of humans in our Kingdom, and your father welcomes us all with open arms. I have thrived here, as have countless others…”
Keane’s smile is soft, the gesture not quite reaching his eyes.
“If all the cities and lands of Disce could mimic those of Warrior, then I would rest easy. But you have not traveled to Woodlands, Alexis,” he glances at me with a new seriousness, “because if you had, you’d know that they have a stark separation between their two people.
If you had, you would not so easily hold the same sentiment you just gave me now… ”
“Stark separation?” I repeat in more confusion, completely dumbfounded. What in the Ancients does Keane think he’s alluding to? I’ve met a handful of humans and Discerni from Woodlands. Not to mention I’ve engaged with his brother. There was no separation then.
I shake my head at the Prince, “you’re wrong.”
He passes me the whiskey with a grimace.
“I wish I was. But your travels have not taken you into Woodlands Court yet, Alexis, and I can’t help but think that my father has done that for a reason.”
I lean forward and grab the drink with a small frown. “What exactly do you mean when you say separation?”
Keane runs his hands down my boots, his fingers dipping to my calves as he gives them a hard squeeze. The touch is meant to calm the tension from my body, but I find myself pulling away from that feeling of comfort and focusing back on him.
“What do you mean by separation, Keane?”
The Prince’s eyes widen for the briefest of moments before he gives me a small smile. I realize, then, that this is the first time I’ve used his given name, and the look in his eyes tells me he’s noticed it as well.
“It’s not exactly a secret, Alexis,” he shakes his head, brown eyes returning to their seriousness, “or perhaps it is. Anyone can take a ride into Woodlands and see for themselves. But it’s also not a situation for me to just talk about.
The Court needs to be experienced to actually understand the full extent of what is happening.
Just know that Loughty is a nice ride in the park compared to what humans experience in Woodlands. ”
My eyes widen in disbelief, truly not believing a single word that leaves his mouth.
“Your father…” I shake my head.
His father wouldn’t let something like that exist.
Keane gives me a tight smile, his eyes soft as he watches my reaction, “my father does his best with the Court politics that are handed to him, but does not have complete sway over Woodlands. So long as the humans are not physically harmed in those lands, there is nothing more for him to do.”
I sit completely silent, trying to process everything he’s saying.
“Why do you think there is such a large human population in Bardot and the Palisades?” he continues, “ in Loughty? Even Brierman and Agnor...”
My thoughts drift to Troy again with a frown.
I’m unable to reconcile him with the Court his brother is alluding to.
None of this is making sense, but I also know that Keane wouldn’t make something like this up on a whim.
If there’s even a sliver of truth to his words, then I need to go to Woodlands for myself and see.
“I’ll make the travel after Pyre,” I state simply, more to myself than to Keane.
“I will accompany you,” he replies steadily, hands still gripping my calves.
I appreciate the offer but remain silent for a long a while, falling into my thoughts as Keane continues to massage my legs.
I start to envision maps of Woodlands in my mind, already planning my travel through every one of its cities.
His sister lives in that Court, in the temple city of Alston, I believe. Perhaps I could call on her and-
“What can I expect from you and your crew once we arrive in Red Falls?” Keane breaks the silence between us.
I sigh and take another small sip of the whiskey, then stare down at my lap as I think of all the times my three men have walked me to the foot of a different library.
“At some point early in the trip,” I glance up and meet Keane’s gaze, “I’ll be escorted to the city’s library, it’s mystical library. You’ll watch me walk in and not return until my search is complete. Sometimes that can last fortnights, while other instances have only lasted days.”
Keane’s eyes narrow on mine, his hands grasping my calves fiercely.
“You’re allowed into the library?”
“Yes,” I nod quietly.
“And you search through the books on behalf of my father? Books filled with the art of the mystics?”
I nod again, watching his features close off.
“And you’ve done that for the past two years? On my lands, in the cities of Dardar and Varon and Dalloway?”
“Yes.”
The Prince goes absolutely silent. I try to move my legs away from his grasp but he keeps a firm grip, holding me in place.
“Are you upset?” I ask quietly.
“Yes,” he lets his sharp eyes land on mine as I hold my breath, “I’m upset that it was done in secret, that it is still being done in secret. I have no problem letting you enter our libraries if my father had only asked.”
“But the Old World rule?”
“Could care less about it,” he scowls, “what I do care about and what has me upset is that that these travels were never brought to my attention. I’m also angered at my brother and his general lack of prying, now wondering if he knew about your travels and kept them hidden from me.”
I shake my head, “I don’t believe your brother knows. It is my understanding that only Cal, Holis, Mana and I are aware of the arrangement with your father, and even the three of them don’t know exactly what I do within the library halls…”
I glance at Keane softly, “but also, why would you expect Desmond to pry? In cities filled with thousands, why would it be commonplace to keep tabs on the libraries there?”
“It will be now,” he looks back at me with more seriousness.
“We don’t hide our travels, Keane,” I shake my head again, “but we also don’t flaunt them. We’re just travelers passing through like any other. The only ones in the city that know we are there on behalf of the King are the four of us and whatever Discerni greets me to take me inside.”
“Brave,” he replies, brown eyes holding mine.
I shift at the comment.
“I know what the mystical libraries of our Old World contain, Alexis…”
I bite my lip and look to the side, not wanting to think about it.
“And now you’ll be traveling into foreign lands, to a city you’ve never visited before, only to be shuffled into another foreign library alone…”
I nod slowly, the anticipation of my trip not lost on me.
“Brave, Alexis.”
I don’t know how to respond. I certainly feel brave every time I leave the group behind me and walk into the unknown halls, but not so much when I feel the glares of the Discerni librarians as they’re forced to help a human girl with the books they covet so deeply.
I also don’t feel brave when the darkness from the depths and the texts start to consume me. Some of the stuff I’ve read…
I shake my head with a grimace.
“Why the Shadow Oak?” the Prince asks quietly, pulling me away from my clouded thoughts. I look back to see him glancing up to the dark limbs as he takes in the oak.
“What do you mean?” I pass the flask in his direction.
Keane sighs, grabbing the whiskey to take a small swig before he lays it next to him. He lets his hands drift back to my calves and traces small circles against the leather of my boots.
“Most people tend to avoid this oak...”
“They’re idiots, then,” I frown.
The Prince just keeps his eyes on the branches above us, watching as a small black leaf falls gently through the air. My own sigh is small as I offer him a better answer.
“I saw the oak waving to me from afar yesterday. I had no idea what it was that I saw, only that I knew that I had to greet it in return. So when I passed through the woods and saw its mass standing in front of me, greeting me in its darkness yet still so warm… there was nothing, Keane, no gesture or smile or sway in my body that could properly greet it back. I felt ashamed at first, recognizing its beauty and being unable to respond with the appropriate respect it deserved. I think I even started crying at the sight of it. But the oak just continued to stand over me, it’s branches welcoming me into its dark embrace.
It reminded me so much of the oak I love back home, though it wasn’t quite the same at all… ”
I take a deep breath and slowly lay my back on the ground, crossing my arms behind my head as I look up in thought.
“This tree was much more daunting than the one from home, daring me take it all in. And while it served as a good reminder, it never let me forget that it was nothing close to the one at home at all…”
“It cut me,” I smile at the memory of the leaf falling into my palm, “and all I could do was laugh in astonishment at the audacity of it. So much beauty in one creation, yet still so intimidating and formidable in its own right…”