CHAPTER IX #8
Two votes to one that set me on a journey for the last two years of my life.
It’s nice hearing the Prince and Princess talk about humans in their vote, truly not caring or wanting to distinguish between the two races.
Their easy choice sent me forward on Zander’s path, while Aireal’s debate did the same.
I also understand why King Voland found his vote uneasy.
The history of his Kingdom is the sole reason why humans exist in the Old World at all, and the thousands year old rule was created as a direct response to Aireal’s greed.
The rule was strictly put in place to forbid humans from re-learning what was taken from them.
But it’s the automatic vote of no from the Leviathans and Clair’s comment about them committing horrible atrocities against humans that now commands all my thoughts...
I know next to nothing about the politics of their Kingdom, and until now, had no real desire to learn anything about them, either.
They rarely ever graced Bardot with their delegations or traveled through our lands, something I suspect stopped once they learned Disce wouldn’t be going to war with them after the fateful event that took Desmond’s father.
I do know that their own lands rest far beyond our forests with the Bulwark Plains acting as a buffer between us.
I also know that their lands are made up of desert and sand, that their climate is hot but they have plenty of waters to sustain themselves.
Their Kingdom has always just been out of sight and out of mind, a place that I knew of but didn’t need to think twice about.
And even though Livyatan made up one of the Four Kingdoms of the Old World, I’ve never been curious enough to inquire more about them.
I just moved peacefully about my life, a life in which the Kingdoms held a meeting about me and dictated my next steps.
Ancients. What a damn simple life I truly have been living, ignorant to the Kingdoms and the events and politics of the Old World.
But that ignorance is aside now, and my mind is racing. My thoughts are no longer simple, especially as I wonder what kind of magical people the Leviathans are and if they really are as evil as I now envision. Committing horrible atrocities against humans? Why have I never heard of this before?
A tug in my abdomen pulls me from my thoughts, the feeling so sudden and strong that I nearly gasp in my chair. I reach for my water and take a steady drink, frowning when a strong feeling of want and need pulls at my stomach and dips between my legs.
I shift at the new yet familiar feel of Keane locating me.
It’s different this time around, a heady tug in my abdomen that makes me flush in my seat.
It’s not the feeling of curiosity that gripped my chest earlier, nor is it the amusement that rattles my bones.
This feeling is one of genuine desire that I can feel all the way down to my core, a need to pull me out of my own head as Keane locates me even though he knows exactly where I am.
He’s done it knowing that I’d feel his summoning.
I let my eyes glance to the Prince over my drink. He’s quick to catch my gaze, his brown eyes giving me a look that says he knows I have questions and that he’ll be there for me later to talk about them.
I take a steadying breath and nod in appreciation, letting him release me from his pull before he resumes his conversation with McQuoid.
“No doubt that was a lot of information to take in,” Clair smiles softly, eyes darting over my face and all the emotions I’m sure graces it.
I nod and nearly down the rest of my water, “it was.”
“But we are excited to host you, Lady Alexis, and curious to see if anything actually comes from your endeavor here. I actually enjoy our library at Red Falls. It’s steep and endless with so much to learn.
I haven’t had the pleasure of exploring all of its heights, but one day I’ll make sure that I do. ”
“Surprisingly,” I smile back at the sentiment, “even though my travels have taken me to different libraries across Disce, I also enjoy being surrounded by books.”
Just not those of deep and dark magic.
“Kindred reading souls, you and I,” she chuckles.
I smile in agreement, “and now after visiting Pyre for the first time, I wouldn’t mind reading about the history of your Kingdom. I have half a mind to start a new search on my own when I get home.”
“I can leave you with a few of my books,” Clair offers, “just so you already have them and don’t have to go looking. You can give them back the next time we see eachother.”
“Thank you,” I smile, “I would be happy to accept whatever you can give.”
Clair grins and moves her hand over mine.
“We embrace a different set of rules here, Alexis, rules that I suspect you’d quite agree with if given more time to stay within our Kingdom. If there’s anything I can do to help you with your search while you are here, please do not hesitate to ask…”
“Now,” she laughs and leans into me, blue eyes sparkling again, “let me tell you about how this brute of a man stole me away from my home and demanded that I become his Princess.”
The rest of the evening continued well. Dinner was served over more ale before the tables were cleared and the full of court made its way back to the balcony.
A small group of musicians played from the corner as we all drank and danced and socialized on the side of the mountain.
I quickly found my way back to our group after dinner and tried to enjoy the rest of the night despite the thousands of questions running through my mind.
Keane and Desmond weren’t part of that group, however.
The two brothers were passed between the different members of McQuoid’s court as custom dictated, both Princes greeting those that McQuoid deemed important and engaging in all manners of conversations.
The men of Pyre took easily to the two brothers, while all the women of the court openly flirted and batted their eyes at the two.
They were the center of everyone’s attention for the entire night…
two foreign Princes who were unwed, wealthy, smart, and easy on the eyes.
At one point I watched as a beautiful woman leaned into Keane in front of the barrels at the corner of the balcony.
I happened to be heading that way to get a drink and watched as Keane returned her gesture with a smile and dip of his head to hear whatever it was she had to say.
The act itself could have been innocent or it could have been more, but I immediately turned around and started walking in the opposite direction to expel the sight from my mind.
“That is Lady Noir speaking to your Prince,” Clair moves to my side, “she is a very ambitious young woman. Her father is one of the richest crystal traders in our Kingdom.”
I hide my grimace and snag two mugs of ale from a woman passing by with a tray.
“She’s very beautiful,” I nod, offering one to the Princess.
Clair shakes her head with sparkling eyes, “no, thank you. Normally I would be drinking with you into the night, and I hope one day we can enjoy a night like that together, but tonight I cannot.”
I glance at the water in her hand and then to her other resting softly on
her belly.
“Princess!” I exclaim softly, “are you expecting?”
Clair’s eyes light up as she gives me a secretive nod. “We haven’t announced it to the Kingdom yet, so please do not share.”
“No, of course not.”
“Though, I don’t think we’ll be waiting much longer. The round will come any day now and there’s only so many excuses I can give the court as to why I’m not drinking with them.”
“That is amazing, Princess. Congratulations!”
Clair beams in happiness, “thank you, Lady Alexis. Have you given any thought to having children of your own?”
“Here and there,” I smile, “I do love children. Their innocence is so precious. But my age and the nature of my travels for the King truly do not allow me to dwell on the thought for too long.”
“They are precious,” Clair smiles in return, “and I guess I can say that at your age I was certainly not thinking of settling down with children either. You are what, around twenty-two or twenty-three in human years?”
“Twenty-five,” I laugh, taking a sip of ale, “you must be the first person to tell me they weren’t thinking of having kids at my age. Nearly all of the girls from court that I grew up with are now married with children.”
“But not you,” she laughs softly.
“Not me,” I shake my head, “at some point I got too old to remain single as a Queen’s Lady in Wait. Shortly after that I took up my position with the King.”
“Women with souls like ours rarely ever do things in the time that’s expected,” Clair looks over my shoulder to the barrels behind me, “but I think it will come for you sooner than you think.”
“What will?”
Her gaze moves back to mine as she caresses her belly. “Love.”
I flush over my ale.
“I’ve thought it over tonight,” Clair continues in thought, “and I’ve decided that I’d like to show you around the library tomorrow morning and give you a general tour before leaving you on your way.”
“I would very much appreciate that,” I nod gratefully, “I spend too much time navigating the layout of the libraries when I could use that time searching. Your tour will help greatly.”
“Especially since you only have three days in its depths,” Clair grimaces.
I choke on my ale.
“I’m sorry, what?”
Her brows furrow on me in confusion, but then they soften as she comes to an understanding of her own.
“Three days and two nights. That’s all the time we’re allowed to give you in the library.”
Three days? I scoff. That’s…
“That’ll be impossible...” I whisper.
Keane described the library here as a great expanse that sat within the mountain. There’s no way three days is enough for my search. It’s not even enough time to properly look through Disce’s smaller libraries.
I shake my head in disbelief, “but why?”