CHAPTER XI #5
“Not much that I don’t already know. There was an old book that had his depiction, and I’m fairly certain he’s the Ancient Hirovale’s creature of the night. The text described his likeness perfectly. It also affirmed that the Bird of Ash used to assist the Ancient in claiming souls.”
“If he chooses,” Holis adds, looking at me from across the table, “your babe will be able to turn anything to ash with his touch.”
“What?” I look to him in astonishment, then back at the beast with wide eyes.
“It is one of his gifts,” the Discerni twin gives me a small smile, “and now he is the Ancient’s gift to you.”
“To King Zander, then,” I shake my head, “not a gift to me. I came across him on behalf of the book I searched for the King.”
“No,” Mana’s silent voice adds, his blue-green gaze watching me steadily as well, “the bird appeared to you, Alexis. He is yours, just as you are now his.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will in time,” the quiet twin gives me another rare smile, “he will serve you exceptionally.”
“But I have no need for his service,” I look around the table with a frown, “what am I going to do with a magical bird?”
The baby beast nips at my arm, his yellow eyes sad and solemn as the room goes quiet.
“We’ll take you back to Bardot,” I tell the Bird of Ash, “you belong to the King.”
“I don’t think anyone at this table believes that, Alex,” Cal says after a small pause, “not even yourself.”
I frown at my friend before looking back at the magical beast in confusion.
What am I to do with a Bird of Ash?
The Bird of Ash.
Why would I want him? And why did Holis say that he was the Ancient’s gift to me?
None of this seems right.
Hirovale, the Ancient of Death and Exploration, has been asleep for thousands of years. How could he possibly send me something?
No.
He’s not mine.
Better to lend his magical abilities to someone who can actually harness them. Someone not like me, not human...
Dinner plates start falling on the table in front of us, pulling me from my thoughts. The Bird of Ash walks towards a glass of water now on the table, his body not tall enough to reach inside.
“You’ll need to name him,” Morose says as I tip the glass, “or have you already?”
“I haven’t,” I shake my head as the bird drinks heavily, “did the Ancient Hirovale have a name for him?”
“Nothing that I can find,” she grimaces, “any text on his creature is rare. I will have Clair write to you with anything else that comes up.”
“Thank you,” I nod, picking up my knife to cut small chunks out of the raw meat that’s been provided. I place a few pieces on the table and watch as the Bird of Ash leans down to smell the food. He promptly picks it up with his beak and swallows the piece whole.
“What of the book you searched for?” Prince McQuoid asks, watching the two of us in quiet curiosity. I sigh and push my own plate aside, unable to avoid the question any longer.
“I found it,” I reply softly.
The room stirs. The Prince and Princess shift in their seats, as do Holis and Mana and Morose.
The only ones who remain still with me are Keane, Desmond and Cal, though the Master Informer seems intent to keep his narrowed eyes on the twins.
I turn around to look at Golem and watch as he gives me a nod.
The silent gesture urges me to continue, so I take a deep drink of ale and think of those soft black feathers that covered the book, feathers that are not unlike the bird who stands before me now.
“The book was…”
How do I explain this? How do I tell them that the book was alive? Do I even tell them that it looked like it was breathing? Do I tell them that it was warm to the touch and openly inviting, only to break my heart with blank pages before it burned itself whole?
“The book was its own being,” I settle on and take another hefty drink.
“You had no book on you when we found you though, Alex,” Cal replies, passing me his half full mug.
A small twinge of guilt hits my stomach again as I turn to look at Keane. He gives me a small nod that urges me to the truth just as Golem’s did.
“Because the book turned to ash in my hands,” I tell the table softly, handing the bird another piece of meat with trembling fingers, “when I first found it, it was warm to my touch in the freezing room, but after a while, it began to fade into itself, as if the corners were lit from a fire that wasn’t there.
The ash fell into my palms from the invisible burn. ”
“You need to eat, too,” Cal murmurs, pushing my dinner plate closer.
“Were you able to discern what the book was about before that happened?” Princess Clair asks, “perhaps a title or any text within?”
I drop my fork on the plate without taking a bite, truly hoping that no one would ask this question. Leave it to Clair and her cunning flames.
“The book was blank,” I whisper.
“Blank?” Princess Clair blanches, visibly astonished, “are you certain?”
“I am,” I nod in disappointment, “there was no title. No text at all. Not until the very last page...”
“So there was something?” Prince McQuoid asks, staring at me thoughtfully.
“Yes,” I affirm and then shake my head, “and no. It had to have been a jest.”
Holis reaches across the table with a basket of rolls, the gesture also reminding me to eat. I give him a small smile and grab one to placate my nervous stomach, watching as the Prince shifts in his seat.
“Why a jest, Lady Alexis?” McQuoid prompts.
I glance at the beast in front of me, recognizing again the similarities between him and the book. I reach out a hand to his chest and smile in slight disbelief, turning to reply to the Prince.
“Because the book was alive, Your Highness. When I first noticed it in the shelf it had shed the frost from its cover, as if wanting me to find it.”
I turn back and stare at the bird in front of me, “it breathed with life.”
“Unnatural,” Morose shakes her head from across the table.
“Completely unnatural,” I nod earnestly, “a jest, surely. At multiple points during my time in that room I thought I was hallucinating. I was thoroughly exhausted and wondering if what I saw was even right in my mind. But I knew without opening the book that it was what I was searching for. I knew it in my core. So when I saw that the pages were blank inside, I broke down, thinking it was a cruel joke.”
“You didn’t want to return home with an empty book,” Clair nods kindly.
“No,” I whisper.
“Did you have time to read the text on that last page?” McQuoid asks, “do you remember any of it?”
“I do,” I nod, still watching the beast as he watches me, “I remember it all.”
The room goes eerily quiet again.
I sigh and hold out my hand to the bird, watching as he looks at me knowingly. He steps on my finger before I deposit him back on my shoulder, my stomach churning at the words I’m about to say.
“I believe the words will be shared with you both at some time in the upcoming days or months,” I nod to the royals, “but with respect to my King, I cannot disclose them now. Not without first discussing them with him.”
Keane shifts in his seat, as does Desmond, but I give the Prince of Pyre a sincere smile, hoping that he sees the seriousness in my eyes along with the apology.
Princess Clair places her hand on her husband’s arm, not at all bothered as she gives me a smile.
“Of course we understand the sentiment, Alexis,” she nods before looking at Keane and Desmond, “and we look forward to speaking with you all when that time does come.”
Both brothers bow their heads to the Princess while the beast nestles closer against my neck. I lean into him for comfort as a new thought forms in my head.
“Will I need to hide him?” I ask the table collectively.
Both Holis and Mana shake their heads almost immediately. Desmond frowns from his seat as Keane watches me with his intense brown gaze, not having said a word since we arrived in this room. Morose is the first to reply.
“That is an Old World being, dear. There will be no hiding him from the Kingdoms. You can try your best,” she looks towards Keane and Desmond, “but all of us magical folk sitting around this table already feel his power. I suspect it will only be a matter of time before the rest of the Old World feels it, too.”
“If he truly is the father of firehawks,” Clair adds, “then he will probably grow to be twice or triple their size. There will be no hiding him under your hair when that time comes.”
“I suggest we keep him hidden across the Bulwark, brother,” Desmond looks at Keane, “and reassess when we cross into our forests.”
“I agree,” Keane nods.
“When will you depart?” Clair asks.
“Tomorrow morning,” Keane replies, “there are many conversations that need to happen at home.”
“Naturally,” she nods in agreement.
“Is there anything else we should know?” Prince McQuoid turns back to me.
I take another drink of ale and think over the last few days in the library, glancing to Morose and then back at Golem before shaking my head.
“No. Other than extending my genuine gratitude to you and your wife and your grandmother for the hospitality you’ve provided over the past few days. You all have been very welcoming. It’s meant more to me than you will ever know. ”
“You are worth it and more, Lady Alexis,” Princess Clair smiles, “it has been our pleasure getting to know you and we look forward to what your future will bring.”