CHAPTER XVI #8
Troy gives him a knowing smile before continuing with a shrug, “he hasn’t been around for a while. I thought perhaps he had been transferred to our brother.”
Keane’s summoning pushes hard into my chest and makes me rub a hand over my heart in discomfort.
“Rumor has it that he’s been seen traveling with your group to Pyre…”
“Rumor?” Desmond laughs, “or the man you had tailing us through Warrior?”
Troy’s cool blue eyes dart up in surprise before they’re quickly masked away with a look of indifference.
“Not tailing you, brother, but a friend. He was sent to keep an eye on her.”
I shift on my feet, hating how easily he admits to it.
“She’s returned with you then, yes?” he asks, blue eyes darting back to the oak, searching again.
“She has,” Desmond angles himself towards his brother, putting himself between Troy and the Great Oak.
Troy notices his stance and frowns, “and our brother?”
“Riding in tomorrow with the delegation from Livyatan.”
“Interesting,” he nods, “I’m surprised you didn’t wait to ride with them.”
Stormfall ruffles his feathers above me while Desmond remains silent and unreading. The two brothers stand in awkward silence as more tension fills the room, the looks coming from both of them making me shiver.
“The man you sent to keep an eye on her,” Desmond takes a small step forward, “have you heard from him recently?”
I hold back a gasp at his question, feeling Keane’s summoning push hard against my lungs.
Why would he ask that?
“What have you done, Desmond?” Troy narrows his eyes.
Desmond takes another step forward, blocking Troy’s path to the trunk, “we’ll talk about that later when our brother arrives. The three of us are long overdue for a conversation.”
Troy scowls and rubs a hand along his jaw, “I’ll be busy entertaining the delegation. You know this.”
“You’ll make the time.”
“I will,” Troy smirks, “if you tell me who you were speaking with earlier.”
“Myself,” Desmond shrugs, “as you so casually called me out on.”
Troy gives him another knowing look, “and will you be speaking to yourself often under the Great Oak while you’re here?”
“Perhaps,” Desmond nods, “or at least until my travels take me elsewhere.”
“Already planning on leaving so soon, brother?”
“To Woodlands, yes.”
Troy stops his slow progress towards the oak, eyes moving to the Master Informer in a cold glare.
“Why?”
“To see what changes you’ve made there… if any.”
I watch as Troy’s features visibly harden into a scowl.
“I wish you safe travels, then,” the Woodlands Prince nods, “and hope you find what you’re looking for.”
Troy glances over the empty branches once last time before slowly walking away. Desmond remains standing until he disappears down the hall, his hands dropping from his chest with a heavy breath when he’s certain his brother is out of the room.
“Quickly, Alexis,” he turns.
He lifts his hands and walks directly underneath me, his gaze hardening on the space between us.
“You can’t be serious,” I whisper.
Keane’s summoning in my chest vanishes at my words.
“I am,” Desmond states with urgency, “I need to get you back to your room. Close your eyes if you have to, but you need to come down. Now.”
I reach for the bag across my shoulder and grip it tight before looking down at Desmond far below me. The drop is a long one. If he doesn’t catch me…
I scoot down to another limb, inching as close as I can to the middle of the oak until I stand on the last branch. Stormfall flies down to Desmond’s side as Golem comes out from the shadows, all three of them looking up at me in expectancy.
I catch the Master Informer’s quiet eyes, his nod in response giving me his reassurance that he’s prepared to catch me. I move my feet to the edge of the limb and take a shallow breath, then step off as I close my eyes.
My heart drops all the way to my stomach.
In an instant I’m caught at the waist, Desmond’s strong hands grasping me tightly before he places my feet on the solid floor.
Ancients.
“Next time bring a rope.”
I roll my eyes with a little laugh and follow him through the roots. Golem trails softly behind us as Stormfall jumps to my shoulder, with Desmond escorting me the whole way back to my room, the irony of our walk not lost on me.
“I can’t be with you all day tomorrow, Alexis,” he says when we reach my door, “keep yourself busy until court. Take Alanna to the Palisades,” his eyes flick to another door down the hall, “spend your day with the others. But whatever you do, do not engage with Troy.”
“And the King?” I ask, “when will we speak to him?”
“After my brother arrives,” his dark eyes hold mine, “the three of us. Together.”
I wake up that next morning to the familiar coziness of my own bed.
The soft green sheets surround my body in warmth as the cool morning air drifts inside from the open balcony, my sheer tan curtains swaying with the wind.
Stormfall sits perched on the railing of that balcony, his yellow eyes staring out to the Bell Grove in the distance and looking much older than when I’ve met him.
I wash and ready for the day, choosing a simple green satin shirt with brown riding pants and boots, the full ensemble hosting gold accents that are stitched throughout.
My hair is braided and falls between my shoulders, my daggers strapped and resting under my shirt and boot.
Storm rests on my shoulder when I leave the room with Golem.
The three of us head down the hall together until I stop at the door that I think is Alanna’s. She appears immediately after I knock.
“Took you a while to come around.”
“Slept in my own bed for the first time in a while,” I shrug, “are you ready for a day in Knowledge?”
She nods without any excitement, her features remaining stoic. I roll my eyes and tilt my head to the side with a smile. “Let’s do it, then.”
“I meant to tell you… Cal mentioned last night that you should take us to Sera’s café in the Southern Park. He said you’d know where that was.”
I frown.
“What?” Alanna asks, walking beside me. She’s clad in full black, her low-cut satin shirt accentuating the small curves of her breasts. We look stark in comparison walking next to eachother, the two of us calling many of the castle’s residents to turn in hidden gazes.
“What was that face?” she asks again.
“Nothing,” I shake my head, “it’s a good idea.”
“Alexis…”
I lead her down the staircase at the end of the hall, my voice quiet, “I just didn’t realize Cal or the twins knew about Sera’s…”
Not to mention the fact that I go there every time I visit the Palisades.
“We’ve never really met up outside of our travels,” I continue, “I don’t even know where they reside.”
“That’s…” Alanna begins.
“Unbelievable?” I offer.
“I was going to say sad.”
Her words cut me harder than I care to admit.
I remain quiet and lead us out to the ground floor.
“So the four of you only engaged with eachother when you traveled?”
“For the most part. Cal and I have met up occasionally. I’ve been to a couple of his fights. Mostly we just meet in the Palisades for a drink or sometimes he’ll come down for a night at court. But I’ve only ever engaged with Holis and Mana during our travels.”
Alanna scowls at my side as we enter the receiving room, her eyes narrowing on the Great Oak that waves back to us. I stop in front of one of its roots and smirk at the little incisions my blades made in the trunk, the cuts barely visible but there if you know where to look for them.
“I always forget how massive it is.”
“Yes,” I nod, “magicked ten times larger than any normal oak.”
We walk around the roots towards the backside of the castle, our small group passing by the large room that will be used for court tonight.
Castle servants are already moving in and out at a fast speed, many of them holding white roses in their arms while others place gold decorations and greenery along the tables inside.
Everyone looks rushed and busy, and with the delegation from Livyatan expected to arrive soon, as well as all three Princes all under one roof, court tonight will surely be a grand setting.
I briefly spot the Queen as we pass by, her pale blonde hair sweeping low behind her back as she points towards the ceilings, directing a few of the helpers.
“Tonight’s court will be impressive, then?” Alanna asks, noticing the same.
“Seems like it,” I nod and lead her farther into the cave.
We walk through the darkness until Alanna stops just before the southern staircase, her gaze going wide to the mountain above.
“What is this?”
“Moving rocks,” I grin, “it’s the staircase that’ll lead us up to the Palisades. We’ll step on the first slab and wait for it to take us to the next…”
I point to the second stone jutting out higher above. “That one will take us to the next stone and so on until we reach the top.”
“It’ll take all day,” she scowls.
“No,” I laugh, “it’s a fairly quick trip up, considering. You’ll see.”
I hop onto the first step as Golem does the same, the two of us turning back around to look at Alanna.
“If you don’t get on quickly the stone will leave you behind.”
The blonde Discerni hurriedly jumps onto the rock as it cracks and rumbles below us, the stone starting its diagonal tread up the mountain a moment after. She takes a stronger stance on her feet and glances up to the next stone, her gaze narrowing in quiet thought.
“We don’t have anything like this in Warrior.”
“I don’t know,” I laugh and jump onto the next step, “I swear every time I’m in Gaumond the stairs change directions.”
“You would think that,” she smirks.
“But you are right,” I grin, “I haven’t seen anything like this in the Court of Warriors. Knowledge uses its magic a lot. You’ll see at tonight’s court and in the Palisades above. Summoning is coveted here. We enjoy it.”
“We do too,” Alanna jumps onto the next step before I can, “we just don’t feel the need to show everyone how much we enjoy it.”