CHAPTER XVIII #6
I shift slightly on my feet at the sentiment, watching as Cal gives the King a broad grin in confirmation before bowing deeply.
Holis also grins to his King and nods at the comment, his brother doing the same with just the hint of a smile.
My eyes immediately dart to Keane who is still standing at the far end of the room, trying to catch his gaze but frowning at the way he’s watching the Knowledge men in their greeting to his father.
His brown eyes are narrowed with a hard, thoughtful look behind them, and in the moment I’m not sure what to make of it.
I glance away from Keane with a pounding heart as Zander continues his slow path around the table.
The King watches me carefully, thoughtfully…
the silence in the room growing almost unbearable as everything turns heavy and tense.
I stare back into his kind blue eyes, eyes that have remained the same since our last meeting, and take in the gentle gaze that wants to bring me back to friendly familiarity.
But everything, and I mean everything, from the past weeks’ travel begins to build in my mind as I look into that gaze.
My thoughts are quick to remind me that he is the sole reason why we are here this morning and sitting around this table, that he is the reason why so much has happened in the past month.
He’s lied to me and set me on a path without proper consent, and he’s the reason why so much confusion and anger have rocked not just me but the people around me that I care about.
So though his gaze looks just as I remember, I can’t help but scowl at King of Disce in return.
My body anxiously angles towards him, the emotions of hurt and confusion etched into my features as he takes a step my way. It’s completely improper for me to be looking at him like this, but I genuinely cannot stop the anger bursting forward from all the secrets he’s kept.
“Alexis…”
Zander says my name softly as a deep sadness forms behind his eyes.
I falter in my furious gaze and stare back at the kindness that looks so genuine in its apology, his glance forcing me to take a deep breath and push my heavy thoughts away.
I take a few moments to myself and remember who this man is to me and what he’s provided since taking me in.
I would be an orphan if not for His Grace, and the King has never once been anything but a kind and friendly figure to me since arriving in Bardot.
Of course I forgive you.
Zander smiles at my thought and releases a small breath.
He gives me a strong nod and then narrows his eyes in hopeful conversation, the look he sends telling me that he had his reasons for withholding information but he does not plan to any longer.
I nod to my King and bring my finger up to Storm’s beak, stroking it harder this time as Zander looks on with a curious glance.
“This is Stormfall,” I smile as Storm’s talons grip me softly, eyes still closed.
You need to wake up, I tell Storm, testing my suspicion.
Stormfall grabs my shoulder in annoyance before he takes a deep breath, ruffling his wings against his body before his chest puffs up proudly. He opens his yellow eyes and glances first in my direction, the look he gives me telling me he’s not happy with this morning interruption.
“It’s time for you to meet the King, Storm,” I tell him sternly.
Stormfall glares at me quietly, his beak opening in a yawn as he tucks his head back into his body like he’s going to go back to sleep.
I shrug my shoulder with a scowl, thinking of all the moments his Ancient has interrupted me in untimely manners, and scratch the top of his head in heavy defiance.
The Bird of Ash grips my shoulder in irritation again.
“Sucks, doesn’t it?” I nod, “tell him how annoying the intrusions are for me, will you? Now you know what it feels like.”
Stormfall narrows his yellow beady eyes on me in response. I
laugh at him before turning back to King Zander, watching as Storm does the same from my shoulder.
But the King isn’t looking at the Bird of Ash and is instead observing me with deep curiosity.
I turn to the table behind me and notice that all of the men are watching the two of us interact, each of them quiet and unmoving with a slight look of astonishment on their faces.
Keane walks back to the main table with six empty glasses in his hands, seemingly unphased by mine and Stormfall’s relationship. He gives me an amused smirk and stops at his chair, that dark smile making me flush as I remember our time last night before Hirovale and Storm joined.
Fuck.
Remove it from your thoughts.
Keane places the glasses in the middle of the table and reaches over to grab the decanter of whiskey.
He pours a single glass and then pushes the drink to me from across the table, the open gesture making my eyes go wide for the second time today.
I lean down for the drink with a heavily beating heart, thanking him with a small nod as Zander takes a seat.
We all follow suit and try to relax in our chairs, but I peer at the King under my lashes, watching as he looks at his son with a small smile.
Keane pours another glass for himself and remains standing at the edge of the table, opting not sit like the rest of us and instead crosses his arms in front of his chest before finally looking at his father with a steady gaze.
I take a deep breath at the sight of his cool features and feel Desmond shift in his seat next to me, doing the same.
The two of them are stiff now, not that Keane ever stopped, and I’m quickly reminded that they also have their own animosity-filled questions to present to their father.
The atmosphere around the table quickly turns tense as my traveling crew begins pouring themselves drinks, all of us knowing we’re about to need them.
The King sighs and looks directly at Desmond. “Son, please scout the room for us.”
Desmond nods as Zander turns to Golem standing behind me and gives his friend a smile. “Golem, please mute our surroundings.”
“We are clear,” Desmond’s hard voice replies. I feel Golem shift behind me, also nodding in the clear to his creator.
King Zander tips his head solemnly to the two of them before turning to Keane with another sigh. Keane nods his head to his father with his arms still folded over his chest, willing him to begin.
“And so we begin,” the King murmurs, shifting in my direction with a small smile, “you finally get to have your conversation with me over whiskey, Alex.”
I tip my drink in small salute, not bothered at all that he’s read that portion of my thoughts.
“A long time coming.”
Zander chuckles and brings his glass to mine. I take a good sip and let the drink burn down my throat and warm my body, willing it to calm my scattered emotions.
“The floor is yours,” King Zander says softly.
I take a deep breath and consider all of the questions running through my mind, watching his kind blue gaze and unable to find the anger that so desperately wanted to surface not moments before.
I don’t want today’s conversation to go down the same road of animosity as it did in Pyre with Golem.
I want to move forward without the anger and let nothing hinder the open dialogue that I know we all truly need.
“Let’s begin there,” King Zander smiles, following along with my thoughts, “with the news from Pyre of the Kingdoms Council I called two years ago.”
Keane reaches for his whiskey on the table, his voice quiet and hard. “In what capacity is our brother Troy aware?”
Zander turns in his seat with a slight frown, “he stumbled upon the Council by accident.”
“I seriously doubt that,” Keane narrows his eyes.
“It happened when the delegations were departing,” Zander shakes his head, “there was no hiding what he put together after seeing the leaders.”
“Then it happened here, in Disce?”
“Yes,” the King nods, “the calling Kingdom hosts the Council at a secluded location in their lands.”
“And what all did Troy put together?” Desmond asks from my left, the brothers quickly taking over the conversation.
Zander turns to his son, “a general knowledge, nothing more. Only that a Kingdoms Council was called by me. He is unaware of the talks we had within, of my wish to make an amendment to the Old World Rule not allowing humans to enter the ancient libraries within the Kingdoms.”
“Nothing more?” Keane asks.
“Nothing more,” the King affirms sternly.
“And Elena?” Desmond continues, “how and why is she aware of the Council?”
Zander shifts just slightly before replying, “your sister had a vision of a human woman holding a large black book in her hands…”
His eyes flick to me, “the vision was vague, scattered in its surroundings, but she felt the human presence holding the magical text. Her vision is the reason why I called the Council in first place.”
Hirovale alluded to traveling to Woodlands and meeting with Elena. Apparently she’s much more involved in all of this than we know.
“Golem confirmed that you knew from the beginning that Lady Alexis would be the human you would be sending along for the travels,” Keane watches his father carefully, “you mean to tell us that this is because of Elena?”
“Yes,” Zander nods softly, “while the vision was not clear in whole, she was still able to sense who belonged to that human presence.”
“She was the one who gave you the words, then,” I murmur.
If she saw me holding the book, then she had to have seen the words that formed on the last page, not just the four terms that he provided. Why couldn’t she just share them with her father?
The King turns to me and shakes his head at my thoughts. “She was only able to make out a few of the words from the text that she saw. The vision was hazy and clouded, but she did say she saw the book do something miraculous. Something of deep power and Old World magic…”