CHAPTER XVIII #10
Keane has a small breakfast waiting for our crew in the meeting room within our hall.
He reminded our First Guards that it’s customary to start the day with morning breakfast together, though I couldn’t help but wonder if it was only him and his brother who carried on the tradition before all of us came into their lives.
He invited Cal and Mana to join as well, wanting to apprise the two of the dates he set with Hirovale last night and give them the opportunity to take in Holis’ new residence.
I left with Cal and Mana the moment Lord Daniel and another man entered the room to continue the meeting.
There was no raging desire coursing through me to sit through their extended talks, especially when I knew Keane would update me at the end of the day.
So I said my hello and goodbyes to Lord Daniel and the man at his side, analyzing the newcomer on my way out.
His body is leaner than Daniel’s, hiding any semblance of muscle under a loosely fitted grey shirt.
He has dark features that makes his face look like he’s studying everything in the room, though he’s polite enough in his greeting, voice quiet and words spoken deliberately.
But there’s something about him, something darker than his first appearance that gives me the feeling that I need to avoid this man as much as possible.
It isn’t until I’m back in Keane’s room when I recognize that feeling fully for what it is.
That man reminds me wholeheartedly of Desmond, of the Master Informer that I used to avoid in the halls of Castle Bardot before I met him.
He has the same aura about him, secretive and seclusive, and I wouldn’t put it past the possibility that he works for Desmond in some capacity, either.
My feet promptly stop in the middle of Keane’s room, our room, as I stand and properly marvel at my new home.
Everything truly is as I remembered it, a massive open room with the black granite walls rising sharp into the sky without any roof.
It’s moody, yet still warm and welcoming, a place that has felt like home since the first night I spent with Keane.
I decide to bathe first, spending a bit too long in the tub than necessary, then dress and unpack all my clothes with the exception of my dresses.
I then move my crates of books towards the bare wall that would be extended with more shelves, hearing a friendly knock on the door when I do.
An older Discerni man walks in with a smile and an oak slab in his hand, announcing that he’s the castle’s interior planner.
“I’ve been sent to help with any changes you may have, Queen.”
“Oh, that’s great,” I smile back at him. “Come in. Thank you.”
“Have you given thought already as to what you want to do?” he asks.
I close the door behind us and study the rich black tunic he’s wearing. He’s wealthy, that much is apparent by his pristine clothing, but I guess that comes with being Gaumond’s designer.
“Yes, actually,” I walk to the middle of the room and urge him next to me. “Are we able to fit another armoire here?”
“Absolutely,” he grins, “a beautiful spot to put all of your new dresses as the future Queen of Disce!”
“Yes,” I nod slowly, “and what about here. I was thinking we could add another trunk at its side-”
“For all the shoes you’ll have as the new Queen of Disce!”
The fuck.
Either this guy is really enthusiastic at the prospect of me being Queen, or he’s just an overly chipper old man.
“Anything else, my Queen?”
My brows furrow as I take a slow step away from the Discerni, eyeing the sandy blonde of his hair that’s streaked with white at the temples.
A smile is still plastered across his face, an eerie sight that brings a chill to my bones and makes me glance around the room for Storm.
The man’s piercing blue eyes stay on mine as he watches me take another step back, the color so piercing that they remind me of someone I know…
“Gauthier,” his smile drops as he introduces himself.
Everything in the room goes cold, but nothing more than the features on this man’s face as he reverts from faux friendliness to cool evil. He stares at me with a smile so sinister that I immediately bring up a wall of air between us.
“You little whore,” the old man chuckles, the laugh sounding so disgustingly close to Keane that I want to put my hands to my ears and drown it away. “Calling yourself the Queen to Be and shacking up in my grandson’s room. You deserve to be in the muck and shit like the others of your kind.”
Something trembles below my foot, the black granite of the floor moving around my boots before I can even let out a breath. The Discerni flicks his hand behind my wall, the granite tipping me over so that I fall to ground at his feet.
“That’s better,” he smirks down at me.
I glare up at him and raise a hand, but the black granite is quick to circle around my wrist and pull it back down. I’m immobile, bound by the feet and hands, and can’t stop the spit that hits the side of my cheek.
“No,” he scowls, “you’re going to stay down there like the dog you are. I believe my grandson had a message for me, yes? Told me to come to Gaumond personally to get you? Well I’m here, you filthy slut, and I’ll be damned if I let my blood anywhere near you for the rest of his long life.”
End of Disce II.