“I thought I told you not to hide from me,” he says softly.
My body shivers again before he directs Ash down the path, the two of us beginning our ride into the night as I tug my hood back down.
“Golem…” I turn back and peer into the woods.
Keane tightens his arms and pulls me completely against the front of his chest, his voice assuring, “he knows to meet you back in the room later.”
How?
My mind wants to wander to all the mysterious magic that accompanies Golem but my body is just too tired to let it. Instead, I find myself falling back into Keane’s embrace and enjoying the strength of his hold.
Keane moves the reins to his left hand and drops his right to my thigh, squeezing it softly as I close my eyes.
“How soon did you know we were following you?”
“From the first twig you broke where the road met the path,” he replies, fingers moving idly against the inside of my thigh.
“Why let us continue?”
I can feel his smile behind me. “I was amused. Daniel was properly interested. Desmond… well Desmond was hesitant but still curious.”
I nod and yawn again, “I’m going to fall asleep soon…”
“I know it.”
I turn my to the side and get comfortable against his chest, smiling when his hold tightens even more.
“But I want you to know that I know there’s more to this…” I smile softly to myself, “more to your hidden city.”
Keane’s fingers on my thigh still for a small moment before they resume their slow movements. I feel his touch inch inward and let it lull me to sleep, reveling in the comfort of his strong body. The last thing I remember before drifting off is asking him to wake me up when we got back to the inn.
The morning comes and I find myself stirring under the sheets of my bed. Cal is knocking against the door and telling me that the group is taking off soon, his voice laced with concern that I’m not already up and moving about.
I bring my hands to my eyes and rub away the sleep with a groan, trying to remember the rest of the ride through the woods. I vaguely remember Keane hoisting himself from Ash and doing the same for me, carrying me in his arms as he walked us both through the inn. Golem was already waiting in the room for the two of us just as Keane had said, my magical friend instantly shuffling to the bed to pull back the sheets the moment he saw me. I barely remember Keane tugging off my boots before he let me fall asleep fully clothed, but I definitely remember the two of them standing over me as I drifted off again.
The room is bright now and the slats of the window are open and letting in the morning breeze. Cal knocks against the door a little harder this time.
“I hear you! I’m okay. Thank you. I’ll be out shortly!”
It’s a good thing I packed the night before. All I need now is to refresh and move out. It’s a simple enough task, but it’s one that’s made complicated by my thoughts of the hidden city…
Ancients.
Fumagalli is beautiful.
Absolutely stunning.
But there’s something else about it that caught my eye…
The hidden city is downright Warrior.
And not in the sense of the Court it resides in, but in the actuality of it preparing itself as a line of defense along the border of our Kingdom. All of the trees that acted as pillars between the city were lined with bows and arrows of different sizes. Not one section of the forest above was left without a weapon, and from the looks of the people who walked around, every single one of them knew how to use them.
The city is also built into the forest in deep stealth, hiding itself in camouflage from being seen by the naked eye. It truly is a perfectly hidden line of defense for the western border of Disce, which makes me genuinely wonder, what in the Old World are Keane and his Lords defending our Kingdom from?
Are they just being cautious? Or do they know something secret that makes them want to prepare?
I quickly tear off my cloak and clothes and put on a clean set for the ride ahead, my thoughts moving in different directions as I consider justwhat the hidden city has been built for. I splash my face with some water and hastily braid my hair down my back, letting it fall just between my shoulders as Golem waits in the room with me.
