I shift in my seat and turn around to look for Dnes. She spots me and nods in understanding before I give Holis a small smile in reply.
“I’m ready to sleep in my bed.”
It’s not a lie. But it’s also not the complete truth.
Holis grins and passes me a roll, “same.”
“Do you think our travels are done then?” I ask him quietly, “you, me, Cal and Mana?”
The question makes me sad.
Holis looks at me in thought before he shakes his head.
“No, Alexis. I think they’ve only just begun.”
Only just begun?
I want to ask him what he means but I’m stopped by Dnes bringing a new mug of amber ale to the table.
“This is everyone,” Keane stands from his chair, watching as Mana takes a seat next to his twin.
I look around our table, just now realizing that it is set for a smaller group. Lord Daniel is not gracing the seats, nor is Alanna, Barnes and Claymore or the three Warrior soldiers. The only people present are the same that sat around the table on our last day in Pyre, sans the Pyrenese.
But why?
"We’ll take dinner now, Dnes, and then I’ll have to ask you for some privacy. If you don’t hear our voices, don’t be alarmed,” Keane smiles at the older woman.
Dnes nods and heads back to the kitchen as the Prince glances at Golem in expectance. The magical creature gives him a small bow right as Cal catches my eyes across the table.
What’s going on?His look questions.
I grab my mug and give him a full shrug.I have no idea, butI guesswe’ll find out.
Dnes brings out our dinner of peppered chicken and vegetables. I immediately begin to cut my chicken into smaller pieces for Storm and place them on the table in front of him. The Bird of Ash leans down and sniffs the meat, his yellow eyes finding mine in disappointment before he takes a wide step away from the food.
“Shit,” I whisper, not thinking this through.
“He may take it raw,” Holis stands up, “let me ask the woman what she has in the back.”
“Thank you,” I reply gratefully, asking in a determined tone, “tomorrow morning?”
“Tomorrow morning,” Holis nods, excusing himself from the table.
I reach out a finger to Storm and brush his proud chest in apology. “Be patient with me, Storm. I’m still learning.”
I can feel Keane’s eyes on us as the rest of the group starts on their meal. The baby beast purrs against my caress and then takes another step back from the cooked chicken, eyeing it like the mere sight of it affronts him. I hold back another eye roll and put the small pieces back on my plate just as Holis returns to the table. He drops an assortment of raw chicken and stag in front of Stormfall, the meat already cut into tiny pieces.
The two of us watch as Storm takes a few steps towards the meat, sniffing the chicken before quickly reaching for the stag. He swallows the piece whole and leaves the poultry well enough alone.
“Raw red meat it is,” I smile.
Holis nods, as does Mana, both of them watching Stormfall with quiet grins on their faces. I pull my own plate closer and begin on my dinner with the rest of the group, already getting used to the pepper in the food.
“Let’s begin,” Keane announces suddenly with a hard voice.
He looks around the table with a level cool regality about him, his eyes landing on Golem who is standing in a shadowy corner of the room. My magical friend lifts his hands from under his robes without hesitation, nodding to Prince in some sort of confirmation before Keane settles firmly in his seat.
The atmosphere in the room shifts immediately. I frown when I see my Knowledge crew sitting straighter in their seats, their eyes carefully looking to the Prince brothers and the seriousness that’s now overcoming their features. Desmond folds his arms over his chest and glances at his brother, but Keane only has eyes for the Discerni twins next to me. He’s staring at them with cool indifference, the look letting everyone know that tonight’s dinner is definitely not a friendly affair.
