“One more time,” he laughs, lifting his hand from my mouth.
“I’mhuman,” I tell the Ancient surly, “I need no magic. I don’t carewhy. Do your thing, Hirovale, but leave me out of it. I, like many others in this Old World, am happy with the way things are.”
“Are you, Alex? Truly?” the Ancient shakes his head. His golden eyes narrow on mine, commanding me to think.
“No,” he sighs knowingly, “you’re not. Your curiosity will win out in the end. You do care why. And if you think you don’t now, you will soon enough...”
There he goes again, speaking to me as if he already knows me.
“I do know you, Alexis,” he nods, “just as I also know that you are so much more than human. You and your brethren. You were never meant to remain mortal forever.”
My eyes widen at his words, heart stopping completely.
He can’t mean that.
The sound of footsteps from the outer forest has both our heads spinning to the right. I don’t think about the consequences and just yell out to Keane.
“I’m here!”
Hirovale looks back at me with a hard grimace, as if I’ve betrayed him in some way.
“You will join me, Alex,” he says, “you will work alongside me.”
“No,” I shake my head, “find someone else, Hirovale. I want no part of this.”
The Ancient looks at me in disappointment and takes a step back.
“Don’t hold Stormfall against my actions tonight,” he says quietly, “he is yours, just as you are his. I will explain more when I can.”
I watch as he turns around and heads in the opposite direction of where we heard Keane’s voice, the calm mist around his boots now rising to his legs.
“No!” I scowl at his retreating back, “you don’t get to end this conversation just because he’s here.”
Hirovale pauses at the edge of the forest and glances over his shoulder with a raised brow. The look he throws me is so sure and calm that he doesn’t need to say anything to remind me who the Ancient is in this conversation.
“Find someone else,” I glare back at him, “I will not help you.”
The Ancient’s golden eyes hold mine for another moment before he turns back around and disappears into the gloomy forest.
