“I’m human, Hirovale! Do you hear me?Human!”
I run past the treeline and stop to look around for his golden gaze.
“Go find someone else to assist in your game, Hiro. Or better yet,” I laugh at the darkness, watching as something tall moves farther away, “why don’t you just go back to sleep!”
“So I can dream of you more,Lady?” he laughs, golden eyes shining in the darkness as he steps around a tree.
“Elder Father and Mother,” Keane swears, quickly falling to his knee in the deepest of bows.
“Thatis the greeting I expected from you, Alex,” Hirovale grins.
“Then you’ve set your expectations too high, Ancient.”
The Ancient laughs and flicks his gaze to Keane, his lips sliding into a small smirk.
“I’m curious. Will you have your King harm me, or will you attempt to do it yourself?”
I knew you were listening.
Hirovale nods, eyes sparkling in admittance, “always.”
My fingers twitch on the dagger in my hold, desperately wanting to aim it at his smirking lips. Hirovale just laughs at the thought and looks back at Keane, his voice greeting him with deep respect.
“You may rise, Prince Keane Bardot of the Kingdom of Disce, first-born son of King Zander Bardot. You will also help me remake this Old World with my Human Reborn.”
“Get off it,” I scoff.
I move my fingers to the tip of the blade and launch it straight at the Ancient of Death and Exploration’s face. Hirovale gives me another laughing smile and casually brings his hand up in front of his forehead, catching the blade right before it lands between his pretty golden eyes.
“Pretty, Alex?” he grins.
I roll my eyes at the Ancient, just barely noticing that he’s maneuvering the blade in his own hand. He flings it back at me just as quickly as I did to him, though Keane is at my front in an instant. His arm sweeps around my waist and pushes me back just as the blade lodges itself perfectly into the ground right before his boot.
Ancients,that was green agate.
“For the record,” Hirovale gives Keane a look of approval as he walks towards us, “I am not here to harm her. Contrary to what this may look like. I only appear to you now because I know that you thought our Lady was going into hysteria.”
Hysteria?
I’m not going into hysteria.
But then I start thinking of how Keane found me in the clearing, how I was screaming at Stormfall and the forest around us.
Fuck me.
I’m sure he did think I was hysterical. Going mad even.
“Properly mad,” Hirovale nods, eyes twinkling in laughter as he approaches Keane.
He stops directly in front of the Prince, his golden eyes watching as Keane reaches behind him to grab my waist again. The Prince pushes me directly behind his back and eyes the Ancient carefully, the simple gesture putting his body steadily between ours.
I peer my head around his shoulder, watching as Hirovale gives him a genuine smile. His golden eyes lock on Keane’s brown ones, his stance just a bit taller, but where Keane is broad shouldered and stands with a muscular build, the Ancient is lean and cut, moving with casual comfortability as he crosses his arms at his chest.
“You were right to want to pull the words from her tonight,” Hirovale nods quietly, “she needs to say them,allof them.”
“Everything will move quickly now, and you both have little time to waste. Head back to Bardot and speak with your father. Let him explain what he can. Then travel to Woodlands and meet with your sister…”
Keane shifts in front of me while I frown.
