Sutton is quick to join us with her brother, both of them letting us know that they’ll head farther south tomorrow once we pass through Dalloway. They’ll take the fork in the road that leads to Dardar and check inwith more of their quarries, but they do mention that they hope to meet up with our group in Bardot only a day after.
I smile at the two of them when they inquire about the Palisades and offer to show them around when they reach the capitol. The more I talk to them, the more I come to like the brother and sister duo. The two siblings are filled with a fire that calls to them both in an unrelenting ambition to pursue their gift. They’ve been given a beautiful aspect of summoning and hone it perfectly, mining the lands and using that production to provide jobs and income to the people of Disce. And the way they talk about building new and different structures throughout the Court of Warriors with the black granite is both progressive and inspiring, unlike anything ever described. They’re strong and friendly Discerni, two beings that capitalize on their abilities for the better of those around them while still remaining humble.
Our dinner quickly turns into the passing of drinks and smoke, with Cal, Alanna, Desmond and Barnes joining the rest of us. The full of our group sits comfortably into the night, everyone enjoying each other’s company without any distinction to the two separate races. The easiness of it all has now become so normal to me, just as I think it’s become normal to Cal as well when I spot him looking around the group in happiness. There’s just no division between any of us, no side smiles from the Discerni when we talk to them of life, and no silent gazes that remind us our lives are shorter than theirs.
It truly is a beautiful night, and I find myself thinking that this is how the Old World should be.
Knowledge definitely has the potential for it.
I watch happily as Stormfall dips through our group in fleeting moments, the Bird of Ash off on his own adventure for the night but always letting me know that he’s doing alright. Even Golem stands closer to our fire and away from the shadows, the magical creature watching us as a father would over happy children. The night truly is an exceedingly good one, but it’s missing only one thing…
I reach for the thin slab of oak in the bag at my side, my fingers hesitating on the pen that wants me to pull it forward. It shouldn’t be possible, but my mind can’t help but wonder if maybe it is. Humans aren’t even allowed to practice magic under the Old World rule, something that is constantly reminded of us on a near daily basis, and I don’t know why I think I’d be any sort of exception to that rule, but my fingers still itch to try.
My hand shakes as I fiddle with the two pieces in my bag for longer than necessary, my mind unable to still the anxiety that is coursing through my veins. Eventually my curiosity wins out and I bring my knees to my chest, pulling the pen and oak from my bag as I lay them in front of me on my legs.
Think of the person you wish to write to,Desmond’s voice permeates through my anxiety,envision them in your mind. When you write, keep their likeness in your thoughts.
I settle the slab in my lap and envision the moment I saw Keane standing under the Shadow Oak for the first time. His brown hair was sweeping atop his head beautifully, his brown eyes alight in curiosity as he looked at me sitting against the trunk. I envision the tug of his lips when they moved up in a small smile as he looked at me, his hand reaching out to a falling black leaf in front of him before catching it so perfectly by the stem. The words of my thoughts etch into the oak almost easily, but I realize too late that I’m writing about him, not to him like I intended…
Catching the black leaf gracefully, knowing of its sharp beauty yet avoiding it altogether.
The words slowly fade across the wood and disappear into nothing. My heart skips a beat just as my eyes widen in disbelief. I think it worked.
But how?
How could that be possible?
My whole body stills as a new message appears in the exact same spot where mine vanished. The words etched into the wood are not my own, the script tall and elegant and perfected in its slants.
Ancients, Alexis.
My eyes widen as I read his words carved into the oak, an utter sense of disbelief taking over the full of my being. I quickly peer up to look at Desmond in wonder, noticing that his gaze is fixated on the oak pen barely peeking out from above my knees. The Master Informer gives me a small nod in affirmation, his whole face looking deeply thoughtful before he flicks his glance back down to where he knows I’m writing.
You were thinking of me under the Shadow Oak, weren’t you?
Fuck me. How is this happening?
I grab the flask of toddy from Alanna and take a hefty swig, letting the drink still my nerves. My hand trembles asI watch his words disappear, my fingers holding the pen in a death grip as I write back without shame.
Yes.
No idea, trouble.
His words appear across the wood, the letters strong and tall.
No idea what game you are playing…
My breath catches in my chest. I can hear his voice so perfectly in the words.
No longer a game, Your Highness.
No?
Not even a little,I smile.
I like the idea of you thinking of me in the middle of the Green Valley…
My eyes shoot up past the fire to the valley around us, my heart racing as I look for any hint of the Prince. He’s not here, I know it, but I still can’t help but wish he was.
