Troy glances over the empty branches once last time before slowly walking away. Desmond remains standing until he disappears down the hall, his hands dropping from his chest with a heavy breath when he’s certain his brother is out of the room.
“Quickly, Alexis,” he turns.
He lifts his hands and walks directly underneath me, his gaze hardening on the space between us.
“You can’t be serious,” I whisper.
Keane’s summoning in my chest vanishes at my words.
“I am,” Desmond states with urgency, “I need to get you back to your room. Close your eyes if you have to, but you need to come down.Now.”
I reach for the bag across my shoulder and grip it tight before looking down at Desmond far below me. The drop is a long one. If he doesn’t catch me…
I scoot down to another limb, inching as close as I can to the middle of the oak until I stand on the last branch. Stormfall flies down to Desmond’s side as Golem comes out from the shadows, all three of them looking up at me in expectancy.
I catch the Master Informer’s quiet eyes, his nod in response giving me his reassurance that he’s prepared to catch me. I move my feet to the edge of the limb and take a shallow breath, then step off as I close my eyes.
My heart drops all the way to my stomach.
In an instant I’m caught at the waist, Desmond’s strong hands grasping me tightly before he places my feet on the solid floor.
Ancients.
“Next time bring a rope.”
I roll my eyes with a little laugh and follow him through the roots. Golem trails softly behind us as Stormfall jumps to my shoulder, with Desmond escorting me the whole way back to my room, the irony of our walk not lost on me.
“I can’t be with you all day tomorrow, Alexis,” he says when we reach my door, “keep yourself busy until court. Take Alanna to the Palisades,” his eyes flick to another door down the hall, “spend your day with the others. But whatever you do, do not engage with Troy.”
“And the King?” I ask, “when will we speak to him?”
“After my brother arrives,” his dark eyes hold mine, “the three of us. Together.”
I wake up that next morning to the familiar coziness of my own bed. The soft green sheets surround my body in warmth as the cool morning air drifts inside from the open balcony, my sheer tan curtains swaying with the wind. Stormfall sits perched on the railing of that balcony, his yellow eyes staring out to the Bell Grove in the distance and looking much older than when I’ve met him.
I wash and ready for the day, choosing a simple green satin shirt with brown riding pants and boots, the full ensemble hosting gold accents that are stitched throughout. My hair is braided and falls between my shoulders, my daggers strapped and resting under my shirt and boot. Storm rests on my shoulder when I leave the room with Golem. The three of us head down the hall together until I stop at the door that I think is Alanna’s. She appears immediately after I knock.
“Took you a while to come around.”
“Slept in my own bed for the first time in a while,” I shrug, “are you ready for a day in Knowledge?”
She nods without any excitement, her features remaining stoic. I roll my eyes and tilt my head to the side with a smile. “Let’s do it, then.”
“I meant to tell you… Cal mentioned last night that you should take us to Sera’s café in the Southern Park. He said you’d know where that was.”
I frown.
“What?” Alanna asks, walking beside me. She’s clad in full black, her low-cut satin shirt accentuating the small curves of her breasts. We look stark in comparison walking next to eachother, the two of us calling many of the castle’s residents to turn in hidden gazes.
“What was that face?” she asks again.
“Nothing,” I shake my head, “it’s a good idea.”
“Alexis…”
I lead her down the staircase at the end of the hall, my voice quiet, “I just didn’t realize Cal or the twins knew about Sera’s…”
Not to mention the fact that I go there every time I visit the Palisades.
