“It’s time for you to meet the King, Storm,” I tell him sternly.
Stormfall glares at me quietly, his beak opening in a yawn as he tucks his head back into his body like he’s going to go back to sleep. I shrug my shoulder with a scowl, thinking of all the moments his Ancient has interrupted me in untimely manners, and scratch the top of his head in heavy defiance.
The Bird of Ash grips my shoulder in irritation again.
“Sucks, doesn’t it?” I nod, “tell him how annoying the intrusions are for me, will you? Now you know what it feels like.”
Stormfall narrows his yellow beady eyes on me in response. I
laugh at him before turning back to King Zander, watching as Storm does the same from my shoulder. But the King isn’t looking at the Bird of Ash and is instead observing me with deep curiosity. I turn to the table behind me and notice that all of the men are watching the two of us interact, each of them quiet and unmoving with a slight look of astonishment on their faces.
Keane walks back to the main table with six empty glasses in his hands, seemingly unphased by mine and Stormfall’s relationship. He gives me an amused smirk and stops at his chair, that dark smile making me flush as I remember our time last night before Hirovale and Storm joined.
Fuck.
Remove it from your thoughts.
Keane places the glasses in the middle of the table and reaches over to grab the decanter of whiskey. He pours a single glass and then pushes the drink to me from across the table, the open gesture making my eyes go wide for the second time today. I lean down for the drink with a heavily beating heart, thanking him with a small nod as Zander takes a seat.
We all follow suit and try to relax in our chairs, but I peer at the King under my lashes, watching as he looks at his son with a small smile. Keane pours another glass for himself and remains standing at the edge of the table, opting not sit like the rest of us and instead crosses his arms in front of his chest before finally looking at his father with a steady gaze.
I take a deep breath at the sight of his cool features and feel Desmond shift in his seat next to me, doing the same. The two of them are stiff now, not that Keane ever stopped, and I’m quickly reminded that they also have their own animosity-filled questions to present to their father. The atmosphere around the table quickly turns tense as my traveling crew begins pouring themselves drinks, all of us knowing we’re about to need them.
The King sighs and looks directly at Desmond. “Son, please scout the room for us.”
Desmond nods as Zander turns to Golem standing behind me and gives his friend a smile. “Golem, please mute our surroundings.”
“We are clear,” Desmond’s hard voice replies. I feel Golem shift behind me, also nodding in the clear to his creator.
King Zander tips his head solemnly to the two of them before turning to Keane with another sigh. Keane nods his head to his father with his arms still folded over his chest, willing him to begin.
“And so we begin,” the King murmurs, shifting in my direction with a small smile, “you finally get to have your conversation with me over whiskey, Alex.”
I tip my drink in small salute, not bothered at all that he’s read that portion of my thoughts.
“A long time coming.”
Zander chuckles and brings his glass to mine. I take a good sip and let the drink burn down my throat and warm my body, willing it to calm my scattered emotions.
“The floor is yours,” King Zander says softly.
I take a deep breath and consider all of the questions running through my mind, watching his kind blue gaze and unable to find the anger that so desperately wanted to surface not moments before. I don’t want today’s conversation to go down the same road of animosity as it did in Pyre with Golem. I want to move forward without the anger and let nothing hinder the open dialogue that I know we all truly need.
“Let’s begin there,” King Zander smiles, following along with my thoughts, “with the news from Pyre of the Kingdoms Council I called two years ago.”
Keane reaches for his whiskey on the table, his voice quiet and hard. “In what capacity is our brother Troy aware?”
Zander turns in his seat with a slight frown, “he stumbled upon the Council by accident.”
“I seriously doubt that,” Keane narrows his eyes.
“It happened when the delegations were departing,” Zander shakes his head, “there was no hiding what he put together after seeing the leaders.”
“Then it happened here, in Disce?”
“Yes,” the King nods, “the calling Kingdom hosts the Council at a secluded location in their lands.”
“And what all did Troy put together?” Desmond asks from my left, the brothers quickly taking over the conversation.
