You need to tell him of Keane, my mind screams, noticing the deep affection in his gaze.
Tell him, now.
“There’s something else you should-”
The sound of heavy footsteps pounds against the balcony behind us. Lord Daniel and I turn from our conversation to watch as Prince Isham bounds forward with both Prince Keane and Troy flanked at his sides. The brothers have the standard look of indifference on their faces, though their eyes are darting curiously back and forth between the Lord and I.
“Later,” Daniel murmurs.
“Lord Daniel,” Keane states simply, his cool gaze watching his Warrior Lord as he nods to him in greeting.
“Your Highness,” Daniel bows first to Keane, then again to Troy. I lower my head in small recognition of the three, the night around us becoming tense.
“Prince Isham would like a word with our Lady Alexis,” Troy gives a small smile to the Leviathan as Stormfall grips my shoulder hard.
“Of course,” Lord Daniel nods to the foreign Prince. He turns to me with a final nod and then takes his leave, walking back inside.
I quietly turn to the ledge and grab my ale, feeling Isham’s hazel eyes on my back. When I turn back around his gaze instantly finds mine, his lips turning into an amused smile before he looks at Stormfall on my shoulder.
“May I meet him, Lady Alexis?”
I look towards Isham’s braids, noticing that they rest behind his back and are choosing not to make an appearance.
“I’m afraid Stormfall sleeps through the night, Your Highness,” I lie.
Stormfall spreads his wings softly behind me and brings them inward, ducking his head into his chest in mock sleep.
“A pity,” Prince Isham grimaces, still eyeing Storm.
I take a small sip of my drink, “if that is all, Your Highness?”
“No,” Isham replies quickly, his faux friendly gaze returning to mine, “I wish to speak privately with you again tonight, Lady.”
I slowly lower my drink and wrap my fingers around the mug in a tight embrace before taking a step towards Keane.
“But I do not wish to speak with you again tonight, Prince Isham.”
Isham’s eyes widen before he gives me another dark smile in amusement. I look back at him with a knowing glance and then nod to Troy and Keane, leaving all three men behind.
“Alanna,” my cry is filled with exasperation, watching as she leaps from the stepstone in the mountain.
We’re ascending up the Southern Stairs and heading to the Palisades. Sutton and Tripler have just gotten their bearings of the magical stones, as has Barnes, but Alanna is taking the jumps in stride. The three of them stand with Holis and I on a separate slab of rock as it juts forward, greeting Alanna who waits impatiently on the next step.
Golem opted not to join us up the mountain tonight, instead spending the rest of court with the King and Queen. Stormfall glides well ahead of all of us in the darkness, his black body darting high into the mountain where the dim lighting consumes him.
“We’ll barely make the fight if we continue at this speed,” Alanna grumbles, watching our small group transfer over to her step.
We’re more than halfway up the mountain and can see the small sliver of light from the tunnel up ahead.
“Let’s go then,” Tripler laughs in challenge, looking at the blonde Discerni as they both turn their gazes to the next stone high above.
“You all go,” I look over to Holis, Sutton and Barnes, willing them to move forward without me, “Holis knows the way. I’ll be just behind you.”
Holis looks back at me with a concerned glance.
“How many times have I taken these stairs, Holis?” I shrug.
“More than either of us care to count,” he chuckles, eying the stone in the distance. There’s no way they can make it.
