“Keane,” I will him to slow down, unable to keep up with his Discerni speed. I try to release my hand from his but his mind is elsewhere, not hearing my call. He keeps his eyes trained on the road ahead and continues to pull me forward, his hand gripping mine relentlessly and nearly making me stumble with each step.
Keane guides us into the main road, my feet clattering against the stone beneath me and ready to fall at any moment. I truly can’t keep up with him and yank my hand hard from his, feeling as he releases me with hesitation before finally turning around.
“I can’t keep up with you,” I shake my head, breathing hard, “what’s going on, Keane?”
Keane takes a hard step forward and grabs my hand again.
“Alexis,” he scowls, “I need you to run with me as fast as you can
back to the castle. If you can’t, then I will carry you.”
“What? No, Keane.”
He’s not carrying me through the Palisades.
I pull my hand from his again, needing it for myself while I run. “I will keep up. Just tell me, Keane, what’s going on?”
Keane looks over me in quick assessment, his face set in deep anxiety as Stormfall circles above his head.
“It’s my father,” he replies quietly, his voice uneasy.
CHAPTER XX
KING
“Go” I tell him breathlessly from the ledge of the tunnel, “you’re quicker on your own on these stairs and I still need to get Golem from my room.”
“Golem is waiting for us at the bottom,” Keane grimaces, also looking down the mountain in hard consideration, “Desmond says he wants us both.”
Keane turns around and takes my hand again, pulling us onto the top stair as we wait for it to start its slow descent. He gives an impatient shift and looks for the other stone below, considering his options.
“Go, Keane,” I tell him again, scowling at the situation but understanding the urgency. Something is wrong with his father,the King. He needs to make it back down to the castle as swiftly as possible.
Stormfall takes a fast dive down the mountain next to us, knowing where we are headed. Keane looks back at me when he does, at my wind-blown hair and my heart pounding out of my chest. His own breathing is barely out of turn, as if we hadn’t just ran through the full of the crowds of the Palisades in a sprint.
“We’ll go together, Alexis,” he takes a commanding step towards me, “close your eyes if you have to but I’m bringing us down together.”
“Close my eyes, what-” I breathe out before being caught in his arms.
“Keane, no,” I moan, realizing exactly what he has planned.
“Hold on to me tight,” he demands, taking a few steps back on the stone as I crash my forehead into his shoulder. My arms and legs wrap around his body for dear life, feeling as Keane takes the stone at a run and then leaps into the air, the two of us falling squarely on to the second below.
“Ancients,” I murmur, gripping him even tighter as the stone begins to move. Keane takes another confident step back and then leaps down the mountain again, the two of our bodies falling with the cool mountain air. I shudder at the movement, the feeling unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. It’s a free-fall into nothing, and the only thing assuring me of the non-committal fall to my death is Keane’s strong arms wrapped around my waist.
Ancients.
We continue down the mountain swiftly, each leap and jump sending my stomach straight to my chest. But then, as we’re about half-way down the mountain, I lift my head from Keane’s shoulder in anticipation of his next jump, embracing the thrill of our descent as a heightened exhilaration takes over. I try to hide my excitement, knowing that right nowis not the moment to be happy, but I can’t conceal the feeling as I push up higher in Keane’s arms and look over his shoulder with a small grin, watching the darkness fall around us.
Keane notices my reaction, his hand reaching for my rear as he gives it a small squeeze in approval. I don’t say anything but let myself fully relax, wiggling higher in his arms with every one of his jumps.
When we finally make it to the last stone at the bottom of the mountain, Keane releases me from his hold but steadies me by the shoulders. My legs are too weak from the continuous falls and being held up for so long, but once I’ve collected myself he moves his hands to the front of my dress, tugging and pulling it back into place and covering my breasts more fully. I fiddle with the bodice and smooth it down before looking up anxiously, giving him a small nod of readiness.
Keane is quiet and calm when he turns around. He grabs my hand and leads us through the cave, the two of us bounding into another run as Stormfall flies above.
The Great Oak comes into view and the sight of it and the room is a complete commotion. We run past the scattered patrons of the castle, with each of them giving Keane a solemn and knowing look when we rush by. I stare at those faces in nervousness, still not understanding the situation, and notice a full company of soldiers walking swiftly out of the large room held for court, all of them urging the residents back to their homes. Everything is a mess, and while some people are following those soldiers’ orders and walking away, others are sitting quietly in the alcoves of the Oak, holding their heads in heavy hands. Women are openly crying in the halls while the men talk in huddled conversations, their eyes going wide when they see the Prince rush past.
Keane picks up his run as I attempt to do the same, knowing full well that he could be with his family right now if he wasn’t waiting on me. Golem comes into view by the main staircase off the side of the Great Oak, his hand reaching out in urgency as he beckons us to follow him.
