The ground below us begins to shake. Keane grips my hand hard, his other flicking at his side as the tree near Hirovale leans forward in a swift movement, its limbs quickly reaching out for the Ancient as if to hold him in a violent embrace.
“That will not work,” Hirovale eyes the Prince.
He flicks his own hand and the limbs dart back into themselves as if nothing just happened.
Keane narrows his eyes on the Ancient in calm anger. He brings his hand in front of him, faster than a single blink, and the earth around Hirovale breaks in an instant. Five large shards of pure stone and dirt encircle him, the movement swifter than anything I’ve seen from Lord Daniel and done with no exertion on Keane’s part. He’s bent the earth to his will, and I watch in astonishment as the stones close in hard against Hirovale’s chest and back, the sharp edges of one slashing against his cheek.
He’s bleeding…
“Yes,Alexis, we bleed,” Hirovale sighs, bringing both of his palms face down as he forces the stones back into the earth. The movement is as quick as Keane’s.
You do know that any of those stones could have gone straight through your body, right?
Hirovale scowls, his golden eyes finding and holding my gaze.
Will you bleed out then, Hiro? Or just be done?
“Wouldn’t you like to know, Alex,” he glares in response, taking a strong step towards the two of us.
“But he chose not to,” I say out loud, “he chose not to, Hirovale, just as I chose to put away my blades. We are here to talk.”
Hirovale takes a step forward and eyes Keane’s hand in mine. His lips quirk with an emotion I can’t place, and when he catches my gaze again, I will him to hear my next words.
“We are here tolisten. Give us something before you lose us both.”
The Ancient stops in his walk and angles his proud chest in an open dare of denial.
Lose you?
He scoffs.
Never, Alexis.
Powerful magic seeps out of him with those last words. It pushes toward me in blatant intimidation, as if he’s daring me to deny who he is and what the being of him means to this Old World.Daringme to deny that there will ever be a time in which he is not a part of our lives.
“No,” I grimace, “I don’t care who you are and what you can do. You will lose us both if you don’t explain yourself, Hirovale. Of that, I can promise.”
Hirovale watches me quietly as his summoning pushes forward again. The air around him grows thicker, surrounding the three of us now from head to toe and creating a wall that dares either of us to try to leave him.
Do you hear me, Hirovale?I glare at the Ancient,you are going to lose the one man who has advocated on your behalf! The one man who has been telling me to listen to you! Don’t lose him. Don’t lose the man who held me back from confronting you today… from wanting to hurt you.
“As if you could,” the Ancient laughs, slowly turning his gaze back to Keane.
Stop this, I repeat Alanna and Desmond’s words, now understanding,do not lose him, Hiro. He is the only unbiased being who has encouraged me to embrace and hear you out…
Hirovale looks at Keane in consideration as I continue.
Explain to him. That’s all I ask of you. Explain as best you can. You knew. You knew something about his father and the possibility that this would happen.
The Ancient takes a strong step towards Keane as a tense silence fills the air.
“It was always going to happen,” he tells the Prince quietly, “you knew as well. You suspected. Not just from me but from all the events of late…”
I glance at Keane in confusion.
From all the events of late?
“But it was not supposed to be this soon. My reference of you was not meant to be taken as a forewarning, but only as a respectful ode to the man you will grow to be. You and Alexis were both to remain on your path together with your father’s guidance… but something has happened, something that has sped up that path. I cannot explain further because I am still at a loss for words. His early death has taken even me by surprise.”
