“Am I still a good host if I don’t, Cal?”
Cal smiles as I take in our small group for the night, watching as everybody situates themselves around the table. Lord Daniel sits at the head of one end with Barnes at his right. Next to Barnes is Cal and then Alanna, with an empty chair next to her and another at the opposite end of the head of the table. On Daniel’s left is the empty seat from which Mana left, then another for Sera, with Holis finally sitting in the middle. I promptly take the seat next to Holis and across from Alanna, smiling as Stormfall continues to take all of the love from the Discerni twin.
“Are we expecting more?” I ask the table, noticing the three empty chairs to my left. Are the Warrior soldiers joining us tonight?
Sera turns to me curiously, “we’ve invited the Prince brothers.”
Oh.
My heart skips a beat as I nod, turning my narrowed gaze on Alanna. She laughs and ignores my glare, that smirk of hers telling me she knew who exactly was coming tonight and chose not to tell me. I shake my head and reach for an empty mug and small glass, ready to pour both ale and whiskey for the night.
“I credit your drinking habits to me, Alexis,” Cal chuckles.
“Ale, certainly,” I laugh, shrugging my shoulders, “but I credit the whiskey to the Old Boys’ Club at court. They didn’t let me engage with them until I could properly handle the drink.”
Cal frowns at the comment, as does Lord Daniel from afar, but it’s Holis who turns in his chair to look at me, replying for the table.
“They did not treat you well that night, Alexis.”
I reach for the decanter of whiskey and shrug my shoulders again before tipping the drink at him in question. Holis nods and grabs an empty glass as I reply, “how else will the men change their minds if someone is not there to challenge their thoughts?”
Lord Daniel watches me pour Holis’ drink and brings a hand up to his beard. I pour myself a decent sized whiskey and set the drink back on the table, adding with a smile. “Sir Miles is a good man, as is his wife. Sir Petarch and his wife Constance were unsurprisingly amiable. The rest… well they could use with a few new comments in their midst.”
Lord Daniel smiles softly, averting his gaze that was on me to Stormfall. Holis also gives a small smile, nodding his head in understanding.
“Those Discerni men have frequented this café from time to time,” Sera leans past her brother by marriage with a frown, “their wives even more often. I doubt there’s any room in their minds for changing, Alexis. They are very content and set with how they live.”
I sit back in my chair and take a small sip of whiskey, considering her words.
“Sir Milesisa good man,” Cal adds to the table “if any change comes from that group it will be spearheaded by him.”
“And perhaps Lord Alexander…” I say more to myself, thinking of the handsome Discerni who remained quiet and thoughtful through the ambush, challenging the others cunningly.
“Have you met Lord Alexander before, Lady Alexis?” Lord Daniel asks me from across the table. I hide my sad scowl, hating that he refers to me so properly.
“No,” I shake my head, giving him a smile, “that night at court was the first.”
Lord Daniel nods and takes a sip of whiskey, averting his gaze again as Mana walks outside with the small barrel resting against his chest. Barnes stands up to help him, moving around the table to pull out a chair so that Mana can place the ale on top.
“How many?” Barnes asks the table.
Cal laughs and pushes his mug towards Barnes, “the full of the lot.”
I stand up and grab everyone’s mugs with a grin, then walk over to Barnes so he can get to pouring. He smiles at me and takes the first glass as I study him quietly from the side.
Barnes has been with our group since the beginning, traveling in tandem with Claymore until just recently, with the other Warrior Discerni staying behind in Fumagalli and Gaumond. He joined this group from the start and has experienced everything with us over the past fortnights, and I suddenly feel a little shame as I look over him now. His golden tanned skin shines under the sunset, the shade mixed with his bulky muscles reminding me so much of Keane. Both of them have spent their days outside and under the sun, a tribute to the travel and hard work they put into their bodies. My shame deepens when I realize that we’ve never really had a conversation between us two. He was just always there, providing himself as part of the group… as protection.
Barnes looks at me with dark brown eyes, the color nearly black. It matches perfectly with his long brown hair that he has tied in a knot at the nape of his neck, the fashion similar to how Lord Daniel wears his. He smiles and hands me a filled mug, the feature looking good on him as it does with all Discerni who let their emotions shine through.
I take his offered mug and wait as he pours another, smiling back at him with a low voice. “Thank you for showing the Prince your fire, Barnes.”
Barnes grins, eyes finding mine in slight astonishment, “he was able to summon, then?”
I nod my head just slightly, the two of us looking at eachother with the same awe, “so far I’ve seen a spark to light, a full room of candles set ablaze, as well as a smaller version of your undying fire that rested beside our camp.”
“Ancients,” Barnes shakes his head in pure wonder, “that’s too quick for him to pick up.”
My eyes flick to Lord Daniel behind Barnes. He nods his head quietly, his words from that first night at court in Bardot replaying in my mind.
