“I’m sorry for not understanding what you’re trying to tell me, but thank you for the moonslight.”
He bows from afar and then slinks back into the shadows. I sigh and take off my cloak before getting situated in the bedroll, then blow out the lantern and greet the darkness once again. I toss around for a few moments until I finally find a comfortable position on my back, bringing my hands behind my head as I peer up at the dark branches swaying around me.
I’m not sure how long I lay under the tree or if I actually fall asleep, but at some point in the night I’m awakened by the soft crunching of a twig out past the roots. I quickly open my eyes and spot Millie still tethered and Golem nowhere in sight.
Another crunch has me slowly and silently reaching for the dagger in my boot. Odds are there’s an animal in the woods who is smelling our group in curiosity, but I don’t want to take the risk that it may be something bigger or harmful to Millie. I stand up quietly and grip the hilt in my hand, my eyes darting out towards the dark woods as I search for the newcomer.
“You can drop the blade, Alexis,” his strong voice reaches the oak.
I nearly do drop it in surprise.
Ancients. He’s here?
Another crunch on the ground and my head turns towards the sound. Prince Keane is stepping over a twisted root, his hands holding his own set of reins and guiding his large black steed behind him. He’s changed from tonight’s court into a loose black long sleeve shirt and black riding pants, the deep brown boots I heard not moments before moving over the ground below him. To my surprise, his horse has several large traveling packs on its side as well, the steed as ready as Millie for the road ahead.
“I’m going to tether Ash next to Millie and then walk to you,” he announces with a hint of amusement, “please don’t throw that dagger at me.”
I can feel the smugness on his lips and watch silently as he leads his horse, Ash, through the roots towards Millie.
“I’m unsure if you’re able to summon it,” I glance at his dark figure, “Golem did it for me earlier… but I have a lantern for moonslight over here.”
Keane flicks his hand to the side without looking at me or the lantern, the bottled moonslight instantly filling the space around me. I stareawestruck at the magic and then turn back to the Prince, watching as he ties Ash’s reins along the same root as Millie.
“How did you know I was here?” I ask him curiously.
He reaches up to unsaddle his horse.
“Since the first night you spent in the Court of Warriors, I have always known where you are.”
“No,” I shake my head hard, arms folding over my chest, “no. You don’t get to answer my question so vaguely like that.”
Keane gives a small laugh and turns to me with his bedroll in hand. “And you do, Alexis?”
I frown and watch him move out of the shadows beyond, the moonslight dancing across his figure with every step he takes.
Ancients, he’s perfect.
The Prince truly does belong here, under this oak. Both him and the tree are almost too unreal in their beauty, like a dark enticement that’s meant to draw only the strongest in.
Keane looks back at me with the standard indifference of a Discerni, a look that only graces his face in serious moments. His brown eyes are watching mine without a hint of playfulness behind them, the whole of his presence causing me to outright shiver under his gaze. I quickly look away from that coolness and glance down at the roots at my feet, hoping they don’t feed off whatever intensity he’s feeling right now and try to grab me again.
“They won’t touch you,” he states simply, continuing with his walk.
“Can you summon thoughts like your father?” I frown.
Keane lifts a brow at the question.
“It surprises me that he would share that information with you, but no, I cannot summon your thoughts. Your eyes just give you away.”
He’s standing just a little out of arm’s length from me now, his broad chest and shoulders hovering before mine.
“You don’t need to point the dagger at me, Alexis.”
I had forgotten I was even holding it.
Keane takes a strong step forward and walks past my side, letting his shoulder brush against mine before he begins airing out his bedroll a few feet away from my own.
“You can’t be serious,” I scoff, leaning down to sheath the blade back in my boot.
