“Our friends from Knowledge,” Keane greets, eyes darting from the four of us to the shared plates now empty on the table, “not surprising that you’ve found Margaret’s Courtyard on your first day here.”
“A good reminder of home, Your Highness,” Cal gives a small nod as Margaret walks out of her storefront with a beaming grin.
“Keane!”
The Prince averts his gaze and smiles at the woman with kindness. He dismounts and walks into the courtyard, giving her a small hug.
“Why does it not surprise me that this crew shows up at the same time as you?” she laughs, “traveling partners of yours?”
“Yes,Duhni. We leave for Pyre the day after tomorrow.”
The woman’s brows spike in surprise but she nods all the same.
“Safe travels to you, then. And you as well, Prince Desmond, Lord Daniel.”
The men smile in acknowledgment as the Prince moves back onto Ash and faces the four of us.
“The day is yours,” he nods, “we have meetings to attend and will be in and out of the village all day, but I’d like for us to meet again at sundown for a group dinner at the inn.”
Keane lets his eyes land on mine when he mentions dinner. I give him a small smile just as Cal replies for the four of us.
“We will be there, Your Highness.”
The Prince releases my gaze and leads Ash back down the road with Desmond and Lord Daniel tipping their heads in farewell. I watch the three men disappear with a frown. Yes, I’m genuinely looking forward to dinner and spending time with Keane, but I’m also wondering who in thisdamnedAncientssleepy village the three men could possibly be meeting with that’ll take up the full of their day.
The four of us and Golem roam the small town after breakfast, though not before promising Margaret that we would be back again tomorrow morning. There’s a good amount of people walking the road now that the day has begun, a stark contrast to the emptiness and quiet of last night. They’re all friendly, albeit still quiet, and help us navigate the main road while pointing out areas of interest.
It’s not surprising, then, when we learn that the village of Fumagalli hosts only one of all the big needs for itself and nothing more. There’s one inn, one school for the kids, one armory and workshop, one training range, one library, which I need to remind myself to ask Keane if I can enter tomorrow, one café,Margaret’s, and one pub, if you don’t count the small pub in the inn. The rest of the village is riddled with small shops and cottage townhomes, all of them constructed in their dainty stone and wood fixtures that lend a coziness to the Black Forest beyond.
“Well…” Cal makes his way to the training fields, “I say we hone our skills a bit more and then stumble into the pub for a late lunch.”
The twins nod and turn back to the inn to grab their weapons. Cal and I walk to the training field, spotting Alanna who is already there. Her beautiful blonde hair flows in the wind behind her as she takes aim at a target farther along the grass. The arrow flies true and straight for the dead center.
“Much better than your ability to tilt,” I tease from behind.
“Human,” her cool grey eyes meet mine, though I swear there’s a small smile making its way up her lips. I laugh and walk past her to a bench that overlooks the field and pull out my book.
“You would rather read than learn a new skill?” Alanna scoffs, drawing another arrow as Golem takes up a quiet stance next to me.
“But I am learning a new skill,” I hold up the book on magic with a wink.
Alanna shakes her head, loosening the arrow as it splits the first down the middle.
“You joke of things that with any other company would get you punished, Alexis,” she states plainly.
“Perhaps,” I look back down at the book, “or perhaps all humans in Knowledge have access to this information, something your Court of Warriors is lacking no matter how progressive it is.”
It’s a lie, but does Alanna know that?
“What a pretty lie,” she laughs, mimicking the Prince’s words as she grabs another arrow.
I shake my head with a smile and watch as Holis takes up next to her. Cal and Mana square off just a bit farther down, the Discerni man standing tall with his kedge while Cal greets him bare-handed.
I smile and open the book in my hand, continuing from where I left off in Gaumond.
And the Kingdom of Aireal, so greedy in its quest for power, made a deal with two of the Ancient Ten that would have resulted in the theft of magic from the other Kingdoms. Should it have gone through, the deal would have perverted the separation of the elements. Thankfully, the Elder Father and Mother were warned of the deal before it was to take place, and upon finding out what horrible price would have been bargained to attain such magic, they imprisoned their own Ancient son and daughter and removed all mystical access from the people and Kingdom of Aireal, thus creating the first mortal beings.
I frown at the text.
