Chapter 19: Chapter Nineteen

Arcane chuffs excitedly upon seeing my advances towards her, and begins to pace as far as her reins will allow, impatient for me to reach her. I try to repress my smile at how impatient she is and happily take her lead from Caelum’s hairy hands.

Ascian gives me a look from the side of his eye at my reaction to my tiger, seeing how quickly I forgot the chiding I received the day before for being too trusting of her. I ignore him though, and climb onto her back, giving all of my attention to Arcane. Ascian does not directly address my behavior right now, mostly because as soon as he nears his panther mount, he immediately has to fend off an aggressive swipe of massive black paws.

Ascian doesn’t flinch, standing still as can be mere inches from Anthracinus’ snarling face. In one hand, he holds the assaulting paw, having caught it mid-air with ease, completely oblivious to the massive extended claws. Ascian seems to be having a psychic conversation with the beast, unflinching as Anthracinus pins his ears and hisses loudly in his master’s face. After a few more moments of the silent conversation, the panther seems to come to the conclusion that last nights efforts are not going to be acknowledged, and his intimidation tactics are in vain. Anthracinus gives one more defiant hiss before settling down, though his eyes remain slits of mremeditated murder.

Ascian sighs as if the massive black panther is nothing more than a disobedient child, swinging onto his back with ease. Once he gets situated, he turns over his shoulder to dip his chin in a nod at Caelum. Without another word, the animal handler seems to understand the meaning and turns with a grunt, disappearing into the barn and closing the doors behind him.

“Shall we be going?” Ascian asks, turning back to me. “There is not much time before your pain will return.”

I pat Arcane’s shoulder, giving her some scratches in appreciation for her good temperament. Her sides heave as she chuffs gratefully, happy for the affection. “Let’s get going then. I trust you can make quick work of the new king,” I say, tossing him a pointed look before urging Arcane forward, rushing ahead towards the forest across the estate.

I can imagine the unamused expression my husband makes at my response to his question, and it takes hardly any time for Anthracinus to be beside us, baring his teeth at Arcane. By the time we cross the estate and enter the forest beyond, Ascian is ahead of us, leading the way. He has always warned my not to go into the trees by myself, and though I’ve never seen anything for myself, I trust his caution of the shadows beneath the treetops.

Tree branches tear past as Arcane follows closely behind, the soft pads of her paws eating up the ground as she surges forward, determined not to be left behind. Her rounded ears turn every direction as she tunes in to the sounds of the forest, things that are lost to my human senses by the whistling of the wind past my eardrums.

Something about the feeling of the tree branches scraping my legs as we tear past and the harshness of the wind that rips past my hair is freeing. If I didn’t have to use all of my strength to avoid falling off of Arcane, I would love to toss my hands in the sky and scream with delight. I feel so close to finding Alice now that I can’t help the swell of hope inside of my chest. This has to work. It’s the only thing that I have left.

Ascian tosses a glance at me over his shoulder, as if to check on me as we grow near to the castle grounds. Despite there being a new ruler, it seems as though the guards that would typically be scattered throughout the woods so close to the palace are no where to be seen. Maybe they have been called back for as ceremony or something, though I find it hard to believe that the new ruler would leave themselves so unguarded.

Ascian seems to come to the same conclusion based off of his expression, turning his attention back to the forest ahead. He seems calm otherwise, so I keep an eye on his back, keeping an eye out for the slightest sign of agitation. If there is something wrong, he will be the first to know it.

The trip goes by much faster on the feet of a tiger than the wheels of a wagon, so it feels as though it takes half of the time to reach our destination. Following Ascian’s lead, we come to a halt before the treeline ends, remaining hidden inside of the shadowed foliage. From this vantage point, we can see the entrance to the palace through an opening in the trees.

I hold my question, glancing to Ascian to guage if it’s too risky to speak yet. He offers me a reassuring smile as he dismounts Anthracinus, releasing him into the darkness of the forest. As soon as he needs him, Ascian can call the panther back with a whistle. For now, he is free to do as he pleases in the forest, as long as he doesn’t wander too far, so he wastes no time disappearing into the shadows.

Ascian comes to stand beside me, placing a hand on my thigh as I move to dismount. “Stay here,” He orders, voice unwavewring. “Do not dismount, no matter what.”

I open my mouth to protest, but he cuts me a look that silences me. He reaches a hand up to cup my cheek, stroking it softly with his thumb as his eyes soften. “Stay here as my lookout. It is suspicious that the place is so unguarded, so I expect a trap. We will not be the only ones looking to steal the crown last-minute.”

I press my lips together into a line, giving him a single nod in understanding. “How long should I wait?”

Asacian pulls away and looks up, pointing a finger to the branches above us. “If I need help, I will send you three ravens. Do not leave this area otherwise, no matter what you see.”

I glance upwards at his gesture, searching the empty branches curiously. “And what if I get ambushed? How will I signal for you?”

Ascian’s eyes flash in the sunlight that filters through the trees as he looks up at me, reaching for my hand and pressing his lips to the ring that caresses my finger. I feel it pulse slightly as if his touch has given it a heartbeat. “I will know. Wait fifteen minutes, and if you do not see my sign, wait some more. I will send two ravens when it is safe for you to follow,” He pulls me down suddenly, making me crouch over Arcane’s neck to bring me at eye level with him. He presses his lips to mine and kisses me gently in a way that makes my chest ache.

“Be a good girl and do what I say,” He whispers into my ear, his mouth brushing against my ear as he speaks. “I will be done quickly.”

By the time I open my eyes after our kiss, Ascian is gone. I crane my neck to see through the trees and spot a raven blackbird flitting through the air, heading towards the palace with lazy intent as if it had just made the decision to peek through the window on a whim. At my gaze, the bird caws once as a warning and I tear my eyes away, pulling Arcane back towards the trees. He said that he would give me a sign when he is finished, so I just have to find a good spot to wait.

I direct Arcane to a tree and she wastes no time scaling it, her powerful limbs moving us upwards with amazing ease. I release her reins to cling to the saddle with both hands, practically dangling off of her back as she climbs vertically up the tree, tearing off gouges into the bark with her long talons. When she evens out and stretches out onto a thick branch far above the forest floor, I finally release the breath that I was holding for the climb, feeling the adrenaline flee my body and leaving it feeling weak.

Arcane turns her head to look at me as if checking to make sure I hadn’t fallen off. Seeing that I’m still here, she heaves an accomplished sigh and stretches her legs out, draping herself trustingly across the branch of choice. It’s been a long time since she has had the opportunity to rest in the safety of a tall tree, so I know how much she must be enjoying this. The tree in her enclosure is small and worn down from years of sharpening her claws against it, so the real bark against her claws must feel lovely.