Chapter 57:

I was trying to be careful about how much I was actually leaning back into Xavier, considering I didn't want to aggravate his still-healing ribs, but that didn't last very long. His arm tightened around my waist, hand splaying across my stomach as he pulled me back even further into his warm embrace. 

"Relax, Ari. You're not going to hurt me. You're too small to actually press on anything hard enough to hurt me, and even if you did, I'd still prefer to hold you closer, princess." He whispered against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine, but I had already lost the fight as I allowed my body to all but melt back against him. "When we get there, stay close, and make sure they do as well. King Titus has a habit of trying to draw pretty things away and keep them. One of the advisors to the throne already tried to get their hands on you, and if they find you alone there in any capacity..." He left the statement open-ended, but it wasn't hard for me to fill in the blank. "If for any reason you can't be with me, then take Bane with you. He'll protect you."

"But what about you? You're still not fully recovered." I asked as I threaded my fingers through his.

"They may want me as a soldier there, but trust me, princess. If anyone really tried to grab me, they would end up resembling a pincushion with how many knives I would shove into them. I thought you would've noticed by now, but just in case you need a reminder, I tend to follow the "stab first, ask questions later" mentality." I couldn't help but to giggle at that one. 

"I think that's one of the most honest things you've ever said about yourself." I teased, and he just chuckled at me. 

It wasn't long before a huge, shiny castle came into view, growing closer by the second as we flew towards it. Bane tipped sideways, circling the castle as he slowed slightly, but to my surprise, didn't land in the open field just beyond the looming, shiny, golden gates. Instead, he flew right over the gates, to the utter dismay of the guards who looked like they might actually shit themselves at the sight of Bane flying overhead.

He flew right up to the inner castle wall before finally slowing to a hovering stop as he rested one huge forepaw on the wall. Xavier pulled both of our swords from behind him, strapping his own on while holding mine at his side. 

"Stay here for a moment. I'll get down, and you'll have to pass me things quickly before you slide down so I can catch you." Xavier told me just as Kira landed safely on the wall a little further down from us. 

Xavier moved from behind me and slid down Bane's leg, landing perfectly on the wall below. He set my swords down before looking up at me and motioning for me to start passing him our bags.

Once the last one was off Bane's back, I took a deep breath before sliding down myself. Xavier's arm wrapped around my waist the second my feet hit the white stone of the wall, pulling me up against his chest just as Bane shifted to his smaller size and landed on his shoulders. I felt the comforting weight along with the soft rub of Nova's cheek against mine as she made herself comfortable across my shoulders. 

"I have to admit, I definitely wasn't expecting to land this far in, considering how large Bane is," Lexi said with a grin as they came up to us, taking their bags from the stack as Kira shifted to her smaller form, happily climbing into Lexi's bag as she opened the top for her. 

"The last thing I wanted to deal with was the full regiment of guards standing around, waiting for us in the courtyard, and considering that they're more than likely on their way up here to escort us to the castle, we should move. Stay together, whatever you do, don't get separated here." Xavier said to all of us before moving to grab his bag along with one bag of supplies. He handed me mine as I finished strapping my swords over my shoulders. "Would you be able to carry the other bag?" He asked quietly, and I didn't give him an answer. Instead, I just reached down and pulled the other bag over my shoulder. 

"You know I don't mind, they're not that heavy." I smiled at him, but he took a breath as if I was going to say no before leading us down a flight of stairs and into the inner city of Elysium. I stayed right beside him as Lexi and Genie stayed close on our heels while Xavier led us through the maze of a crowded city until we reached the actual palace gates, where a group of guards stopped us in front of a second, smaller set of shiny golden gates. 

"State your business." The guard barked out, although it was a little funny watching as he tried to intimidate Xavier while having to look up at him. That, however, also happened to be when the guards from the courtyard finally were able to catch up with us. They sprinted up behind us in an unorganized formation as they tried to catch their breath in their shiny silver armor. 

Xavier didn't answer the man. Instead, he just stared him down as he unbuttoned the top of his leather-plated vest to pull out the missive from the inner pocket of it and handed it to the guard. "We're here to pick up the prince for his excursion." Xavier finally replied after some prolonged silence as the guard read through the missive. However, I could all but feel the tension radiating off him. It was rather clear that he didn't appreciate being surrounded by guards, especially as he crossed his arms over his chest, but being right behind him, I saw that it was really just so he could place his hands on the hilts of two of the daggers along his ribs. The guard gave him a grin that had me taking a slight step back, considering it seemed more like a warning than anything friendly. 

"The king has been waiting for you. Please, come in." The guard said before turning and pushing the heavy gate open for us to follow him through. Bane shifted uncomfortably on Xavier's shoulders, the tip of his long tail twitched back and forth along Xavier's thigh as his wings rustled, and those golden eyes stared daggers into the back of the guard's head as he shifted to where he perched on Xavier's shoulder with a low rumble of a growl. Nova followed suit, instantly going on guard as she perched her small frame on my shoulder, as I followed close enough beside Xavier that my arm brushed against his, and his power sparked off my skin, causing a tremor to crawl up my spine. Feeling just how on edge he was instantly had my guard rising as well. 

Xavier purposely kept his pace slow, being sure that we all stayed close as we entered the palace grounds, now surrounded by guards on all sides as they led us through a lush, flower-filled courtyard. It was honestly beautiful. Flowers of every color imaginable bloomed in an elaborate array, all surrounding a tall, elaborate fountain with a marble statue of a large pegasus mounted soldier. 

They led us past the garden and into a huge white marble door into the largest open space I've ever seen in a building. It was almost large enough to fit Bane at his full size. The walls were covered in portraits of several different people. There were several seats and settees around the space. All of them were made of polished gold with crimson red cushions that didn't look like anyone had ever sat in them. 

Our steps echoed off the smooth, polished marble floor as I pressed in a little closer to Xavier's side. The open space made me feel far too small in contrast, but the instant my skin came in contact with his, that spark ran down my spine once more, instantly distracting me as we made our way through the huge hall and back out into a smaller garden. 

Xavier seemed to get even more tense as we continued through the second garden. Everything about him stiffened up as he stood straighter, his hand balled into a fist as the muscles along his arm flexed, and his knuckles turned white with the force. 

'Do you know why he's like this?' I asked Nova as her head swiveled to look at Xavier. 

'I'm not sure. Bane isn't answering other than to tell me to be on guard here. I'm getting a really bad feeling, Ari.' Nova answered, and I just swallowed hard, ducking behind Xavier as we were ushered into a narrow tunnel that led down a flight of stairs. The only light came from torches lining the walls, casting long shadows across the stone walls as we were led underground through a short hall before light broke through a gated entrance to the other side of wherever we were. The guard pushed the rusted iron gate open before ushering all of us through it back out into the bright morning light.