Promise the Sky

Chapter 52

A.N. Sorry for the mix-up, I changed the order of some chapters and confused myself. Chapter 51 should be Ben, and 52 Keenan. It doesn't really matter if you've read them the wrong way, it's just that the Keenan chapter placemarks a few days in Ben's storyline so that it doesn't just jump straight forward :) 

Chapter 52

Keenan

I sit in my room, growing bubbles of silence over the crackling fire and popping them sullenly. I can't understand why I feel the need to do it, I'm going to have to shower afterwards, and they'll never get the smell out the sheets.

But I'm all on edge, thinking about Kiara, thinking about war. I feel wasted here, sitting in this fancy room, when I should be out there, doing something in the name of peace.Another bubble bursts, and the crack and pop of burning wood fills the room once more.

I stand, disrupting the perfect spread of the bed, and storm to the door, running my hands through my hair. My father would have this sorted by now; he wouldn't tolerate the insipid demands of his friends, he wouldn't be treating this like a holiday. He would be busy diplomat...ing.

My hand hovers uncertainly over the brass doorknob, just waiting to open it. Not sure what I'm expecting when I get into the corridor, but I'm hoping I'll find such necessary things as responsibility, authority, and the knowledge of what to do next.

My fingers brush cold metal and with a deep breath I turn the knob, taking my first grand stride out into adulthood.

A maid squeals as she runs past, the sound turning into a smothered giggle as she careens around the next corner. I look up into William's grin and realise that adulthood is going to have to wait. He waves, the movement ending as he raises an arm up to run it through his tousled hair.

I smile, the expression spreading gleefully across my lips. "Pay up."

"Hmm?"I realise my words have distracted him from thoughts I really never want to hear.

"Pay up," I repeat, "We had money on this. You couldn't wait for the girl on the rooftop."

William yawns, looking down at his watch."Three o'clock," he says, "no one sleeps at three in the afternoon, and I do believe 'sleeping' was a key pivot in our deal. What are you doing anyway?"

"I don't know, Will," I say, giving up on coaxing out even a scrap of his honour, "I wanted to find Celyn. Doesn't it seem strange to you that we've been here so long and not actually spoken to anyone important? I'm meant to be discussing this war, and I want to find out what happened to that bloke that went missing, or died, or whatever it was that he did."

Will shrugs, fixing his hair and straightening his jacket.

"If I were you, young Keenan," he says, "I'd be realising round about now that there are far more important things to be worried about."

"Like what? Chasing foreign women and finding ways to weasel out of the money you owe?"

"No." Will plays with the top button of his shirt; doing it up, teasing it loose, trying to decide which look he likes best. "I'd be wondering why, on the eve of war, nobody's actually talking about it. I'd be worrying about the fact that whenever you speak about the Morning Man, Leste Ryoles, representative of the Mirror City, the East, and an entire third of our world, henceforth to be known only as 'that bloke', no one can look you in the eye. People change the conversation Keenan, that they do. But do you know what? Ignoring everything else, I'd even just be worried that the city's haunted, if I were you."