Ancient Guardians: The Uninvited by S. L. Morgan

peace you have in Pemdas.”
    “Peace?” Levi looked at Reece as if she’d lost her mind. “Reece, my father is dispatching a group to investigate the fact that one of his kings is most likely being slowly murdered by a group of men, and you believe that there is harmony in Pemdas? Hardly; and without burdening you with what my father deals with on a continual basis, I will say that he is constantly involved with localized governments, ensuring that Pemdas will not encounter any unnecessary uproars.”
    She shook her head. “Has he considered what could happen if the majority of Pemdas opposes my marrying you?”
    Levi inhaled deeply and took her hand. “Come with me,” he said in a low voice, while reaching for her hand. When they were out of the garden area, Levi led her on a path that followed a stone fence line. The path led up a small hill, where three large buildings stood, detached and isolated from the main house.
    “Where are we going?” Reece asked; a little confused as to where Levi was dragging her off to. She was slightly hesitant, given the outfit she was wearing.
    “We’re going to answer your question,” was all he said in response.
    Horse stables? she thought, as they walked in through a side door. They walked down the wooden floors in between the stables where the horses were being held. Some horses took notice of them, holding their heads over their stable door and watching in silence as Levi and Reece passed them. A deep whinny from their left alerted Reece to Areion, who seemed interested that they were in the stable building. Areion began nodding his head up and down, and softly pawed the ground.
    “Areion, settle,” Levi said, as he took the horse’s reins off a hook. “Give me a moment,” he told Reece, as he walked into Areion’s stall.
    As soon as Levi entered the stall, Areion began stamping his feet impatiently. “Settle,” Levi firmly ordered the horse again as he brought a navy-blue, padded blanket over Areion’s back.
    Levi took the reins he held over his shoulder and brought them up over his head. She watched with apprehension as Levi’s fingers encouraged the bit into Areion’s mouth, and cringed when Areion bit down hard on the mouthpiece. Levi had the horse saddled and ready to ride within minutes of entering the stable. He tossed the reins up and over Areion’s head, gripped the loose ends under the horse’s chin, and led him out of the stall.
    As Levi approached Reece, he reached out for her hand and walked toward the back exit of the stables. He said nothing, and neither did Reece; the only sound was the clicking of Areion’s heavy hooves against the hard wood surface of the building. Once outside, they made their way along another path that led down toward the shore.
    “Seriously, Levi,” Reece finally spoke out. “What are you doing?”
    “You’re about to find out.”
    Reece pressed her lips together, wondering how a horseback ride was going to solve any of their problems. Maybe this was Levi’s therapy, but it was hardly hers. Even if they had an excellent ride, they would still end up where they started, facing a serious issue in their relationship.
    The moonlight glistened on the water’s surface, and the white sand illuminated like glitter. The view of the ocean from where they stood was absolutely astounding. A soft breeze blew the salty air onto her face and through her hair, and Reece’s irritability started to fade away.
    Levi softly called out to Areion, halting him. He turned to Reece and smiled warmly at her. “You questioned whether or not our relationship would bring problems however, after this night, you should be assured that our marriage will be accepted in Pemdas.”
    Reece’s eyebrows knit together in absolute confusion. “Sorry, Levi, but you lost me somewhere between ending our conversation in the garden, and showing up at the horse stables.” She laughed in disbelief at how their serious conversation somehow became a moonlit