Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ive double-checked the hallway six times now. It should be safe, right?

Garrett had never considered himself a coward, but having a terrifying monster try to possess you was enough to give even the most courageous person pause. Slowly turning the door handle, he took a deep breath and opened it suddenly, hoping that if anything was lurking in the hallway, the light from the Dreamers Throne would burn it up. Instead, he saw a completely empty, totally normal corridor. Smiling sheepishly, he left the room and entered the office. Not before double-checking that no nightmares had entered while he wasnt looking, of course.

The two men were still by the desk, probably talking about something business-related. It was early in the morning, and from the wine bottles that littered the desk it looked like they had been up all night. Approaching them cautiously, Garrett made sure to avoid touching either man, since he didnt know what sort of impact it would have. Once he felt like everything was safe, he activated Dream Seed once again, targeting Gorn.

His soul spark surged, releasing a wave of energy that spun together into a tiny ball that drifted toward Gorn like a seed caught in the wind. As it arrived in front of him, Gorns soul spark flared, but the tiny seed of energy rose into the air, avoiding the wave of energy and settling into Gorns head.



[Dream Seed] - Observation Seed (dormant)

You have infected a dreamer with a Dream Seed. To sprout, a seed needs the proper environment and nurturing. With time, seeds can grow into choking thorns or beautiful flowers.



As soon as the seed had settled into place, Garrett felt an instinctive connection with it. He had spent an experience point planting the seed, but he still had no idea what it did or how it would benefit him. Hanging around for a bit, he didnt see any change in Gorn, so he turned his gaze to Henrick. The innkeepers soul spark was much brighter than the thugs, and Garrett got the feeling when he looked at it that trying to plant a Dream Seed in Henricks head wouldnt work nearly as well. Deciding to leave it for later, Garrett took a few turns around the room, trying to clear out as much of the Dreams haze as he could, then went back to his own room.

Falling out of the Dream, he saw that Ryn was still asleep, so he didnt light his candle. It was too early for the sun, so he sat in the darkness, trying to organize his mind. As he sat there with his eyes closed, a faint sense tugged at his mind and he turned his attention toward it, realizing he was sensing the Dream Seed hed planted in Gorns head. Stunned that he could sense it outside of the Dream, Garret tried to use Observe the Dream but it failed to activate, leaving him confused.

What I would give for a user manual. Figuring all of this stuff out on my own is really frustrating.

It wasnt long before the room began to grow lighter as the sun peeked up over the horizon and the sounds of the city soon drifted in the window, waking Ryn. Blinking, she sat up and looked around, her eyes going wide when she saw Garrett sitting up, his quill scratching gentle lines on the account books.

Are you working already?

Hearing Ryns voice, Garrett put down his quill and turned to look at her, balancing himself with his arm on the edge of the table.

Good morning. Theres a lot to do, so I thought it would be best to get started. Do you have plans this morning?

Huh? Plans? No, why, whats up?

I was hoping you could do something for me, Garrett said, turning his attention back to the books.

Can it wait till after breakfast? Ryn asked with a yawn.

Yes.

Good, because Im starving. Ill go see what they have for us.

Still rubbing her bleary eyes, Ryn tossed her blanket aside and got out of bed, heading for the door. Turning her head to say something to Garrett, she saw him frowning and stopped.

What?

Second, he had the Dream and his strange abilities in it. He had no idea how the world of the Dream worked, and it seemed to be more dangerous than helpful at the moment, but he could sense the potential it contained. Not just in allowing him to grow stronger personally, but also in gathering intelligence and gaining leverage that hed have no access to otherwise. Finally, he had himself. With a wealth of knowledge from Earth and a clear understanding of the noble circles, he could cover for the knowledge Ryn lacked. While he still wasnt quite sure about trusting her, the fact that shed already gone out on a limb for him, and more than once at that, allayed his suspicions well enough.

So, you wanted me to do something, right? Ryn asked, brushing her ragged hair out of her eyes and licking her spoon clean.

Indeed. We stand on shaky ground at the moment and need to shore up our position. This means making ourselves useful. I need you to help me figure out the best ways to be helpful. Today, if you have nothing else to do, go make yourself useful around the building. Volunteer to sweep, do dishes, that sort of thing.

You want me to go do chores? First the bed, then cleaning the room, now you want me to clean the inn? Are you insane? I told you, Im not your maid, Ryn said, grabbing her bowl and standing up abruptly.

Shaking his head at her angry look, Garrett reached up and touched his ear.

No, I want you to put yourself in a position to listen. I need you to listen to whats going on around here. See if you can pick up any problems that people are having that we might be able to solve. Dont put yourself in danger, but if the cook is complaining about something to do with his job, or the Ghouls Tooth members are moaning about their work, pay attention. While you do that, Ill work on this. If Im right, we only have about three days before Henrick gets tired of us, which means we need to make ourselves useful first.

Arent you doing the money counting for him? Ryn asked, confusion creeping across her face. Isnt that enough?

No. Money counting doesnt need to be done every day, so were wasting space. Once Im done, well be thrown out.

Ugh, are you serious? I thought I was safe! This is so frustrating.

It is, but dont worry. Follow my directions, and I promise, youll be able to stay here as long as you want.

Smirking at his brave words, Ryn rolled her eyes at Garrett.

Please, you cant walk or hold a weapon, and the thugs were facing will have no qualms about throwing us to the dogs as soon as they decide they cant wring any more profit from us.

Surprised by the stark realism Ryns words carried, Garrett cracked a smile.

Thats true, which means we just need to become so valuable they cant throw us away. Keep your ear out for the next few days and tell me as soon as you hear something. Have you ever done any intelligence work?

Intelligence work? Whats that? Ryn asked, her forehead furrowing in confusion.

Spying. The key is not showing interest. Youre there to clean, or take the plates, or whatever it is youre doing. No one will suspect you working since were trying to stay here and that sort of behavior is in our interest. Oh, I meant to ask, do you have a way to protect yourself?

No self-respecting girl wouldnt, Ryn replied, a short dagger appearing in her hand.

Good. Hopefully you wont need it, but its nice to be prepared. Now, please clear the table, I need to get back to work if Im going to finish inside of a week.

Sticking out her tongue again, Ryn grabbed the plates and bowls, stacking them on top of each other carelessly. Sweeping some crumbs off the table and onto the floor, she seemed to take delight in the vein that throbbed on Garretts temple. Opening the door, she paused and looked back at him, her face growing serious. For close to a minute she just stared at him, her eyes locked with his.

Is there something on my face? Garrett finally asked, reaching up to touch his cheek.

Ive invested a lot in you, you know. Pretty much everything. I could start over, but it would take me forever. You owe me a whole silver, and at least a dozen copper. With interest. So make sure this plan of yours, whatever it is, works.