Sky Full of Stars

Chapter 11: Secrets and Truths

    I had a dreamless sleep, but it was so peaceful, I didn't mind in the slightest. When I awoke, Miznia was in the tent, packing her things. The sun was still low on the horizon, but I could hear the others moving about outside, preparing breakfast and tearing down their tents.

    "Good morning..." Miznia whispered softly, hesitant. I looked up at her and smiled.

    "Good morning" I replied gently, head tilted slightly.

    "You remember last night then?" She asked carefully.

    I chuckled softly. "How could I forget? Even I'm not creative enough to dream something like that."

    Her responding smile warmed me to my core, and I grinned back at her. "I was just about to wake you. The others are getting ready to leave. But I thought you might need your sleep after... Well, all that. It was a lot" Miznia said softly, her voice sounding a bit sad.

    I shifted onto my knees in front of her and took her hands gently. "What's wrong?"

    She met my gaze and smiled softly. "Nothing to worry about. Get ready, breakfast is nearly done." Then she was gone, already outside and talking to Emdrom.

    I sighed and began my morning routine. I straightened out my hair as best I could using my fingers. Then I tied it up into a ponytail and quickly donned my armor, which took five minutes on its own, before turning back to the rest of my belongings to pack them up. All in all, it took about ten minutes before I was back out of the tent, my pack slung over my shoulder, warhammer and shield on my back.

    I turned to tear down the tent and caught sight of Miznia serving out breakfast. Leftovers from last nights rabbit stew, no doubt. It wasn't the best, but it was edible and nutritious, which was all we could really ask for in the wilderness like this. We had rations, but the more we could hunt for our food, the better chance we stood if we needed to use the rations in a place where there weren't animals to hunt.

    Tearing down the tent was simple enough, and before long I was seated between Miznia and Emdrom while we all ate breakfast together. That was done in relative silence, with Ulneak and Alben exchanging a few words but nothing interesting enough to note.

    Then we were moving again, and it seemed like no one had any idea what had changed in our group dynamic. Frankly, I wasn't sure I was sure what had changed either. The thing was, Miznia and I hadn't discussed what was next, if anything was next. And I wasn't one to assume.

    The one thing that was different was how we travelled. A subtle change for the others, but for me, it spoke volumes. Rather than sitting as far back from me as she could while we travelled, Miznia sat close, her arms wrapped around my waist. This didn't alarm any of the others. They probably figured she was tired of trying to keep her balance in such an awkward position.

    I didn't believe that, and I thought she knew that.

    We travelled in silence for the next three days, and finally arrived at the town of Nightgate as the sun was beginning to set. We dismounted our horses at the stables that connected to the single tavern and went inside, glad to find it was already warded against vampires.

    The young man behind the counter looked up, a short halfling man, no older than twenty-three, and smiled warmly. He didn't direct it at any one person, which was a relief after the Defiant Plate.

    "Hello! Welcome to the Tricky Traveler. You made it just in time, we were just about to lock the doors for the evening." His voice was relatively calm despite the vampires that would most likely attack tonight.

    I glanced around our group, and when no one seemed most likely to do the talking, I stepped forward. "Good evening. We were hoping to rent out a few rooms if at all possible. We're here to... Handle the pest problem you've been having" I told him as calmly as he had addressed us.

    I watched his face carefully, quite suspicious of his unusually calm demeanor. No one would be so calm in the face of bloodsucking monsters, but his eyes were a calm green color, as far from that bright red as they could possible be.

    "Oh, of course! We only have two rooms available, one double room that has two large beds, and one single room with one large bed. Will that be sufficient?" He asked, looking between the six of us.

    I glanced at the rest of my companions. "Boys and Cylqis together, girl together?" I asked them, feeling a bit hopeful that I'd be able to have an entire night to ourselves, if for no other purpose then getting to know each other more.

    Emdrom looked to Cylqis, who nodded, then to the twins, who looked at each other, nodded, then nodded to Emdrom. "That sounds good to us" Emdrom answered.

    I looked to Miznia, head tilted slightly. "Are you okay with that?"

    Miznia nodded, meeting my gaze, and while she was careful to keep her face neutral, I thought I saw a hint of joy in her eyes. "That works. It's the most logical situation."

    I nodded and looked back to the young man behind the counter. "We'll take them both."

    "How many nights?"

    "We'll start with the one. The hope is to handle the situation relatively early tomorrow morning."

    "That'll be a gold piece, ma'am" he said lightly.

    I slid it across the counter and he slid both key over to me. "This is a temporary residence. Please ensure your windows stay closed, and don't invite anyone into the room that you are unfamiliar with" he instructed us.

    I passed the key to the double room over to Cylqis, which they pocketed and nodded to me. I took the key to the single room and pocketed it myself. "I don't suppose we could get some dinner? We weren't really able to stop for a good meal before we made it here. We wanted to be sure we made it before nightfall."

    The young man nodded and disappeared into the back for a moment. I looked to Emdrom and the twins. "Grab us a table? We'll bring the food over."

    Emdrom nodded and led the twins to the empty table closest to the stairs. The tavern was almost completely empty, everyone having either already gone home or to their rooms. Three individuals, a human man and woman and their daughter, were the only ones still downstairs, talking quietly amongst themselves. The child looked to be maybe eight or nine years old, but despite that, I still felt a twinge of pain as I remembered my Little Mouse back home.

    The man returned with six plates of what looked like smoked boar and bread, with a handful of grapes and strawberries on each. The plates were balanced precariously on his arms, and he managed to slide them all onto the counter before any of them fell.

    "Will there be anything else? Drinks of any kind?"

    I looked to Cylqis and Miznia, who both nodded. "I think ales would lift everyone's spirits after our journey" I told him, and slid two more gold pieces over to him.

    He pocketed the coins and nodded. "I'll bring them right over." Then he was gone again. We each grabbed two plates of food and made our way over to the rest of the group.

    Once we were settled in and had our plates passed out, the young man made his way over to us, carrying a tray with six ales. He set them in front of us, then was gone, grumbling about now having to stay the night in the tavern again.

    I turned my attention to the rest of the group. "We're still agreed on the plan, yes?" I muttered under my breath, taking a bite of the boar.

    Emdrom looked between the twins and Cylqis, all of whom nodded. The only one who looked hesitant was Miznia, but she said nothing. Emdrom looked back to me and nodded.

    "Aye. We're in agreement. The four of us will lead the vampires out, and we'll strategize how to handle that tonight. You and Miznia handle the resting place, and if it's still in there, the master."

    I nodded and we continued our meal in silence. Once I had finished, I pushed away from the table, the first done with my meal, and made my way upstairs. I heard a chair slide against the floor at the base of the stairs, but I didn't look back, making my way into the single bedroom and closing the door behind me.

    I began my nightly routine, removing and cleaning my armor and weapons. I wasn't long into the process when I heard the door open, close, and lock. I didn't look up, but I knew it was Miznia who made her way into the room and sat on the bed. I made no effort to start the conversation I knew we had to have until my routine was complete. Once I was done, I straightened up and turned to face her.

    At some point while I was focused on my gear, she had changed into her nightclothes, something I hadn't seen before since we never wore such clothes out on the road. It was simply impractical, especially since she could sleep in her armor, and, like myself and Cylqis, we opted not to change in the middle of the wilderness.

    I blinked as I stared at her slender form, her dark arms, legs, and midriff completely bare. She wore only the bare minimum to cover what was socially expected to be covered, and I felt my throat go dry at the sight.

    "Um... Hello" I mumbled, still staring at her.

    She raised a brow at me, smirking. "Hello there" she replied, her voice soft, melodic.

    I was still dressed in my plainclothes, having only removed my armor and not yet changed into my nightclothes. And yet, her eyes drank me in almost as deeply as mine did her. The intensity of her gaze made me dizzy, and I had to look away for my own sanity, blushing deeply.

    I heard her soft laugh, but it sounded only half-hearted. I looked back to her, and when I met her eyes, I saw fear and sadness there. It took me aback, how easily I was able to read her emotions now, and how deep her emotions seemed to run.

    "Miznia... What's wrong?" I asked softly.

    She shook her head and waved vaguely in my direction. "Get changed first. We have a lot to talk about."