A Dreamer's Knight

Chapter 9 - A Way Ahead

Mikaen lifted the glass lip of the ceramic stew pot and sniffed at the contents. He wasn't as good a cook as Kathryn, but the stew smelled good enough. After doling out a decent amount into a wooden bowl, he sat down at the table and said a quick prayer before starting on his dinner. He had only just lifted his spoon when someone knocked on his door.

"Come in!" he called out.

The door opened, revealing Jeronem. He was carrying his durien-tail staff over his shoulder, a wide grin on his face. The young vuestan changed little over the past seven months; if anything, he had become even more mischievous, thanks in part to his new staff. The rust-colored scales of the durien's tail had gradually fallen off, the flesh and bone within decomposing into an amber crystal core within weeks of Mikaen's defeat of the previous owner. Clusters of crystals sprouted from where the durien's spikes once jutted, and the whole staff seemed to pulse with a gentle light.

"Hey, Mikaen! Mind some company?"

Mikaen gestured to the stool across from him. "Of course not. Have a seat and grab some stew."

Jeronem set his staff against the wall. "Thanks! Mom's cooking has been so strange lately."

As Jeronem started to sit down across the table, Mikaen commented, "One stopped by today."

The young vuestan was so surprised that he missed his chair and ended up on the floor. He scrambled off the floor and onto the table, his brilliant blue eyes shining excitedly. "Really? What did he do? What he say?"

"Off the table!" Mikaen said, prodding Jeronem until he moved back to his chair. "Anyway, he talked about the first time he came here and asked me how I was doing."

"That's it?" said Jeronem, sounding disappointed.

Mikaen shrugged. "He said something about me being where the universe needs me to be. Don't get me wrong; I definitely get the feeling he's keeping an eye on me."

Jeronem appeared thoughtful. "Frankly, I'm not sure whether you should be grateful or jump off a cliff to end it quickly."

"I don't think he'd purposefully lead me astray," he said, his right hand moved unbidden to the pocket holding the Dreamer's Compass. "I'm more worried about his motives."

"If he is the same One my father and Trystan used to tell me about, it's probably not worth worrying about. I wish I coulda seen him." Jeronem's pout was interrupted by a surprisingly loud growl from his stomach.

Mikaen motioned toward the pot with his spoon. "Dig in."

Jeronem wasted no time in filling a bowl for himself. They ate in silence for a few minutes, pausing only to drink or to ladle out more stew.

Still slurping his soup, Jeronem glanced up. "What's he like anyway? One, I mean."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Mikaen replied with a smirk.

"Oh come on! You've met him twice already. What's he like?"

Mikaen sighed and set down his spoon, knowing from experience that Jeronem wouldn't stop pestering him until he got a satisfactory response. "He's about what I expected after reading up on the Dreamers. Definitely more mysterious than he thinks he is, but at the same time he's definitely out to help. Whether or not he's here to help me ... well, that remains to be seen."

They continued the meal in silence. Jeronem was the first to finish, pushing his bowl forward as he sat back in his chair.

"Ahh! That was good. I was too busy packing to get a meal in today."