Daydreams And Nightshade (DaN #1)

Chapter 6: It opened, didn't it?

"Oh sure, he's definitely not hiding something," Luna mumbled in Noah's and Vincent's direction as they entered the town hall for a second time, noticing the armed servant from the other day had been accompanied by yet another. "But at least that confirms that my near encounter with his basement spooked him."

To solidify it, the first servant gave the new one a discreet gesture in Luna's direction, and Luna couldn't help but feel proud of being the main threat. On the less positive side, that meant it would prove even harder to sneak around.

"So how do we get down there?" She still looked forward, speaking under her breath so only the two closest to her would hear, hopefully."

"We don't." Vincent's voice was stern. "One armed person was bad enough. We don't want to aggravate two of them."

"But what if we find something?"

"The guns will work the same regardless."

"But in the dream—"

"You can't justify your actions based on a dream." Vincent sounded no less unimpressed as when she'd told him about the sleep time events on their way there. "A dream is a dream, not reality."

Luna narrowed her eyes. Vincent was not allowed to interrupt her and he knew that, but it was no matter. She'd just have to prove him wrong and laugh at him later.

Noah halted in his step all of a sudden, causing Luna to walk into him with an 'oof', and he held a finger to his lips before she could yell at him.

Well mannered enough to give him the moment of silence, her annoyance grew further as nothing happened. He kept listening for something but aside from the others' voices, there was nothing.

"I have an idea," Noah then said, and Luna arched her eyebrows.

"You're going to help?"

Even Noah looked like he was scolding himself already, but he nodded.

"There is something wrong, and I don't think it will go away unless we do something."

"So what do we do?"

"We need to get rid of the servants first," Noah began, but paused as Vincent shook his head.

"We are not going up against people with guns."

"Vincent, you should know you can't stop us," Luna whispered with a sigh. "If you're not gonna help, just don't get in our way."

"Are you two coming along?" Claus called out to them from the doorway to the sitting room where Lucius and Damien had already entered, and Luna smiled sheepishly.

"Uh, I'd... rather not. It just got a little too much for me yesterday, with the hangings and all..." She cleared her throat. "... but I learned my lesson yesterday, and I apologize. I will not be snooping around."

Claus sent a glance in the servants' direction, seemingly deeming their presence good enough, so he nodded before heading back into the sitting room.

"Now what?" Luna whispered while rooting through her pockets as if looking for something to pass time with, and Noah licked his lips in thought.

"We need to get rid of the servant from yesterday." He pretended to be very interested in whatever Luna was pulling out, which was mostly small rocks. "If we can do that and you can distract the one standing in front of the basement door for just a little while, I can make him leave."

"How?"

"Just trust me."

Luna didn't want to, but as much as she hated it Noah was not stupid and probably had something decent in mind.