You Owe Me Two

Chapter 10 - Intruders and Insecurities

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My mood shot into the sky when we finally docked on the other side of the large lake. Many different boats and larger vessels crowded the waters on this side.

The old captain bid us goodbye and didn't waste a moment once we were settled onto the dock to take his leave. When I caught the eye of multiple different guards looking our way, I decided that he probably didn't have permission to dock there at all.

I was so relieved when we finally were off the boat and back on dry land.

"I feel so much better," I mumbled, closing my eyes for a second as I took a deep breath.

The big streets were full of people and animal drawn carriages. People hustled around with business on their minds and arms full of boxes.

This truly was the trading capital of Vespear. You could see it in the glittering shops and clean streets. The many men and women peddling their items and collecting more as they were brought in from the ships.

My eyes roamed the signs above the shops and hung in the glass windows. It was insane how many there were.

Zypher put a hand on my shoulder to stop me and to turn me towards a more quaint group of establishments. We had walked quite a ways from the docks to get to the less pricey places.

The Sleepy Hollow was printed in beautiful cursive letters across a piece of hanging wood.

"It's as good a place as any." Zypher shrugged and began leading the way across the street.

The door creaked as we entered. I gave the woman sitting at the front desk a small smile before finding my way to the large map hanging on the side wall. It was a zoomed in version of Neptropolis and had the names of all the businesses in it.

I ignored the conversation behind me and focused on trying to find a decent place to eat.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Zypher already starting up the stairs. I had to rush to catch up with his long strides.

Our room was B3 so it wasn't a long walk. It was a nicer place than usual. No peeling walls and actual carpeted floors. The door didn't make a single sound as it was opened.

A nice desk.

A small closet.

A huge window.

And two beds?

My brows furrowed as I did a double take on the beds. We had never gotten two before, even before we really knew each other.

I watched Zypher place his bag down casually and choose the bed closest to the window. He made no move to speak about the choice of room.

I sat down on the bed opposite slowly and tried to look natural. I peeked over at Zypher, watching him plan out where we were going next on his personal map.

He brought a pencil out of his bag and glanced up. I frantically turned away and tried to pretend I hadn't been staring.

I turned on my side, deciding it would be better if I wasn't tempted to watch him. I stared at the wall, confusion and insecurities leaking into my brain.

I thought we had been making progress. We never talked about what happened in Serone. Maybe that was still on his mind after weeks.

Had I said something? I raked my mind across what had happened on the boat and in town. Nothing stuck out.

Maybe what happened with the siren was stuck on his mind. I hadn't witnessed any of it and Zypher hadn't told me anything but I think it must have shaken him up at least.