THE KEEPERS RISE

Chapter 8 - Unsettling Differences - Part 2

*Remember to click the play button to listen to the soundtrack as you read!*

All eight of the Keepers teleported back to the spaceport for the night. It turned out that all of them had been sleeping on the Stargazer during their time on Khar'tohan. It was lucky that time on Khar'tohan was behind Myusaria's and not ahead, Velda realized, otherwise she would have been taken to the spaceport in the middle of the night and they all would have lost some sleep.

Ivy headed straight to her room as soon as they got on board the Stargazer. Ozul and a few other Keepers gathered just inside the bridge and started talking eagerly about the ship's configurations. Once Velda felt like she could escape the chatter, she went down the hall to her room and sat down on her bed with a sigh, thankful that it was now the right size for her.

Yet, lying down on a solid surface didn't seem right. She was used to hammocks that would support her all around, but mattresses were comparatively stiff and unforgiving. She would do the work to get comfortable here. The blankets were even more unfamiliar. Meps regulated their body temperature with their fur, but Velda knew she would get cold as a human. Even so, she knew it wouldn't be wise to waste energy by changing her form every night.

Velda sat up, pulling out her sword to examine it for imperfections as Will'ym had. She had no idea what magic he had used to sharpen it, but he'd done an excellent job. Cha came out of her stone too, to watch. "I noticed something odd about these runes that Will'ym spoke of," the vaya said after observing her for a time.

"What do you mean?" Velda turned the sword vertically so she could read the runes right side up. They made no sense to her, of course, but they still had a more pleasing appearance when they were oriented correctly.

"Will'ym told you about three rune enchantments he put on your weapon. And yet, there are four runes here."

Velda glanced down the sword and saw that Cha was right. Four distinct runes covered the blade. "That's odd," Velda said, running her hand down the runes. They seemed unfamiliar now.

"I believe Will'ym did not tell you the purpose of the final rune. Whether intentionally or accidentally, I cannot be certain, but you may want to mention this to him."

Velda shook her head adamantly. "He might have a reason to keep this a secret," she argued, "I don't have a right to push into his business." She looked at the sword again. "Maybe arcana needs two of the runes to work."

"Perhaps. It is hard to say." Velda nodded and went to her closet, quietly changing into a sleeping gown. Cha followed at a close distance, saying softly, "He likes you, you know."

"What?" Velda crossed her arms indignantly. "He's barely known me for a day! There's no way that's true!"

"His eye movements and tone of voice suggest otherwise. I have watched the universe for long enough to tell."

"What are you talking about?"

"He has been watching you closely. And humanoid men usually speak in a slightly deeper voice when they are attracted to someone."

Velda stared at it. "You're completely insane."

Cha chuckled. "Or maybe you are the insane one. I merely thought you should know."

Cha returned to her stone contentedly, and Velda was left in eerie silence. She padded back to her bed and laid down, pulling the blankets over her. The lights turned off.

Sleeping as a human was incredibly difficult for Velda, despite her exhaustion. She couldn't figure out how to get comfortable with such a stable surface under her. She woke up a few times on the rather hard metal floor, having rolled over too much. Somehow, she managed to drift off, but her sleep was restless and full of strange dreams.