Chapter 62

Dane woke to soft knocks on the wooden door of his chamber. Dane was groggy and empty, and he considered going back to sleep. Distantly, he felt his emotions protesting under the blanket of silence he had thrown over them. If they were refusing, it was probably not a good idea to stay up, right? Dane flicked the switch, and the emotions came rushing back in. Peaceful and a little happiness due to dreamless sleep, he smiled.

It wasn't common for Sleepers to have dreams in the Dream Realm. The only exceptions would come from supernatural occurrences or mental problems.

The knocks turned more urgent, and the bear seemed annoyed. Dane dismissed it, summoned his gambeson, and opened the door. It was Lara. "Yes?" he asked.

She thrust a piece of paper into his hands and returned to her room.

He shut the door and read it. The light breeze that blew through the windows made it sway in his grasp. "Dinner will be served shortly. Freshen up and be ready in 10 minutes at most." Dane turned to the table and moved the chair aside.

After dismissing his armor, he picked one of the many pieces of cloth from the table, dipped it in the water basin, and took to cleaning himself. When the fabric got too dirty to use, he placed it in the straw laundry basket that he hadn't noticed earlier. Then he picked up another strip of cloth and cleaned himself thoroughly. When he was done, he momentarily transformed, and all the water on his body splattered on the floor.

Then he summoned the Keeper's Half-Plate. The skintight bodysuit, beige gambeson, padded leggings, and metal sabatons covered him. He also summoned his scabbard and falchion, tying them to his waist. He had decided it wouldn't be practical to wear a plate on top of this for dinner. His blending cloak, however, he summoned. He hadn't noticed it before, but there were fastenings of steel on the gambeson's fringes to accommodate a cape.

Dane picked up the bronze mirror, looking himself over. He must have been asleep for a long time because his eye bags were gone, and other than his slight gauntness and unruly beard, he looked himself again. Though, even the beard had its charm.

He set the mirror down and left his room. Lara was already waiting for him outside. She greeted him with a feigned smile. Dane locked the door behind him and gestured for her to lead the way. She wore a floral-patterned blouse and a long black skirt, her black hair flowing well past her shoulders. She smelled nice. He could swear that it was some form of perfume he smelled. He asked her as much, "There is perfume in the Bright Castle?"

She reached into her pockets and handed him a slip of paper. Dane couldn't help but scoff. "There are all sorts of things and services here for trade or sale in the Bright Castle. You can pay with things you own, services, or soul shards."

"Memories can be sold or bought as well?" he questioned.

She nodded.

Finally, they walked through the main hall of the Keep. Instantly, hundreds of eyes turned to stare at him. Dane had expected it… he did savage a guard and get away with it. It wouldn't take long for word of that to spread.

The hall was lofty, august, and pleasing to the eyes. The evening sun streamed in through the tall windows and reflected a reddish-orange hue from the white marble walls that sported intricately carved tapestries. He could only imagine what a beautiful sight it would be in the early morning as golden light graced the hall.

Across the hall was a set of stairs that led to a dark alcove. The back wall of the alcove had tiny holes cut through it, letting fiery red light illuminate the space. Beneath the light was an empty throne. Gunlaug's seat, yet he did not deign to sit there or in the hall, it seemed.

Jimmy stood from his table, waving. He gestured Dane over, patting the bench next to him. Dane nodded at him before starting for the Handmaidens in charge of rationing the food. He received a plate of Monster stew and a cup of something similar to tea.

He strode over with Lara at his heel, and Jimmy scooted over to make space for them. Dane sat to Jimmy's right, and Lara sat to his right. A handsome young man sat opposite Dane. He had a head of luscious dark auburn hair and possessed green eyes. He knew him, he thought.

"You look familiar," he said. "Have we met before? I'm Dane."

The man offered Dane a handshake. His voice, though jumbled, was awfully similar and soothing. Lara offered Dane a paper slip. It read, "Kai. Nightingale." The paper slipped onto the floor, and Dane's mouth must have as well because everyone immediately burst into laughter.

"No wonder I found you familiar," he chuckled when he recollected himself. Dane dug into his food. It didn't taste bad, and there were even vegetables in the stew. When Jimmy turned to him and said something, Lara put her utensil down and pulled her pen out.

"Please," Dane pulled the pen out of her hand, "I'd rather not converse if it's disturbing your meal. Eat. You can write later."