Chapter 69: The morning after

The barrier had kept them out of sight and had nullified their noise making, yet, people still stared at them knowingly when they got out of it. It was a dreary morning, as many were, in the Mammoth's Graveyard.

Lucius didn't want to look at the other two. He didn't want to admit defeat. That he had allowed for them both to rope him with emotions he didn't want to possess.

"May I stay?" Leon murmured next to Thomas's ear. Lucius sent him a glare.

"You got what you came for. Now, leave us," the vampire snarled. Thomas sighed between them.

"You may, Leon. Although, I fear that the graveyard won't offer you many comforts," the siren spoke, and Lucius turned to glare at him next.

"You want him to stay just to piss me off," Lucius accused. Thomas shrugged.

"Could be. Maybe I feel like playing in the muck. Now, if you would both excuse me, I have things to do this morning," and with that, Thomas walked away from them.

"Where is he going?" Leon asked.

"He had inns commissioned," the vampire answered him. "I take it, he will go and check up on their construction."

"Does he even know how to build an inn?" The king sounded doubtful.

"Does he have to, what with the dungeon core and all?" Lucius asked him.

"I suppose not," Leon shrugged, and went back to his carriage. He was going to remain in here and make sure he was indispensable for both the guild master and the siren.

Thomas stared at the foundations of the inn before him. It was coming along nicely. With Chem supplying the materials, it was going to be done in less than a month.

He saw a caravan approaching, and went to greet them.

"Hello," he spoke, as the caravan leader smiled up at him.

"You have many greetings from our Lord of Vermont," the caravan leader told him. "This is for you, Protector of the People."

The caravan leader pulled out a mirror, and handed it over. It was made from ivory and a glass so clear that Thomas couldn't stop and stare at it.

"Are you certain this is for me? Maybe you brought if for the king?" Thomas suggested. He looked into the mirror. Now that he was looking, his cheeks looked to be sunken.

"Oh, yes. For you, Thomas Silver-Tongue. It is an ordinary mirror, I am afraid, but of a fine make. Don't you agree?" Thomas smiled, and placed the mirror in his bottomless bag.

"Do you need an escort for the rest of the way?" Thomas asked. It was only fair that he gave something in return to this man. "Not that the road is dangerous..."

"We won't say no to your company," the caravan leader offered his hand. "My name is Pavel."

Thomas shook the old man's hand, and walked beside him.

"Tell me, Pavel, what does Yaranhold need. Honestly need," Thomas spoke, when Pavel began shaking his head.

"Food, mostly. We have some fields, but most of our food is used to trade with the islands," Pavel admitted. "You have the heart of the king? Surely, you can broker a deal between him and lord Vermont?"

Thomas gave it some consideration. The cousins knew the truth about one another. They would not be easily swayed. Then, the number he liked to repeat to Lucius flashed in his mind. So many children, all likely to face hardship if things remained the same.

"I will see what I can do. Tell me, do you own the things in your caravan?" Thomas asked. He could have sworn he could feel an energy akin to his harp coming from one of the wagons.

"No, they are all the lord's. He is the only one who bothered to store the trinkets of the islands in bulk, you see. The rest of us just buy booze from them," Pavel told him with a chuckle.

"I know these will be appreciated," the siren spoke, sure of himself. "The lords and ladies in Orestria will buy them up. They have ranches, fields, livestock. I will make sure they pay in food, rather than in gold."

Thomas winked at the old man, who chuckled.

"With a voice like yours, my boy, I am certain you will have no problems doing that. Tell me, why do you wish to stay in this place for a month? If it is not a secret?" Pavel asked. Thomas became thoughtful then.

"You know, since we are being honest, I wanted to run away," Thomas admitted. "I lost a lot these couple of weeks. A friend turned into my enemy and then into..."

Thomas stopped himself from speaking further. What was Lucius to him? The vampire still blamed him; Thomas still didn't feel the guilt. Last night, he had allowed for the two to do as they pleased. Gave them everything he was, and allowed for their resentment towards one another to grow. Yet...

"Problems of the heart? Is the king not romancing you properly?" The caravan leader asked.

"I think I am in a triangle," Thomas admitted. Instead of the judgmental look he waited for, he received a chuckle.

"Well, you know how royals are. They proclaim their love one moment, and then demand that you share them the next," Pavel patted Thomas on the back.

"I am the one who demands to be shared," Thomas blurted out. "And I don't even know why."

"Oh," was all the aged man was able to say.

"Yes, well, this is my first relationship too, and I feel like I am screwing it up," Thomas groaned into his hands at the end of the sentence.

"I was there when the councilman died," Pavel spoke. Thomas uncovered his face to stare at him. "You are paying a steep price for keeping the guild and the king off Yaranhold."

The summoner blinked. He hadn't looked at it that way. Not once did he think he was sacrificing something. But, the more he thought about it, the more it looked that way.

"But, do you know what I believe?" Pavel asked him, his expression soft. "What you are doing is noble, and those murderers deserve to be cheated on."

Thomas barked a laugh, and the conversation turned to the weather.