Dreamer's Throne

“I’m not so sure about this,” Ryn said, her hands pulling nervously at her shawl.

She and Garrett were outside a large building in the northern part of the city, near the adventurers’ guild. One of the soap manufacturers Garrett had spoken to Henrick about was housed in this building, and the smell of the sharp chemicals they used as part of the soap-making process filled the air and stung their eyes.

“What is there to be worried about?” Gorn asked gruffly. “It’s not like you’ll need to do any of the talking. You’re only here to push Mr. Brain around and look demure.”

“Exactly! That’s what I’m not sure about. I don’t even know what demure means, so how am I supposed to act like that?” Ryn snapped, causing Gorn to chuckle.

“Demure. Meaning reserved, modest, or shy,” Garrett said calmly.

“Literally none of those words describe me. Now, if you wanted me to act vivacious, that I could do.”

“Good word,” Garrett said, a slight smile curling at the corners of his lips.

“Thanks, I’ve been learning,” Ryn said, not hiding her pleased expression.

“Just relax and be confident. Be yourself. We’re here to establish a partnership, and for that we need mutual trust. Mutual trust is built on honesty, so let’s start there.”

Shooting Gorn a triumphant look, Ryn got an eyeroll back. Watching Gorn carefully, Garrett was quite impressed. Recently Gorn’s character had relaxed even more than normal, though it was only noticeable when he was around Garrett. Though he couldn’t pinpoint the cause precisely, Garrett assumed it was the result of Beautiful Bewitchment. The change had been significantly clearer in Reeve, who wasn’t Awakened but still hosted three Dream Flowers. His attitude was normal when dealing with everyone else, but he was practically slavish when Garrett spoke to him, forcing Garrett to go out of his way to avoid the man.

Thankfully, Garrett had been able to command him to act normally before things got too out of hand, but it was a clear sign to him that two Dream Flowers was the limit for any mortal. Beyond that, they began to treat Garrett with a level of reverence that made him uncomfortable. Awakened had much stronger minds and were able to resist the influence of the Dream Flowers a bit better, but even they would often find their own rationalizations for the suggestions Garrett gave.

It was strange, since they clearly had their own thoughts, preferences, and wills, but once the Dream Flower sank its roots into them, they were happy to reorient their desires toward what the flower, and consequently, Garrett, wanted. If it kept up, Garrett was concerned he was going to turn into the villain. In fact, he often wondered if he already had. Shaking himself free of his thoughts, Garrett glanced back at Ryn.

“Let’s go in.”

The office of the soap factory was messy, with papers and broken bits of soap scattered here and there. A large man with a bright red face sat behind a large desk that bent under his weight as he leaned on it. Noticing the three of them come in, he bounced up and ran over, his fat stomach sweeping a dozen papers to the ground as he tried to squeeze past the piles of paper on the table.

“Master Garrett! You’re okay! I mean alive! Oh, this is so great! I can’t believe you’re alive! The rumors said… oh, it’s terrible, but I’m so glad to see you’re okay!”

“Hello, Carraway.”

“It is certainly a relief to see you, young master. And I trust the prince is well?”

Seeing the merchant’s beady eyes staring down at him, Garrett wished for nothing more than the ability to stand up and knock the greasy smile off Carraway’s face, but he lacked both the ability and the proper cause. His memories of the merchant weren’t positive, but for the plan he’d proposed to Henrick to work, he would need the fat merchant’s help.

“Mm.”

A barely noticeable smirk crossed Carraway’s lips as he gestured for Garrett to come into the little sitting area in front of his messy desk. Ryn pushed Garrett over and then stood quietly behind him, looking around with interest. Gorn, after giving the room a careful look, stood by the door, his thick arms crossed over his chest. Easing his bulk onto the large couch across from Garrett, Carraway gave Garrett another appraising look, his gaze staying for longer than was appropriate on the poor-quality clothing Garrett was wearing.

“You’re a busy man, so I’ll cut right to the chase,” Garrett said, his voice even. “I’d like to put the plan the prince had begun to talk to you about into action.”

“You mean selling soap to the commoners?” Carraway asked, his eyebrows rising.

“Indeed.”

“Ah, you know, I was just thinking about that the other day! You know, Prince Everan truly possesses a love for his citizens. I was talking to some of the other soap manufacturers about this and we all agree that this is an amazing idea. It will not only help with sanitation in the city, but will prove to the citizens how wonderful the ruling family is. Of course, there are a lot of things to take into consideration for this to work out well for all parties. For example, the cost of labor has been high recently, and while we don’t have to factor shipping into the price, there are a lot of fees that have to be paid to the different guilds.”

Listening to Carraway’s chatter, Garrett’s eyes narrowed and he failed to keep his frustration out of his voice.

“Don’t beat around the bush. What price can you give me?”

The concerned expression the merchant wore cracked and a dismissive smile replaced it.

“For you? Out of consideration of the deal we were talking about with Prince Everan, I can sell you bars at forty-nine copper a piece.”

“That’s not even a discount!” Ryn blurted out, unable to control her mouth.

The smirk that covered Carraway’s face deepened and he held up a single finger.

“On the contrary, it’s exactly one copper less than it should cost. But by all means, if you’re not interested in a partnership, you don’t have to buy. From what I understood, you were here representing the prince, but if that’s not the case, I’ll have to revise my quoted price. One silver, ten copper.”

“You…!”

“Ryn.”

Falling silent at Garrett’s calm voice, Ryn just ground her teeth, much to Carraway’s amusement. The fat merchant was clearly taking pleasure in the current situation, and from what he knew of the man, capitulating would only make things worse. Without the prince Garrett had no leverage, and Carraway knew it. While he hadn’t expected to fool the merchant, he was hoping things wouldn’t have come to this. With a silent sigh, Garrett decided to abandon all his plans.

“Thank you for your time, Carraway. This meeting has been most insightful. Ryn, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Hmph. Gladly,” Ryn said, grabbing the back of Garrett’s wheelchair.

“Oh? You’re leaving? Here I thought you actually wanted to fulfill the prince’s wishes. It’s a shame, you know, what happened to him.”

Reaching down, Garrett grabbed the wooden wheel of his wheelchair, causing it to stop abruptly. Turning his head, he looked at Carraway’s slimy expression, his gaze frigid.

“Oh? And what is it that happened to him?”

“I would have thought, given your circumstances, that you would already know,” Carraway said, laughing.

“Indeed,” Garrett nodded, his voice flat. “Today is clearly not a good day, but I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Laughing so hard his belly shook, Carraway shook his head, wiping away a tear that formed in the corner of his eye.

“Master Garrett, you are a funny one. If you do, know that the price will only go up.”

“Mm. We’ll see,” Garrett said, snapping his fingers.

Unseen, a small spark flew through the air, sinking into Carraway’s wide forehead as Garrett gestured for Ryn to continue taking him out of the office. With Gorn following, they left the manufacturing plant. Once they were out of sight, Garrett had Ryn pull to the side of the street. Turning to look at Gorn, he saw the confusion on his face.

“Does this mean that our plan is a no-go?” Gorn asked, a heavy edge to his voice.

“On the contrary,” Garrett said, his voice ice cold. “It means the chances of our success have just shot up to one hundred percent. How long do we have until curfew?”

“There should be about an hour or so,” Gorn said, looking up at the sky.

“I need to stay here overnight. It will be safer for me to hide by myself, so help me arrange some cover. And then the two of you will need to go back to the inn for the night and come back for me tomorrow.”

“What?”

“Are you crazy?”

Shaking his head, Garrett lifted up his hand, forestalling the protests about to spill from Ryn and Gorn’s mouths. Looking between them, Garrett spoke softly.

“It’s a bit of a risk, but I should be fine. Just leave me here and come back tomorrow.”

“Are you meeting your spy network?” Gorn asked, his forehead furrowing.

“Something like that. If we use those broken boxes and that scrap of cloth, we can make a small space where I can lay down. Put me in there. Just don’t forget to pick me up tomorrow.”

Shaking her head, Ryn stared at Garrett with a disbelieving gaze.

“You’re mad, you know that?”

Despite her words, she still helped Garret get down from his wheelchair while Gorn created a small space hidden behind the empty crates stacked in the alleyway. Once he was lying down, Garrett closed his eyes, trying to ignore the cold stone under his back. It wouldn’t be a comfortable night, but he’d suffered worse in the past. Sensing Gorn and Ryn’s stares, Garrett opened his eyes and gestured with his head.

“Get out of here. I’ll be fine.”

“Completely insane,” Gorn said with a groan. “Fine, but if something happens to you the boss will have my head, so make sure you stay hidden, okay?”

Placing the piece of cloth over the opening, Gorn and Ryn walked away, only to stop at the edge of the alleyway. Rolling his eyes, Garrett resisted the urge to shout at them, instead staying quiet. He couldn’t use Observe the Dream during the day to find out what they were talking about, but by concentrating on the connection he had with them he could feel bits of their emotions. Both of them were exhibiting a mix of confusion, frustration, and a bit of fear, which warmed Garrett’s heart. After nearly ten minutes, Gorn finally left, heading back toward the inn, but Ryn stayed where she was. The warm feeling in Garret’s heart grew stronger and he settled down to wait.

The ground was hard and cold, and the alleyway smelled terrible. Despite his discomfort, Garrett simply lay still, his mind continually going over his plan. He had little over an hour until night fell and he discovered if he was wasting his time or not. By having Gorn and Ryn leave him in the alleyway, he was betting he would enter the dream from this location rather than from the safety of the inn. It was a risk, since he would be a sitting duck for nightmares without the protection of the Dreamer’s Throne. However, it was a risk he was willing to take.

Throughout his life on Earth emotions had been largely foreign to him, resulting in the cold, aloof way he often carried himself. Yet now a raging flame of fury burned in his heart and mind, making him willing to take whatever risk he needed to in order to get his hands on Carraway. He had no concrete proof, but the merchant’s comments seemed to suggest that he’d had a hand in the death of Prince Everan and the royal family. It wasn’t until the thought had popped into his head that Garrett had realized just how much he cared about the prince, even after his death.

While he waited, Garrett took his mind off of his surroundings by trying to meditate. His goal was to reshape the tightly wound energy around his soul spark into a Dream Seed, and while progress was slow, he felt like he was making some headway. Time ticked by slowly, and before he knew it the restriction that kept him out of the Dream during the day fell away. Letting out his breath, Garrett clenched his fist and pushed his mind toward his soul spark, falling into the Dream.

As soon as he felt the familiar haze of the Dream, he activated Dreamer’s Cloak and crouched down, hoping nothing had spotted him. Just as he’d anticipated, he was nowhere near the inn, or the Dreamer’s Throne. Instead, he was standing in a fog-filled alleyway in the northern part of the city. Below him he could see the space where his body should have been hiding, but he couldn’t actually see his body.

Hold on, do I disappear when I jump into the Dream? No way, that can’t be right. Otherwise Ryn would have said something already. Huh, I wonder what’s going on.

Looking around, Garrett couldn’t see anything but fog, though he could feel the flower that Ryn carried on the roof above where he stood. He wasn’t sure how she had gotten onto the roof, but even as he watched, he could see her slowly making her way across the rooftops toward the manufacturing plant. Frowning, he glanced at the looming building where he could sense the Dream Seed he had planted on Carraway standing out like a beacon on a dark shore.

He had assumed that Ryn had stayed to watch over him, but it seemed that she had other plans as well. Creeping along the street, he could feel sweat starting to bead on his back. The haze that covered the Dream was cool and everything was still, but Garrett couldn’t help but feel his heart clench with every step he took. Keeping pace with Ryn was hard, but it only took a few minutes for him to cover the distance back to the soap plant, and even though it felt like an hour, Garrett didn’t see a single nightmare.

Up on the roof of a nearby building, Ryn suddenly took a running leap, her body flying through the air. With agility that Garrett could hardly believe, she landed on the manufacturing plant’s wall, her hands and feet splayed as she started sliding down the brick toward the street two floors below. Grabbing onto a windowsill as she fell, Ryn swung to the side and appeared to bounce up, her feet catching the window sill while her hands gripped the window frame. A slim blade in her mouth was carefully inserted into the window and with a twist of her head, she popped the latch.

Like a ghost, she slipped into the window and closed it behind her, vanishing from view. This was the first time that Garrett had ever seen her work, and for the first time, he realized that Ryn was hiding as many secrets as he was. Unable to follow her into the second story window, he checked the street again and then crept across the road, intending to enter through the office.

Letting out his breath, he reached for the office doorknob and froze, his body turning rigid. A moment ago he had looked around and seen nothing but the street, painted a monochrome gray in the haze. Yet now, as he glanced down at the doorknob, he could see a tall, thin figure reflected in it. Standing in the shadows of one of the nearby alleyways, it loomed nearly twice Garrett’s height and would likely be much larger if it had straightened up to its full height.

A skeletal body with four arms whose skin was stretched to the point that it looked like it would rip at the slightest movement was terrifying enough, but worse still were the dozen tube-like tentacles that writhed around its neck in place of its head. Tongues darted in and out of the mouths, tasting the hazy air as it searched for prey.