Page 79 of Tell No Tales
"I can't sense them," Klaus said. "I didn't know."
"The staff used to be all weavers," Vadim said.
They quietly continued to the kitchen, where the mundane woman they'd seen worked with two others to cook the noon meal. Vadim ducked behind the door once he got a count. He didn't know if they were loyalists to Coryn, or if they would recognize him, but after Trin's call-out, he didn't want to risk it.
Vadim opened the passage door, grateful it didn't creak on its hinges the way it had the first time.
Klaus motioned toward the kitchen and brushed a finger across his lips to tell the boys to stay quiet. They sneaked back upstairs, and the boys used an air weave to make them lighter on their feet.
"Did anyone see you?" Klaus asked once they reached the third floor.
"Lots of people saw us," Roy said. "We went to the market." He held up the bags, and Vadim took them from him. One smelled like roasted meat.
"On the academy grounds." Klaus rolled his eyes, and Vadim fell in love with him a little more. He was sassy, but he was Vadim's.
Vadim sighed. He wished Klaus belonged to him, but it would never be true. Once they returned to Aquarion, Klaus could finally be free of the empire. He would choose someone else, then, someone with fewer heartaches in his past.
"No one saw us," Ray said.
"There are no weavers on the grounds, at least," Klaus said. "They're still mainly located in the tower."
That was strange to Vadim. He'd never had a class in the bell tower. It had been reserved for formal occasions, like the passing of the torch from god to god each full moon.
"What took you so long?" Nola almost blended into the dark papered wall she leaned against.
"They have mundane servants downstairs making a meal," Vadim explained.
"I can't detect them," Klaus said. "I'm sorry."
"Not your fault," Vadim said. "I forget they exist, and yet, they outnumber us nine to one." Vadim still heard their calls and granted their requests to die without a second thought, but they didn't haunt him the way other weavers did.
"Bring the supplies in here." Nola opened the nearest door and ushered them in.
"There are some textbooks in this room," Klaus pointed. "That's why we chose these three rooms for ours. We can keep the books from the library here."
Vadim frowned at the mention of three rooms. "There are six of us."
"It's best if we stay together, right?" Klaus grinned. "We got the last three mattresses the mice hadn't claimed, too."
"Three mattresses." Vadim tried not to show his displeasure. He couldn't take one more night cramped in the same room with Klaus without being able to hold him in his arms. He'd hoped for more distance now that they were off the ship.
He'd deal with it later. "I need a snack for Yvette."
"Where is she?" Nola asked. He and Ray set the packages down on the table in the room with all the books. Martiz was tied to the grate for the fireplace in the middle of the interior wall.
"There was a girl."
Nola rolled her eyes. "Always a girl." She laughed. "Here. We've got meat and bread. I'll slice them up and we can eat. Tell her to bring the girl in here when she's done with the healing. We might get some answers about what's going on in the tower."
It sounded good, in theory. Unfortunately, Trin was too worn out from healing to speak to them. There was some conflict over where she would sleep, with Roy and Ray trying to convince her to stay with them, since they were of an age.
"You are all the same age, and that's the problem," Nola said. "We were young once. She's staying with us in the girls' room. We need you well rested and making good decisions on the morrow."
Trin blushed and showed the first signs of a grin at the mention of the girls' room. Vadim took it as a good sign when they retreated to their separate rooms at the first sounds down below. "Yvette and I will split the watch on Martiz. Stay quiet and lock your doors," Nola whispered. "We'll meet again when everyone's asleep."
Staying quiet would be a challenge with Klaus so close.
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