TAG | Chapter 12
Once the door was closed behind him, Vanora pressed her ear to it and listened to Heden tromp downstairs.
She heard him speak. Once, a single word, low, and then after a pause a longer phrase…several sentences. She couldn’t make out what he was saying, but it didn’t sound like Vaslorian.
She waited, breathless. After a few moments, she heard the sound of heavy objects being moved around. Heden was looking for something. Some things.
This went on for a while until Vanora got tired of standing up. She slid down and tucked her legs under her, resting her head on the door. She felt exhausted after everything with Heden and Morden.
She dozed off, she didn’t know for how long, and was awoken by the sounds of conversation. It had been going on for some time. A conversation with someone she couldn’t hear. He was a priest…maybe he was talking to his god? His saint?
She looked up at the door latch. Quietly she stood, pressed the latch down, and opened the door a crack.
“Let’s say a fortnight,” she heard Heden’s voice, echoing from down below. “Could be longer,” he said. Then, with the door open, she could hear the response. The voice was…small. High pitched. Rapid. Quieter than Heden’s. She couldn’t even make out words, just a patter of noises. What was down there??
“Just someone to watch and make sure no one comes in. Deal with them if they do. Have to be in shifts, something could happen day or night.”
More chittering.
“You already eat whatever you want.”
A squeak. Objection.
“I don’t care.” Heden explained. “It’d spoil anyway. But it seems like you’ve already taken payment in food for services not yet rendered. Now you can render them.”
More chittering.
“Like what?”
There was a sound like a piece of metal rattling.
“No,” Heden said. “What about this?”
Another sound, like a pile of pans and dishes moving. Then more squeaking.
“You wear it and it protects you from being poisoned.”
Chitter, squeak.
“Most of them.”
Chitter, chitter.
“No, sorry.”
Squeak, chitter.
“Ok,” Heden said. “Deal.”
Squeak, squeak.
“Really?” Heden said. “Well, as long as she doesn’t come down here, she hasn’t broken any promises.”
Vanora’s eyes went wide, and she quickly, but quietly, closed the door. She was certain he couldn’t have heard her. She walked to the nearby chair, sat and waited for Heden to come back up the stairs.
