“What exactly do you do for a living?” I remember from my lessons that people in the mortal world have different jobs that they perform and are then compensated for—not compulsory assignments required by the king. Whatever it is that Simon does for a living, he is compensated well—in mortal terms—for it.
“A little bit of everything.” Simon’s grin stretches far across his face. “I guess you could say my specialty is procuring things for people.” He opens the thing he called a refrigerator and pulls out a glass of green liquid and takes a swig. “Gotta keep the ole immune system up. Especially with so many teenagers living in the house again. Want some? I’ll make you all some smoothies if you want. I just got a new Blendtec.”
He holds the glass up. It smells like fermented weeds. My stomach churns. I shake my head. “Is there a place I can put my things?”
“Oh yes, yes. I forgot to show you to your rooms.”
After that, Simon escorts Dax and me up the stairs to our bedchambers. To my surprise, my room is much larger than the one I had been reassigned to in the palace after my father expelled me from the royal living quarters.
Simon names a few of the things in the room, and then with his most enthusiastic expression yet, he says, “This room is fantastic. The best room in the whole house. I trust you will be comfortable waiting here while Dax and I finish our arrangements?” His smile is so wide and his teeth gleam so white, I almost don’t catch the true meaning of his words. I am being ordered to stay here and wait, something I am not comfortable agreeing to.
“But when can I get started? How do I find this Daphne girl?”
“Be patient,” Dax says from behind Simon in the doorway. “Lord Haden, I know you feel anxious. I know you’re eager to begin your quest, but it’s imperative that you don’t do anything until the arrangements have been finalized. Take this opportunity to rest from your journey. Wait here.”
Simon’s eyes narrow slightly as he looks at me. “Say yes,” he says in a way that makes me feel compelled to agree whether I want to or not.
“Yes,” I say.
“Fantastic!” he says. “You and I are going to get along just peachy.”
He closes the door behind him and Dax. I hear the distinct sound of a key turning in the lock, and panic wells up inside of me. The feeling increases with every moment that passes. I listen by the door for some time. At one point, I hear Simon escort Garrick to his own room across the hall. A few minutes later, I hear another voice in the house that sounds distinctively female. This sets me to pacing the floor, from door to window and back again. At another point, I think I hear Dax and Simon leave the house.
But when will they be back? How long will these arrangements take?
I find myself pacing again, biting my fingernails—another trait of my mother’s that I unfortunately inherited. It feels as though several hours have passed since Dax and Simon left me. I have done as I was told. Heeded Dax’s warning not to be impulsive. But every moment that passes and I am stuck in this room is a moment that I am not working toward accomplishing my quest. Waiting is not acting. And not acting is akin to failing. How can I wait anymore?
I clutch at my hair and sit on a chair in the room. There’s a bed here, too. Dax told me that I should take this opportunity to rest. He knows I didn’t sleep last night. Rest is a luxury. Being alone is, too. Especially in the middle of the day. I guess I could collapse on the bed. Let myself stop thinking, for once. Take pleasure in a few moments of solitude—of not being watched or judged by anyone. No one expecting me to do anything for the moment. Rest is what I need. I should give into the fatigue that pulls at my body. I should let it all go for now.…
But I don’t know how anyone can sleep when it’s so cursed bright.
The sun has shifted much higher in the sky, causing the light that pours in through the window to grow even brighter. I have to wear the dark glasses even inside the house, which should be a deterrent to wanting to venture outside, but the muscles in my body ache from inactivity. The queasiness that plagued my stomach before has shifted into a weight that sits in my gut like a heavy stone. It feels as though I have been waiting for hours, but I have no idea how long it has really been.
It strikes me that I do not know how time moves here in the mortal world, compared to the Underrealm. What feels like hours to me could be mere minutes. Or perhaps days? Could the rising of this sun signify the passing of whole days before my very eyes? Why didn’t Master Crue cover this in my lessons? What other gaps are there in my education? Perhaps I am even less prepared than I thought I was.
I have been told that I have six months to complete my quest, but what if, here, six months are a matter of weeks in comparison?