Valon smirked over a cup of coffee. “You two get in an argument or something?”
Patience did not dignify him with a response. Nor did Anax.
He chuckled, “Only two ways to resolve it.” He leaned in. “You need to get physical.” A finger rose for each option. “Either fight. Or fuck.”
The girl reeled from his crass language. A brush of red formed across her cheeks.
“And I’m betting you’d rather the latter,” Valon snickered.
“How can you say such things to a woman?” chided Patience.
“I’ve had enough experience with women to know what’ll get through to them.”
Patience scowled and prioritized the wrapped sandwich on her lap. Between small mouthfuls, she would catch glimpses of Valon staring out the window. As much as she suspected this entire trip to be a ploy, the girl found herself relieved for company. She felt less alone on her side of the crevasse dividing her from Anax.
A slight jostle of Valon’s arm and leg caught her attention. She could not tell if it was a bout of tremors or the rocking of the train. A part of her was always on edge in Valon’s presence, never knowing when he would experience an episode. His face imparted no indication of pain, so Patience flitted her gaze to her lap. With the sandwich finished, she closed her eyes and drifted in and out of sleep over the next few hours.
The train sped along the coast, the ocean in the far distance. As they came upon the metropolis of New Amstel, huge ships amassed on the water, their smokestacks spitting out dark plumes into the peach sky. Anax stared with a vested interest.
This was the farthest north Patience had ever been. Her father had come here plenty of times, contributing his talent to the natural history museum’s large collection. But he never took Patience along despite her childhood requests. As the city came into clearer view, Patience imagined herself losing her father in the titanic maze of buildings and streets. She could see why he had preferred not to travel with a small child here.
Patience pressed against the window in her own growing anticipation. The sky darkened, putting the sun to sleep. Electric lights began to illuminate the city. A million bulbs extended the waking hours of their domain. When the train slowed and entered the station, the windows shone as bright as they had that morning when they departed.
The station was running at full capacity this evening as a number of trains had arrived. Both Patience and Anax gazed in awe at the sheer number of bodies swarming the platforms as they stepped out of the car. If the crowd did not make them feel insignificant enough, there was the station itself.
The pair felt minuscule under the weight of the intricate iron girders buttressing a vast roof over the platforms. Once they entered the grand terminal, they completely froze while marveling at the enormous glass oculus centered in the incredibly tall ceiling of the massive building.
“Be careful of pickpockets,” Valon warned.
While navigating through the throng, a rather dirty character bumped into Patience from behind. But all she heard from him was a yelp of pain. The man melted into the crowd as quickly as he appeared.
“Got one,” snickered Anax.
Patience rolled her eyes before checking the status of her belongings. Everything was still in place.
Valon hired a carriage to take them to their hotel. Enrapt by the sights they passed, Patience nearly forgot her company altogether. Towering buildings crawled past them, people moving in masses along their bases. Storefronts and illuminated vignettes of busy dining rooms scrolled across their vision in a tangible picture show. The facades they passed became more prim and tidy as they traversed block after block.
Patience lurched forward when the carriage came to an abrupt stop. The traffic on the street was hectic, full of vehicles and people. She assumed they were close to a city hub. Valon motioned for them to get off, for the hotel was within sight. Patience followed the man to the warm welcome of the monolith of stone and glass.
Inside, chandeliers bathed the lobby in gold light, their reflections crisp in the polished marble floor. Bellhops shuttled racks of luggage at the heels of finely-clothed guests. Patience gripped her bag and shrank into her jacket, feeling underdressed. She was stunned Valon did not book a cheaper place.
He led them to the front desk, a hefty walnut ship atop a white sea veined with charcoal. The girl stared at the inlaid patterns of other kinds of stone forming a cold, hard rug below their feet. Behind the desk clerks was an elegant mural depicting a lush garden in mosaics. Patience and Anax attempted to drink in every detail of the opulent lobby while waiting for Valon.
“Here we are, Mr. Dibra,” said the clerk, sliding keys onto the desk’s green granite top.
Patience studied the paper tags tied to their hotel keys. “Our rooms are next to each other?” she gulped.
“What of it?” grumbled Valon, turning to leave the desk. Patience was not paying for the trip so she figured she had little to complain about. Sleeping this close to the enemy might work in her favor. Valon would only be steps away, close enough for her to monitor his activity should there be reason to suspect any perfidy.
“Am I to remain on you through this whole trip?” Anax whispered.
“I’ll stow you in my bag when we go to the museum and potter’s,” Patience said coldly.
“Quit mumbling and let’s get to the rooms,” Valon barked, hefting his bag across his back. Patience swallowed and fell into stride behind the man.
They rode in an elevator up to their floor. Patience and Anax both marveled at the contraption. Their caged transport rattled upward, leaving Patience’s stomach on the ground. She shuddered at the feeling. The girl silently thanked divine forces when they stopped and she was able to step onto the immovable painted floor on their level.
Down the hall, they reached their rooms. Valon unlocked his first. Sitting on his bed were two brown packages. He incuriously regarded them and Patience surmised this was a delivery he was expecting.
Patience then entered her own space. It was certainly the nicest room in which she had ever stayed. Electric lights illuminated the hazel wallpaper and made the brassy fixtures and polished wood furniture shine. A fluffy feather bed commanded the center. Patience flung herself upon its downy quilt, her eyes instantly felt sullen, ready for sleep.
“Here.”
Patience stiffened, realizing she had forgotten to close the door behind her. In the doorway was Valon. Her face burned, embarrassed to have reveled in something as mundane as a nice bed.
“What do you want, Valon?” Patience asked, hurriedly sitting upright.
“This is for tomorrow,” said the man as he extended a block in his hand.
It was clay. This must have been the package he received. Patience had thought they would go out in the morning and visit a supplier to procure it. Impressed with his initiative, she walked over to take it into her care.
“Not too heavy is it?”
It was a considerable weight. Valon had held it up single-handedly with no trouble at all. Unable to match his show of strength, Patience’s arm wavered slightly as she carried it to the side table. It would fit in her bag along with Anax, but she dreaded the burden her shoulder would suffer the next day.
“I’ll be able to manage,” she croaked.
“And this,” he said, lifting up his other arm.
Gripped in his fist was a sack. Patience took it, peering inside. It was full of wood shavings and sawdust.
“To pack the replica.”
He really had thought of everything ahead of time. The girl set the sack next to her nightstand, a little disappointed she would have to pour that into her clean carpetbag.
“Hungry?” asked Valon.
Hours had passed since the sandwich on the train and suddenly Patience sensed her empty stomach. “Are you inviting me to supper?”
“Doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Want to eat or not?”
“Very well,” she said. New Amstel had streets aplenty for them to explore, enough to command Anax’s attention the entire trip. Patience hoped it would sufficiently distract him. She cared for him. She truly had. But ever since their dispute, a divide had come between them. Options sat by a scale, waiting to be weighed. Patience needed time to think, and silence was a good conductor of thought.
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