“Nobody is coming,” Seth said quietly. “I undid the lock.”
Hermo raised his head as if considering a new possibility, then gave a little nod. He had to jump to reach the handle and open the door. Seth and Reggie entered behind Hermo; then Seth surveyed the still barnyard one last time before shutting the door.
The barn smelled of hay and old wood and seemed no warmer than the air outside, except that the walls held the wind back. Hermo motioned for Seth to follow, then stalked over to a far corner of the barn. The whole building creaked when the wind gusted, but it seemed tight and solid, because Seth felt no drafts.
Hermo yanked aside a mat on the floor to reveal a hidden trapdoor. Seth helped him pull it open, and they went down some stairs to a snug room with four beds made out of patchwork quilts stuffed with straw. A precarious stack of folded quilts occupied one corner.
“Shelter,” Hermo said, holding up a lantern he had discovered.
“Good work,” Seth said. “It’s warmer down here. This will work for tonight. Should we cover up the trapdoor?”
“Me do it,” Hermo said, puffing out his chest. “Expert hider.”
With the lantern lit, Seth could see there was not a single fancy thing about the little room Hermo had discovered. But it was plenty cozy, with an abundance of quilts. Hermo left and returned with some salty strips of jerky along with a bunch of root vegetables and a bucket of water.
After eating, Hermo secured the trapdoor, then bundled up in one of the rudimentary beds and began to snore softly.
“Are you tired?” Seth whispered to Reggie.
I am made of dirt, Reggie replied. I am your assistant. We are traveling to Humburgh.
“Do you need sleep?” Seth asked.
Should I need sleep?
“If not, you can stand guard,” Seth said quietly. “Let us know if anybody comes.”
I don’t know how to sleep, Reggie communicated. I will stand guard. He went over and stood at the base of the stairs.
Seth settled onto a bed of straw beneath two quilts and on top of one. Getting comfortable took some squirming, but, compared to sleeping in a rowboat in the belly of a leviathan, it felt heavenly. Seth wondered how easily he would be able to fall asleep while trespassing. There was real danger of the owner returning. Maybe the farm was abandoned for the winter. Maybe nobody would ever return. Or maybe he would hear a wagon pull up at any moment. At least Reggie was standing guard.
“How about you, Seth?” Calvin asked quietly. “Are you tired?”
“Sure,” Seth whispered. “It was a long day.”
“Your companions don’t look like much,” Calvin said, “but they’re more useful than a glance could reveal.”
“Hermo helps us hide and can find shelter,” Seth said.
“Reggie can watch for danger,” Calvin said.
“And you’re someone I can actually talk to,” Seth said.
“Hey,” Calvin complained. “I found Dante!”
“You’re valuable for lots of reasons,” Seth said. “It’s nice to know I have a real friend.”
“Especially when he is your loyal vassal,” Calvin said. “You’re actually a lot like yourself, even without your memories.”
“That’s good to hear,” Seth said. “Hopefully getting them back won’t be too big of a shock.”
“You’ll be glad to have them,” Calvin said. “I would hate to lose my memories.”
“I hope it will help me better understand what to do next,” Seth said, shifting his position, brittle straw crinkling beneath the quilt.
“A lot of people miss you,” Calvin said. “Kendra would do anything for you, as would many other friends and family members. You may have forgotten, but I remember. You’re not as alone as you feel. And there is a war to fight against the dragons.”
“One step at a time,” Seth said. “We also have to help you find Serena.”
“Yes,” Calvin said. “And break the nipsie curse. To think she might be here at this sanctuary someplace makes me restless! But like you said—one step at a time.”
“Good night, Calvin.”
“Good night, Seth.”
Wake up! came the anxious demand. Master Seth, wake up!
Seth opened his eyes to the unsettling sight of a pile of dirt leaning over him. A lumpy portion of the pile rocked against his shoulder, jostling him. A heap of dirt could show no expression to convey urgency, but the emotion came across clearly through the words in Seth’s mind.
Somebody is here!
Seth reached for the tube of walrus butter Ronodin had given him. He had to eat a little each morning in order to open his eyes to beings of a magical nature. As soon as he tasted the fatty substance, the pile of dirt resolved into the crude, humanoid form of Reggie.
Up above, in the barn, Seth heard a door open and the clomp of heavy footfalls, followed by the clang and clatter of somebody rummaging through a pile of tools.
“Are you sure it’s a human?” a male voice asked, speaking Jiganti, the language of the giants.
“Undoubtedly,” a husky female voice answered. “It came into our yard and into this barn and I feel sure it’s still here.”
“Why would a human enter our barn?” the male voice asked. “Don’t they usually want to live?”
“Follow my sniffer,” the female said. “We’ll find him.”
“I smell the intruder too,” the male said. “It just makes no sense.”
Seth winced as heavy footfalls tromped over to the trapdoor.
Hermo crawled over to the lamp and put it out, plunging the room into darkness.
“I’d bet my boots it’s down there,” the female said.
“Through the hidden door?” the male asked. “In the old slave quarters?”
“I’d bet my boots,” the female repeated.
“Maybe all we’re smelling is the humans who were down there once upon a time,” the male said.
“It’s fresh,” the female said.
Seth heard the mat being tossed aside, and the trapdoor opened at the top of the stairs, letting light into the enclosure. Seth could not see Hermo, and he
