Chapter 269 — A Kitchen Once
Night came normally.
That was almost strange.
No white light.
No black fire.
No voices beneath the ground.
No doors.
No guardians.
No soldiers appearing on ridges.
The village had gone quiet one house at a time.
A dog barked once.
Someone answered from inside a house.
Then even that stopped.
Xcution camped beyond the village, beside a low field where the grass had been cut short.
There was no reason to move.
No reason to watch the horizon every second.
No reason to expect something to happen.
So they didn't.
Henry fell asleep first.
Charon had complained for nearly ten minutes about the quality of the blanket before disappearing into him.
Sera had written for a while.
Then closed her notebook.
Rick and Shoyo spoke quietly near the edge of the field.
Gabriel sat with his back against a tree.
Tala slept beneath another.
Brook lay awake for several minutes.
He watched the stars.
They were ordinary.
Not thinning.
Not disappearing.
Not wrong.
Just stars.
He closed his eyes.
For once, sleep came easily.
Brook woke to someone snoring.
He opened one eye.
Henry.
Brook stared at him.
Henry's mouth was open.
Charon's face appeared beside it.
Charon was also snoring.
Brook closed his eye again.
Then someone kicked him.
Not hard.
He opened his eyes.
Sera stood over him.
"Your turn."
Brook sat up.
"What?"
"Watch."
He looked around.
Most of the camp was asleep.
Gabriel.
Henry.
Tala.
Shoyo.
Rick had already moved to the other side of the field.
Crowley was standing near the edge.
Brook looked at Sera.
"You could've woken someone else."
"I did."
"Who?"
"Crowley."
Brook looked toward him.
Crowley didn't turn.
"Of course."
Sera handed Brook a cup.
"Coffee."
Brook smelled it.
"Terrible."
"Yes."
He took it anyway.
Sera walked back to her bedroll.
"Try not to get attacked by Hell."
Brook looked at her.
"I'll do my best."
She smiled.
Then slept.
Brook sat beside the dying fire.
Crowley remained several yards away.
Neither spoke.
The night was quiet.
Brook drank the coffee.
It was terrible.
He looked at Crowley.
"You weren't sleeping."
Crowley shook his head.
"No."
"Why?"
"Didn't feel like it."
Brook nodded.
He understood.
They watched the field.
Minutes passed.
Maybe an hour.
Nothing happened.
Brook started to relax.
Then Hutena spoke.
"I can't see."
Brook turned.
She was sitting up.
Her eyes were open.
She wasn't looking at him.
She was looking somewhere beyond him.
"What?"
Hutena shook her head.
"I can't see the next part."
Brook stood.
"Nothing?"
"Nothing."
He waited.
She frowned.
"Usually there's something."
"What?"
"A road."
"A person?"
"Sometimes."
"Now?"
"Nothing."
Brook looked toward the dark fields.
"Maybe that's good."
Hutena didn't answer.
Crowley looked over.
"What did she say?"
Brook told him.
Crowley stared at Hutena for a moment.
Then nodded.
"Go back to sleep."
Hutena looked at him.
"You aren't worried?"
Crowley shrugged.
"Being worried won't make you see."
She considered that.
Then lay down again.
Brook sat.
Crowley returned his attention to the field.
The fire cracked.
Brook drank the coffee.
It tasted worse than before.
"You made this?"
Crowley shook his head.
"No."
"Then who did?"
"Henry."
Brook stared at the cup.
"That explains it."
Crowley looked at him.
Brook almost smiled.
For a while, they watched the dark.
No prophecy.
No warning.
No attack.
Nothing.
Eventually, Brook lay back.
Crowley remained standing.
Brook closed his eyes.
Then opened them again.
"Crowley."
"Hmm?"
"Did you really have a kitchen?"
Crowley went still.
Brook watched him.
For a second, he thought Crowley might answer.
Instead, Crowley looked toward the dark horizon.
"Yes."
Brook waited.
Crowley said nothing else.
Brook nodded.
"Okay."
He closed his eyes.
Crowley stayed where he was.
The fire burned low.
The village remained quiet.
The stars remained stars.
Sleep was allowed to be sleep.
For a while.
Then, sometime before dawn, the ground beneath Crowley's boots gave a single, almost imperceptible tremor.
Crowley looked down.
He didn't wake anyone.
He didn't move.
He simply waited.
Nothing happened again.
Crowley looked toward Brook.
Brook was asleep.
For once, genuinely asleep.
Crowley looked back at the ground.
His face became unreadable.
He remained on watch until morning.
End of Chapter 269