I turned to face Samuin.He was gesturing with both hand and tail toward a door at the far end of the bedchamber.
I followed him but kept taking in my surroundings.The bed was to the left of the entrance; to the right lay a working desk with rolled-up scrolls placed neatly on top.A large tapestry depicting a breathtaking panorama hung on the right wall, while the left was decorated with an impressive collection of swords and shields from different time periods.A small section of that wall was bare and looked paler blue than the rest of the walls here.Cloudier, too, if that made sense.
“My lady, please.”
I had stopped walking without realizing it.I continued after Samuin along the plush carpet, but had to know.“What is that?”
“A balcony door,” he replied without looking back to see what I was pointing at.
Apparently, the bare wall was what most women asked about.Since Xaniban claimed he hadn’t brought anyone from the ground for three years, this meant Samuin had been a servant to the king for longer than that.
“How old are you?”
That won me a glance over his shoulder.
Ha!I’d managed to surprise the stoic servant.
“I will reach maturity in a year, my lady,” he answered as evenly as before.
“Is that 18?”I persisted.Scientific research mode: activated.
“Twenty.”
“Will you still be a servant after that?”I asked in a hurry, since we were already at the mystery door.
His hand froze on the golden doorknob.He turned to face me completely before saying with a hardened expression, “I am not a servant, my lady.I am King Xaniban’s Chamberlain.”
“Oh.Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.”
He studied me for a moment before bowing lightly.“No offence taken.You are new to the homecloud; it is understandable.”He reached for the doorknob again.
“Chamberlain!”
He froze again.
“Is that the highest position in the palace?”Okay, I was curious but also grasping for straws.I had to postpone the next stage of whatever awaited me tonight.
“It is an honorable position that prepares me the best for the path I’ve chosen in life.”To my expectant expression, Samuin elaborated.“Every gargoyle is free to choose any profession upon reaching maturity.The only exception is warrior and homecloud guard; those positions are reserved for males.Females are too few to risk exposing them to danger daily.”
He straightened slightly before adding, “As the son of King Kaxin, I wish to follow in my father’s footsteps.For such a position, I had to begin studies at 15.”
“Wait, there is more than one king?”
“Sixty-three, to the best of my knowledge.But the number could have dropped since the start of the war for the ground.No one knows for sure how many homeclouds have been destroyed by our flying enemy already.”
Ah, so this homecloud was a single kingdom, not the Gargoyles’ entire world.And there was no complete safety even here, thanks to those damn aliens.
“So, if your father is a king, why aren’t you studying how to be a good ruler under his guidance?”
Samuin straightened further.“A good king is made away from the pampering of parents.Here I watch, listen, and learn every single day.My liege is a great gargoyle, and his homecloud and mine have been allies since the dawn of time.That is why even when I reach maturity, I will remain here for the next stage of my studies.Now, my lady needs to–”
“What is the next stage?”
His wings extended then folded in what I interpreted as impatience, but he indulged me.“I have learned how to be a king in a palace: from battle planning through alliance-making to claiming a female.Next, I must learn how to be a king in the field: as a commander on the homecloud and on the ground.”
He reached for the doorknob a third time, but stopped himself and turned to me once more.There was pride in his voice when he said, “I will finally be allowed to step on the ground.If the Gods favor me, perhaps I will find a willing human female to claim.Find my mate, even.”
“Ah.”Huh?What was it with this claiming and mating I kept hearing about?Clearly, it was an important part of Gargoyles’ culture if they studied it alongside military strategy.
