“He’s dressed and bathed daily?”
I nodded, confused by his questions. “What do those things have to do with anything?”
“Just one more, if you’ll humor me. Is he sleeping?”
“I… don’t really know. I never hear him go in or out of the room he said was his, but that doesn’t mean anything. Once I found him in the recliner when I got up in the middle of the night for a drink of water.”
He tutted, nodding enthusiastically. “As I expected. His focus is just elsewhere. Sorry Phin, that’s not your fault. I’ll talk to him.”
“About what?”
I never got an answer, because just then Tap came back, carrying something in his hand. His cheeks were pink. “Forgive me.” He held an envelope out to me, one that was as thick as my thumb. “Foolishseems to be the word of the day. I thought for sure we’d already spoken about this. Unfortunately, I must have only practiced the conversation in my head. I apologize in advance for next time, should there be one.” He blushed a slightly darker shade, and it made him seem very young. “Your wages, starting from the day you arrived. I calculated weekly, so you’re due more very soon. Unless of course you need the funds advanced to purchase something in Revalia, in which case I’m happy to do that. Or I could buy it for you myself, I’m not averse to that either. If it’s for your room, that should be my responsibility. In fact?—”
“Tap,” Seir said gently, and Tap paused, inhaling deeply. It was fascinating, the way they balanced one another. Just the other day it had been Tap telling Seir to slow down.
“Anyhow. I’m sorry. I won’t be offended if you remind me should I forget something so important in the future.”
“Please take him to task when he needs it,” Seir added helpfully, earning a chagrined scowl from his brother.
“It’s okay. I wasn’t even aware I’d be getting wages. I thought the agreement was just that you allowed me to live here and kept me hidden in exchange for my work in the library.” I glanced inside and sucked in a breath. “Oh. This is too much.” I nearly choked as I counted the paper notes.
Seir chuckled. “Merry said that once too. But she was wrong then, and you’re wrong now. Say thank you and enjoy your hard-earned coin.”
Tap agreed as he anxiously turned his earrings. “Your time is valuable, no matter what circumstances brought you here. You’ve done a lot of work since you arrived. More than I managed in several decades, in fact.”
The lump in my throat expanded and the tears became very difficult to hold back. “I’ve barely started. This seems unbalanced.”
“You made her cry, brother. Well done,” Seir teased.
Panic crossed the kind demon’s face. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to?—”
I waved my hand. “No, no, I’m okay. I promise. I just went from excited, to sad, to happy. I’m a mess lately, my emotions are all over the place.” I blotted at my face with the tails of my shirt and tucked the envelope into one of the pockets over my chest on the inside of my coat. “But I’m okay. Thank you. Is it safe to walk around with such a large amount? I’ve never had money like this before.”
“I’m sure someone will have a spare pouch or belt you can borrow until you can purchase the one you like. I’m happy to hold some if you like.” Tap frowned. “You’ve never had pocket money?”
“Sure, but not likethis. I was rarely allowed to go into town on my own on Earth, and there’s a very different order to things in Heaven. Both places, my father usually took care of everything.” They both bobbed their heads in understanding. “Then when I went to stay at the church, I relied on Father Morton. I wasn’t allowed to hold a job outside the church, and he didn’t have spare coin to give me.”
“Well,” Seir clapped his hands, something I noticed he did when he’d decided a topic was settled. “No time like the present for you to experience the Revalia markets! I look forward to seeing what you bring back with you. Have a wonderful time!” He gently pushed his brother and me toward a doorway. This one had a telescope symbol on it, whereas the one we’d taken to visit Seir’s glade showed the outline of a tree.
“I promise to figure out a better way to remind myself of the important things, Phin. It seems as though…” He scowled, staring off into the distance again.
I understood him fine. “Right as you get a handle on one thing another slips away?”
His lips parted and he blinked at me. “Yes. Quite.” The soft lift of his lips made my chest ache. “May I?” he asked, arm lifted so I could tuck mine underneath.
The corner of his mouth twitched up as we stepped forward together, his silver eyes locked to mine as the portal swallowed us up.
Chapter 19
Tap
“Oh,” Phin gasped, looking up at the massive stone building in front of us. Her breath made a plume of steam, her lips rounded as her eyes traveled up to the observatory.
“Yes, it’s quite something, isn’t it?” I patted her arm and stepped forward, bringing her with me.
“Do you visit often?” She blushed. “Sorry. That’s a silly question.”
“That’s alright. No, I don’t. I was here just over a year ago for Rylan and Calla’s wedding. I don’t leave the crossroads much.”
