8
Ibegin to stand, my chair scraping in the silence, but the Priestess hisses from her station behind me. “Do not move.”
I shoot her an annoyed glance but Baelen has recovered. Shoulders back, at full Rath height, he strides straight toward me, not once taking his eyes off me even while every single gargoyle stares at him. He takes a knee. “Supreme Incorruptible.”
Now I stand. “Rise, Wrathful One. You will bow to no-one.”
This draws a gasp. The corner of Baelen’s mouth twitches. He hides it well, ducking his head lower. “With respect, I wish only to serve your people.”
I contemplate the top of his head. It’s a lifetime ago that he took a knee and bound his heart to mine at the Heartstone Ceremony. He is everything to me and I need the gargoyles to see it, but I have to go slow.
“Then allow me to introduce you to my people.” I wait for Baelen to tip his head back before I open my palm toward Welsian. “This is Denrock Welsian. He is the new head of my guard.”
Welsian is surprised by his new title, but he hides it, giving Baelen a nod.
I indicate Arlo next. “This is Virtuous Arlo. He is my new head of security. This is Sunflight Iago, my head builder.” I smile at Erit. “And this is Grievous Erit, who will travel with me to meet the Grievous Clan to secure peace between clans.”
Baelen draws to his feet, towering over all of them, acknowledging their quiet greetings.
I choose my words carefully. “Meet Baelen of the House of Rath, who is my friend.” My best friend, my greatest love, the one who picked me up when I fell, taught me how to defend myself, gave me space to choose, always asks my permission, makes my knees go weak with a single look. I sigh. The one I’d rather be with somewhere else right now.
I say, “Please join us, Baelen.”
One of the nearby cooks stands to hurry back to the kitchen to get a meal for Baelen, but he stops them. “Eat, please. I can get my own.”
Chairs scrape again as Baelen passes by. The room remains silent. He’s halfway through filling his plate when the far door swings open and Adalie’s little voice cuts through the tension, her bare feet pattering across the stone floor as she runs straight to him. “Bae-Bae!”
He drops what he’s doing and swings her up onto his hip. She hugs him, her little arms barely reaching around the front of his big chest.
He tickles her feet. “Where are your socks? Your toes are like icicles.”
She screws up her nose. “Don’t like socks.”
He raises his eyebrows, glances around her as if he expected somebody to be there. “Well, then, where is your grandfather?”
“He didn’t want to scare anyone.” She speaks in a loud whisper. “He’s eating in his room.”
Baelen waggles his eyebrows at her. “I think I should have stayed in my room too.”
She giggles. “You’re not scary, Bae-Bae.”
Baelen shovels food onto his plate one-handed, ignoring everyone else now. He hands Adalie a piece of apple. She crunches on it as he returns with her to our table. If the other gargoyles were uncomfortable around him before, they definitely don’t know how to react now. They know what Adalie is and he’s clearly not afraid of her. At the same time, she’s completely adorable, making more than a few gargoyles grin as he carries her past.
I suddenly know what I need Baelen to do today and I really hope he’ll go with me on it. I lean forward as he takes a seat with Adalie propped on his knee, allowing her to pick at his meal. “Good morning, Adalie.”
“Greetings, Storm Lady.”
“A lot of children will be coming to Crimson Court today, Adalie. My friend Arlo is going to find their parents and he’ll need all the help he can get. How would you and Baelen like to help with that?”
Her eyes light up. “Children like me?”
“Well, not exactly like you but—”
“Friends?”
Oh, she meant children, as innot grown-ups. Senturi said there weren’t many Outliers. I wonder how many other children Adalie has ever met. But surely she has a brother?
“Yes, children who could be friends.”
