Page 24 of The Gargoyle's Glade
Tap shrugged. “As much as you care to. I’m behind, that’s certain, but I don’t expect anyone to keep the schedule I do. That would be cruel.” His barely perceptible smile faded, and he became thoughtful. “I must apologize, Merry. This office was once very comfortable, but until things are better… Well, I’ll admit there’s not much besides mess and dust to be found here right now. Once the contracts are all caught up, that will improve and then maintaining it all will be easier.”
That was an enticing offer, to be sure. “Pardon me for being crass, but what about pay?”
He rubbed along his jaw with his thumb and forefinger. “I’ll have to consult with my brothers to be sure what I have in mind is fair, but it would be well worth your time.”
I knew enough about how Rylan managed his staff thanks to Grace to accept his words at face value.
“Are all the animals trying to speak with me someone’s familiar?”
He shook his head, earrings chiming again. “Highly unlikely given the amount and variety Seir has told me are hanging around. I’d imagine a few might be, and the rest are just happy to have found someone who can understand them.”
“Seir can hear them too though, and the others who have their own creatures. Why do they only”—I hesitated, trying to find the right word—“swarm around me? Why am I so interesting to them?”
Tap shrugged. “That’s a mystery I’m afraid I’m not prepared to solve. Hopefully understanding will come in time.” He led me out of the office, back to the little sitting room. “You can take whatever time you need to consider; we can make arrangements when you decide.”
“I am. Decided, I mean. I’d like to help them as much as I can. And you too, I suppose.”
That gentle, tired smile reappeared. “That’s wonderful news, Merry. Thank you.”
Seir peeked around the doorway at that moment, very clearly having been eavesdropping. “I’ll bring you back whenever you want until you get comfortable doing it yourself. And I’ll do my best to try and convince the creatures to give you some space. They really do seem mostly curious about you, about being your friend. How exciting!” He pulled each of us under an arm for a hug. “This is going to be great!”
I laughed at his enthusiasm, thanked Tap for meeting with me, and followed Seir back through the halls of doors to the one for the glade.
For the first time, I didn’t mind so much the way it felt going through.
Chapter 11
Merry
It took several days before I felt comfortable in the office at the crossroads. Every time one of the ancient documents gave way and crumbled to dust under my fingertips, my heart lodged in my throat. I had no idea how important such things were, especially the ones that old, but it seemed tragic to lose a piece of history just because I’d disturbed it. They’d been here long before I’d existed, after all.
The first couple of times, I’d made enough noise that Seir had peeked in to check on me. Assured I was still on the ladder and in one piece, he flashed me a smile and disappeared again. He was helping his brother manage the doorways while also keeping an eye on me as I scaled the deceptively tall rolling ladder.
The ladder itself had surpassed all expectations. Instead of separate rails, there was one that continued around the entire room. I would absolutely roll around all day if left to my own devices.
The third time I let out a very unladylike squawk, Tap himself appeared in the doorway. “Is everything alright in here, Merry?” Concern laced his soft tone.
My face itched from the dust, and a warm flush bloomed up my neck. “Yes! I’m sorry. I’m fine. I apologize for interruptingyou, I know you’re busy. It’s just, they keep falling apart.” I held up a sad parchment tatter, the rest of the document still sitting on the shelf. A sneeze suddenly burst from me, sending a plume of dust into the air.
The corners of Tap’s mouth tipped upward, but he didn’t offer the reflexive blessing like I would. I found myself smiling, realizing that such a thing might be odd for a demon to do.
“I should have warned you about the documents,” he said. “Don’t worry yourself, they have a habit of doing that after so long. What you’re able to pack up will be sent for long-term storage in the archives but losing some of the oldest is expected. For the most part, anything not issued within the last several decades will never need to be referenced, so the loss is not devastating. Besides, the parties involved in the bond all have a copy as well.” He nodded sagely as he clasped his hands behind his back. That specific posture reminded me of Vassago so much I snorted. He tilted his head, eyebrows drawn together. “Have I said something amusing?”
My blush became full blown, and I climbed all the way down off the ladder, brushing my hands on the light apron I’d found to put over my clothes. “No, it’s only that you looked very much like your brother just then.”
He frowned, confused. “Seir?”
“Vassago.”
Tap’s mouth opened, then closed again. His expression went through several transformations before he put one hand over his heart and let loose a raspy laugh that was louder than I expected it to be. I was startled at first, but then laughed with him, the new pose furthering the similarity.
“Posh cad. Though I suppose I could do far worse. What was it, exactly?”
“The way you were standing.” I imitated both poses, badly, but well enough to show what I meant. “And you hold your arms in a very similar way.”
He put his hands on his hips, then self-consciously crossed them. Giving up, he dropped one to his side and used the other hand to bump his glasses up his nose. “Well. In any case, don’t worry yourself about the ones that fall apart. Perhaps work your way up instead of down? They’ll reorganize them how they like in the archives anyhow. We can assist you later with the more fragile ones. I’ll ask Seir to help remove the crates as you fill them.”
Things went much smoother after that, and I worked faster, no longer terrified of things crumbling in my hands.
