Page 20 of Midwinter Wiles & Valerian Dreams
The noise is finally enough to drag the twins into the room, Juani bringing his pillow with him. He heads directly for the low sofa. “Why are any of you awake?” he groans. “This time should be illegal. I’m calling the sentries on all of you.”
“Don’t even joke, Juho,” Katja snaps, and Juani responds with a muffled groan that might be swearing. Whatever he says is drowned out by Aili’s yelling and a Hellion war cry as the two girls charge by on a sugar chase.
“Drown me,” I mutter, running a hand through my hair before straightening my ever-present hat. “This is how people lose their sanity, Hugo.”
A chirp from my pocket. He agrees.
“Sweet nectar, thy name is coffee.” I swallow down several gulps and start on Eevi’s breakfast. The shouting ramps up a few more notches, but a knock at the door stops me before I can step in.
“Oh, thank theDeep. Breakfast!” I say loudly, ignoring the ongoing battle and scooping up Eevi again as I pass Mika on my way to the door. Maybe food will distract the other beasties from killing each other while I get this one fed.
But when I open the door, it is most decidedlynotdelicious breakfast that greets me.
Chapter 9
Lark
Instead of a breakfast delivery, I open the door to the narrow, pointy-nosed muskrat-face of a man I did not want to see today. Actually, never would be good. Can we do never?
“Oh, it’s you.” I plaster on a smile, gripping the doorframe with my hand that isn’t holding a baby. At least I didn’t call him muskrat face to his muskratty face. Go, me!
Sentry Niemi, one of the very sentries that Juani joked about calling, stands there in his perpetually starched grey cloak. I actually glance over to the living area to see if Juho really called CPS on us, but of course, he’s snoozing with his pillow over his head. It was only a reflex anyway. I knew Childling and Pixie Sentries would catch up with us eventually, and Niemi has been our caseworker since the orphanage closed, ever since I declared my intent to keep the seven kids with me. This man holds our fates in his little paws…er, hands.
The sentry’s nose is twitching in a way that makes me wonder if he smells chaos before he even sees it. He has that air abouthim, like he lives for orderly things: straight rows of hedges, perfectly aligned papers, and maybe an alphabetized pantry. In other words, everything my life is not.
“Lark.” He has a clipped, officious tone. “I did say I’d be conducting further inspections on the well-being of Mikael Sokki, Katja Jarvinen, Juani and Johannes Koska, Helkki—”
“You don’t need to read them all off your list. I know their names. Even this one,” I say, lifting a curious Eevi closer to me. “It was Cutie, right? Wait, no, Cuddles! Uh oh, it sounds like it might be Giggles. Or maybe Tickles! Trouble? Hm, guess we better stick with Happy, huh, baby girl?”
Eevi lets out a delighted squeal, her chubby hands patting my cheeks as though I’m the funniest person in existence. She really is great for a guy’s ego.
Katja appears beside me, her expression tight and worried as she glances at Niemi while she swoops in to take Eevi like a mother bird retrieving a wayward chick.
“Thanks, Kat. Her mash is cooling if you want to get her breakfast started.”
A crash from deeper in the cottage punctuates my words, followed by a shouted, “It wasn’t me!” in Helkki’s distinct pitch. I flinch, doing my best to keep my smile in place for Niemi’s benefit.
“So, what can I help you with this fine morning, Sentry Niemi?” I ask, leaning casually against the doorframe as chaos reigns in the background with no off switch in sight.
“It’s great to see you with a roof over your heads,” he says with a rare smile, breath clouding from his mouth in the frigid morning air. “No offence.”
Offence verydrowningmuch taken, actually. We always have a roof over our heads, even if it’s sometimes canvas or a forest canopy. It counts.
His words grate, but I bite my tongue. He’s just doing his job. He wants what’s best for the kids. The only thing that matters is making sure he believes thatI’mwhat’s best for them. Staying together is what’s best. If he doesn’t, then they’ll be taken from me, split apart and placed who knows where. And how many times have I promised them, late at night in the glow of lanterns, that I won’t let that happen?
“Yes,” he continues, oblivious to my clenched jaw. “This cottage looks great. This will help your case. Children need stability, not to be traveling all the time.”
“Wehavestability. Family is stability, and that’s what we are. We’re all we need,” I reply, a little too defensive. His sympathetic smile only makes it worse. I should invite him in from the cold, but I can’t bring myself to form the words.
“Unfortunately, that’s not likely to be enough for the Sentries. You know I’ve interviewed all the kids before, and it’s clear they’re happy with you. Well, that one complains about not having her own room every time, but that’s not a requirement for guardianship. I’ll include their wishes to stay together in my report, of course, but the ultimate decision is up to the Sentry board. I’m on your side, Lark, but you need to meet me halfway. It would be best if you could offer a stable home.”
Not exactly reassuring.
I’m already juggling flaming torches here, just trying to keep it all together. Does he want me to do it on a tightrope now?
“Traveling is part and parcel of our job.Travelingacting troupe, it’s right there in the name.”
“I understand that, but you’ll just have to do something else for a while. I need to pull together a board for your hearing, and usually that is done with local sentries. I can’t do that if you keep moving about. It took me long enough to track you down this time.”
