“Tried to go to the
Wolves,” Vincent said. “Talked to this man, Redcroft. I don’t even remember
what kind of double-talk he gave me. Basically it meant you was dead and I’d
better get used to it, a’cuz welp! God’s hands!
Praise be unto He of Many Hands!”
Sithe seemed to find this
amusing. “And yet,” she said, “it seems like there might just be some truth to
that, after all. I suppose I understand your frustration, though. In any case, as I
said before, it would be best if William stayed here for the time being.” She
frowned, suddenly deep in thought. “In fact, I’m thinking that it might be best
if he stayed here, period.”
William looked confused.
“Matron ... are you ... ?”
“You and your sister are
on your own, aren’t you?” Sithe asked. William hesitated a moment, then nodded
slowly. “That falls directly under my ... purview. Now, before I give you a
direct offer—I told this to Vincent, as well—let me establish what it is that
I’ll be offering. I am offering you a home. I am offering you a family. With those
things comes certain responsibilities. I expect my children to abide by the
law. I expect my children to learn from each other, to support each other, to
love each other. Most importantly, I expect my children to keep the peace.
“If you can do that, then
I can assure you that you, and your sister, will never wonder where your next
meal comes from. You’ll never worry about having a dry place to sleep. Your
needs will be met. That is what it means to be one of my children. So, now that
that’s out of the way, allow me to ask you officially: will you stay in this
house, William? Will you join this family?”
William continued to
stare; his mouth fell open, and he seemed unable to form words of any sort, to
say nothing of a coherent answer. Vincent was grinning, nodding, gesturing
almost frantically for his friend to accept. Sythius was eyeing the matron with
a sense of keen interest in his amber eyes. Cell had a soft, contented little
smile on his face.
William looked around
himself, at each of the others. He looked behind them at the other children in
the front parlor.
He eventually smiled.
“Yes, Matron. If you’ll
have us ... we’ll join your family.”
* * *
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