Lord of the Night

Chapter 62: Together

The Mantle's meeting room resembled the control room back at the rebel base, with a circular table dominating most of the space, overshadowed by a crumbling statue of the First Guardian with her head tilted to the ceiling and palms stretched wide in her traditional sacrificial posture. Instead of the jewel-toned mural at the rebel base, cave art swirled across the wall behind the statue.

Fraschkit sat facing away from me, along with Guardians Manikbar, Rapchuk, and Vanchbar, and humans Baggunt and Zuzette. Facing me, the Mantle's representatives included Brother Bakvar, four humans, and...was that a Demon? The woman with white-blond hair emanated an inhuman energy, and her features were too crisp, as though drawn with a straight-edge.

The blond woman's gaze lifted, and blazing amber eyes bore into me. Even though I had spent the night with an amber-eyed man I cared for deeply, this unexpected encounter sent a chill down my spine. She sat between two humans, and her wrists were uncuffed, so the Mantle must have trusted her...but I wasn't sure that meant I should trust her.

Belatedly, I realized that everyone in the room had stopped talking and now stared at me.

Fraschkit pushed back her chair and stood. "Remgar, how is your father?"

"He seems to have recovered now, but he had another vision. I think what he said may influence our planning, so I'd like to share it with everyone here—if I have your permission."

She hesitated. "I am not Leader here, and Bakvar asked me to invite only six members of our team."

Baggunt shot to his feet. "Leader Frasch—I mean—well, you're still my Leader." He straightened his shirtsleeves and cleared his throat. "Brother Remgar is welcome to take my place at the table. I don't feel I have much to add."

Bakvar raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you have much to add. I'm sorry humans on your team have been made to feel that way."

"Not by Fraschkit."

This statement came from Zuzette, which startled everyone at the table, me included. I had learned to expect incendiary statements from her, but defending a Guardian was something new. Everyone sent her questioning glances, with Fraschkit looking most baffled of all.

Zuzette tilted her chin high. "Fraschkit invited two humans to this meeting. That was a bold move." She shot Fraschkit a brief glance, and seeing the Leader's wide eyes, gave a shrug. "At least, it's progress for this group."

Neither Fraschkit nor Bakvar seemed to know how to respond to that, so a human from the Mantle took over—a bony man with a great mane of gray curls. "We don't recognize Fraschkit as Leader at the Mantle, but Bakvar is not Leader, either." He flipped a frail palm toward me. "I vote we hear what this Guardian lad has to say."

Bakvar nodded, and he addressed the elderly human with far more respect than he had given me and Fraschkit. "You're right, Jafflu. Guardians do not rule over humans here at the Mantle." He offered Fraschkit a crude imitation of a smile. "So, all in favor of letting one more outsider Guardian join us?"

Zuzette was the first to raise her hand, and most of the others joined her. Baggunt and Manikbar waited to see Fraschkit's hand before lifting their own. Just Bakvar and the Demon woman kept their hands down.

The human with the lavish gray curls—Jafflu—pointed at me and then at the open seat beside him. "You got the majority, boy. Take a seat."

It had been a long time since anyone had addressed me as 'boy,' and I had never had a human call me that. The Mantle seemed to operate differently from any group I had been a part of—and I was starting to think that might be a good thing. So I nodded in gratitude and sank into the seat.