5. Mirror Souls #2
He eyed me warily as I caught my breath and softened my tone.
“Gall… I didn’t tell you everything about…
about myself before. Not because I don’t trust you.
But because… because I am a Queen. I have an entire people I have to protect.
These people all serve me. They’re here to host you, to greet you.
The soldiers are my men. They follow me everywhere.
It’s annoying, but that is life when you have a whole Kingdom.
” I tried to smile to let him see that everything would be well.
“I’m sorry if this scared you, but you don’t need to talk about…
anything you don’t want to. I promise.” I ended slowly, praying he’d taken it all in.
Gall was staring at me, blinking, obviously confused. His forehead pinched to lines, and he was beginning to shake.
“Where’s Papa?” he asked hoarsely, and my heart just about broke because he sounded like he was five years old.
“He’s here, too. He’s just… resting in a room that’s high up in a tower. I’ll take you to him later, I promise.”
I prayed fervently that Gall wouldn’t push. I had planned to take him to see Melek so Melek could see that he was safe. But I knew it would be tricky with the bars and with Gall still not clear about the rape and—
“This isn’t good,” Gall said quietly, his voice thin. He pressed his lips together hard and looked around the room again, his big eyes going wider and wider. “This isn’t good, Yilan. It’s not good. It’s not good. It’s not—”
“Hey, hey, Gall, look at me. Look at me.”
He did, reluctantly, but his lips were still moving, repeating the words over and over. I cupped his precious, handsome face and pulled it down, so he looked me right in the eye.
“You’re safe here. Melek asked me to bring you. Do you understand? You’re in a different country. No one knows any of the Nephilim here, but now they’re going to know you and your father. I know it’s scary, but you’re safe. I promise.”
Gall’s frown deepened, and his chest heaved faster and faster. “I don’t know, Yilan. This doesn’t seem good. There’s so many strangers, and they’re so small—”
“You should stop touching him and let him move. He’ll be less afraid if he can move.”
I startled and Gall grunted. I whirled to see Istral standing behind Turo at the door and calling past his shoulder. She waved at me, but then Gall straightened behind me and her eyes grew very wide.
“Istral, you aren’t supposed to be here!” I hissed.
Harris started towards her as Turo whipped around and reached for her like he would forcibly usher her out.
“Wait— wait!” Harris called, then looked at me, tipping her head towards Istral. “That might be exactly what we need. ”
I took a deep breath. “Turo, let her go. Let her come in.”
Turo whirled back to me. “You can’t be—”
He cut off at my glare. I’d always allowed him to question me in private. But here in front of the guards?
With a final warning scowl, I turned back to Gall. He was still standing next to bed and swaying a little, but his eyes were as wide as I’d ever seen them. And locked on my sister.
I swallowed hard. “Gall, that’s my sister, Istral. I told you about her. Do you remember?”
He nodded slowly without taking his eyes off her. But he didn’t speak.
Harris had gone over to the door and was now ushering a pink-faced Istral towards us. One moment she’d beam. The next she would blink and her smile would falter.
As they moved closer Istral hung back from Harris’ arm, but the wonderful woman just patted her and murmured to her not to be afraid.
When they were just a few feet away, they stopped. Istral stared at Gall, who gaped back like he’d been smacked over the head with a blunt object.
“Gall,” I said carefully. “This is Istral. She’s… she’s a Princess.”
Gall blinked and finally looked at me again. I raised my hands to reassure him. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Izzy,” I said. “This is Gall. And he’s a dear friend of mine from… another country.”
“Hi,” Istral said immediately. And then she waved, even though I could see she was nervous because he was so big. “Hi,” she repeated.
“Hello,” Gall said.
“H-How are you?” Istral asked, because she had manners and that’s all she knew to use when she was off-balance.
“I’m well,” Gall said, but then he looked at me and his forehead pinched.
“I don’t think so,” Istral said. And even though she was still hugging Harris’ arm, she stepped up beside her instead of hanging back.
“Me either,” Gall said, raking a hand through his hair. “But you seem nice.”
Istral beamed at him. “Thank you!”
“You’re welcome.”
They stared at each other, and I almost wept with happiness .
Harris met my gaze and we both smiled, though hers was bemused.
Please, please, please let them understand each other… I prayed.
“Are you hungry?” Istral asked suddenly.
And, as if in response, Galls’ stomach growled audibly. His cheeks reddened, but Istral giggled.
“I know the cook and she’s nice. I can get you some food.”
“I’d like that,” Gall said, though he looked a little alarmed when he glanced at me.
I nodded and patted his arm. “She’s nice, Gall. And you are too. I think you two could be very good friends.”
His expression grew worried. “Girls don’t like me though. Because I’m so big.”
“You are really big,” Istral said promptly. I wanted to groan.
But Gall swallowed and looked at her, hunching his shoulders a little in a way that made me want to cry.
“I was born like that. I didn’t get to choose.”
“What would you choose if you could?”
Gall frowned, taking the question as seriously as Istral had posed it. My heart fluttered with hope.
“I think I’d be normal,” he said finally.
Istral nodded like that made complete sense. “Me too.”
I was stunned.
“Or, maybe if I had to stay big, then a horse,” Gall added as a second thought.
I spluttered, but Istral was nodding. “I like horses too. But I think if I was an animal, I’d be a cat. Because they climb trees, and I love sitting in trees. But I’m not good at climbing. I fall down a lot.”
Gall thought about that. “I’m tall. I could lift you up so you could get in the trees.”
Istral brightened and let go of Harris’ arm. “You’d do that for me?”
“Yes,” Gall said seriously. “It would be easy. And then being big would be good… right?”
I had to cover my mouth with my hands because I wanted to smile, but I didn’t want them to notice.
“Yes!” Istral gasped. “Thank you!” she gushed, like he’d already done her a huge favor.
And adorably, Gall blushed. “You’re welcome.”
Istral stepped forward and took his hand, then started tugging him towards the door where the soldiers and Turo all looked on, stunned. “Come. I’ll show you the kitchen. You might have to duck in the servants' hallways though. They’re pretty small and you’re really big.”
“I’m sorry,” Gall said miserably.
“Don’t be sorry. It’s good because of the trees, remember?”
“Oh, right!”
Then they started walking together and I was overjoyed. Until Turo muttered something and the soldiers snapped to attention. But I leaned around Gall and locked eyes with Turo, hissing at them all.
“You do not stop either of them or I will have you by the testicles—all of you. That is a… a decree!”
The soldiers stepped aside, clearing the way for the pair to walk through. Turo was a couple seconds behind them, but he reluctantly stepped aside before they reached him and bowed with the others when Istral passed.
Gall eyed them warily, but he was accustomed to being around armed men. And even though it was clear these strangers made him nervous, Istral’s babbling stories and happy demeanor seemed to calm him.
Every time he would see something and frown, he’d look at her and get a little smile again.
Harris and I followed, beckoning Turo to keep the men behind us as they walked out of the barracks and into the sunlight.
Gall squinted and held up a hand to block the sun from his eyes. Istral, accustomed to holding onto whoever she walked with, took his elbow. To my delight, he didn’t seem to mind at all.
“Do you turn into a bat?” she asked him.
“No.”
“Oh.” My sister sounded disappointed.
Gall brightened. “I do have wings though!”
Turo cursed behind me, but I couldn’t stop smiling.
“Wow, can you fly?”
“Yeah, but we’re so big it makes it easy to shoot us, so we don’t do it much.”
Istral sighed and looked up at the sky. “I wish I could fly. Then I could land in any tree I wanted.”
Gall shrugged. “It’s not that great. I wish I was small and pretty.”
Istral giggled. “No, you don’t. You’re a man.”
Gall scratched the back of his neck. “I just mean, because then people wouldn’t be scared when they saw me. If I was beautiful like you, they’d smile instead.”
Istral nodded like that was normal. “I was scared when I saw you because you’re so big. But now I’m not scared because you’re nice. So, you just need to be around and be nice, and then people won’t be scared.”
Gall glanced at me over his shoulder. “I hope so.”
“I know so,” my sister assured him. My heart squeezed with gratitude for her loving heart.
“I thought you were nice the first time I saw you,” Gall said, the tips of his ears going pink.
“Thank you!”
“You’re welcome.”
I laughed and looked at Harris. She had tears in her eyes.
Turo, behind us, was clearly uncertain what to make of all this, but I snapped my fingers to get his attention.
“You can keep a distant guard, but you let the two of them talk as much as they want to.” Then I looked at the soldiers behind them.
“And for God’s sake, someone run ahead on the path and warn Cook that a harmless Nephilim is about to need a lot of food! ”
One of the guards trotted off, giving the pair a wide berth before darting into the fenced walkway and running towards the Palace.
As my sister patted Gall’s arm and he smiled at her, the two continued their conversation. I wasn’t just happy, I was beaming. For the first time in a long time my heart felt light.
An hour later we made quite a crowd in the kitchen.
Poor Cook kept hesitantly placing new plates at the center of the thick, wooden table where the servants usually ate.
She watched wide-eyed as the massive man hunched over a serving platter shoveling food into his mouth like he hadn’t eaten in a week, which I suppose was almost true.
My sister kept bringing him different foods to try and asking if he liked them.
He just nodded again and again. Each item disappeared into his mouth with equal abandon while she babbled stories about meals she’d had, when those foods were served, or times that she had tried things but didn’t like them.
Gall barely spoke. But when his eyes weren’t on the food, they were on her.
He looked slightly awed.
I stood next to Harris with my hands clasped at my chest, and all I could think was thank God for Istral.
Thank God for Gall.
Just… thank God.