Chapter 7
Phin
Iwas no stranger to traveling by portal, but it had been quite some time since I’d experienced it.
The last journey I’d taken through one had been with my father, our arrival back earth-side from Heaven.
We’d been scheduled to return again in just a few short weeks, but instead, our earthly home had been destroyed, my parents had left me with Father Morton, and I hadn’t seen either of them since.
My stomach lurched as we stepped out of the device and into a vast hallway of doors.
“Welcome to the crossroads,” Tap said politely.
My eyes bounced from one doorway to another, and I couldn’t help marveling at the sheer number of them.
Each was different than the one before it, if only by a tiny detail on the frame or the hue of the space within the passage itself.
They seemed to go on forever down the corridor, rows upon rows of them side by side.
Another voice greeted us back from a short distance away, getting closer as it spoke.
“No need for formalities, I’m not—” A man—another demon, this one with shoulder-length auburn hair, tan skin, and an abundance of freckles—came to an abrupt stop in front of us, eyes widening as he took me in.
He finished his thought slowly. “A stranger.” He reached out a hand, an easy smile brightening his expression as he took me in.
It was kind despite the fact that he had three sharp canines instead of just one on each side of his mouth. “But you are. Hello. I’m Seir.”
Tap shifted his stance as I accepted Seir’s offered hand and received a firm grip and solid shake in return. I simply stared at him, already regrettably beyond my daily capacity for responding to surprises with even a modicum of grace.
“Seir, this is Phin. She’s going to help get the deals library sorted.”
“Wonderful! Another assistant.” He hadn’t let go of my hand, and I struggled to keep steady as he pumped my arm up and down excitedly. “You’ll be well organized and able to actually relax in no time, Tap. This is excellent news.”
“That’s the hope.” Tap gestured for me to come forward after patting his brother’s shoulder, asking him wordlessly to release me.
“Sorry.” Seir laced his fingers together at his waist as though restraining himself, his friendly smile still in place.
“Phin, this is my brother, Seir. He’s actually around quite a lot lately. He’s the second demon I mentioned before.”
I tensed, and to my surprise, they both noticed straightaway.
“I don’t have to be,” Seir jumped in, eyes shifting between us. “If that’s a problem.”
I froze, unsure whether to trust how they were both being so accommodating.
“We can take it a day at a time. Should you find yourself overwhelmed, just say so.” After I processed Tap’s words enough to nod, we walked toward what looked like an open living room at the end of the massive corridor.
“Are we inside?” I asked, not finding a ceiling when I looked up, but also not finding sky. It was warm and there was no wind, but the space felt too vast and open to be a typical structure. Now that I’d noticed, it was slightly disorienting.
“In a manner of speaking, yes, but also no. As I said before, the crossroads is a place between all places. This hall, these libraries and my—our—living quarters are neither inside nor out. I have given walls and even ceilings to some of the rooms for comfort, though that’s not strictly necessary.
It will become less noticeable over time.
Would you like to sit?” Tap gestured to a new-looking leather sofa.
As I settled onto the first cushion, I noticed Seir hesitating at the far end of the furniture arrangement.
“I’ll go on home, unless you need me? Hailon is due back from the city soon.”
“That’s fine. Phin, is it alright if he returns tomorrow? Or would you like a few days to adjust without any other … personalities to maneuver?”
I opened my mouth and closed it again just as fast, floundering for a response. Was I being tested? What if I gave the wrong answer?
“If you don’t like my company, I’ll leave, no questions, though I can’t guarantee no hurt feelings. How about that?” Seir offered, his expression gentled and oddly familiar for reasons I couldn’t quite figure out.
Still, I struggled to formulate words. There was no disingenuousness in either of them that I could tell. It was wholly confusing to have my preferences considered at all, let alone catered to. “Okay.”
“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Nice to meet you!” He bounced away, waving his hand as he went. I could somehow feel that he’d gone, like when a beam of sunlight goes behind a cloud.
Tap, on the other hand, exuded a sense of calm. He felt like the gentle ripples in a lake. It would definitely be a mistake to underestimate the power there, but they could also be very soothing if you relaxed into their embrace.
I flinched from my own thoughts, wondering where such a strange comparison had come from. A burst of heat stung behind my ribs, reminding me that I had passed on eating supper with Father Morton and that it had been a great while since I’d traveled to a plane beyond Earth.
“I was not expecting to return with a long-term guest when I left here this morning.” He adjusted his glasses, then fidgeted a bit, picking along the edge of the nail bed on his thumb with his forefinger.
His black lacquer had chipped away from where he was rubbing.
“Excuse me for just a few moments? I’ll prepare your room. ”
“I can help,” I suggested, not keen on being left alone in this strange place. “I’m very skilled at changing linens.”
His mouth flattened into a thoughtful straight line and after a beat, he gave a short nod. “Yes, alright. Perhaps a tour then? So you can learn the lay of things?” Tap stood and I followed him through a set of double doors off to one side of the living room area.
“This is the familiar contracts library.” His mouth ticked into a gentle smile as I looked around.
The scale of the room took a moment to comprehend.
It wasn’t a particularly long or wide space, but the shelves climbed up the walls for what seemed like an incredible distance.
There was a large table and chairs at the center of the room, aligned with the oversize fireplace.
I blinked. “Familiars? Like animals and witches?”
“Yes, like that.” One corner of his mouth tipped up.
“Creature and mage pairings require formal contracts. They’re drawn up, approved by me—well, they were—and kept here.
Temporarily, at least. Long-term temporary.
” His eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth as if to say something but then seemed to change his mind.
“In any case, organizing and shelving the contracts had gotten away from me, and I had to enlist help, much like I have with you, to get it sorted out. Merry has made great strides here in very little time.”
I stumbled over his words. Another woman? Was she also part angel? My skin prickled. Was he also … collecting us?
“Does she come here like Seir does?” Another thought made my throat dry. “Or does she live here too?”
Tap shook his head. “No, she resides earth-side. Her visits are not frequent.” That simultaneously brought relief and an odd sense of regret.
If someone else were here at least I might have a chance at making a real friend.
“There’s something about the dust here.” His mouth quirked thoughtfully and his eyebrows pinched together as he ran a fingertip along a shelf and looked at it before rubbing it away with his thumb.
“It bothers her, so it’s best she not linger.
Seir often takes her some documents to be sorted or approved.
She’s in charge of all this now, unless there’s a problem. She has other duties topside as well.”
“There’s a ceiling in here,” I muttered, finally realizing why the room felt somewhat cozy despite its size. The fireplace wasn’t lit, but I imagined when it was going the room was quite comfortable to work in.
“Yes. If you find that the rooms without one are bothersome, I can set an enchantment to give them one.”
“It’s not a real ceiling?” I asked, suddenly eager to climb the rolling ladder that circled the room and check for myself.
“Real enough.” On that cryptic note, he continued through another set of double doors with glass in them as I stared at his back. “And this is where I need your help most, Phin.”
I gasped, realizing that the size of the first library had not at all prepared me for this one.
It was maybe twice as wide but many, many times longer.
Shelves lined all four walls with only the massive fireplace on the far long wall interrupting them.
They climbed to the same unnerving height as the other room if not a bit higher, all filled with scrolls, envelopes and ledgers.
Everything upon the shelves was arranged haphazardly at best and perilously at worst. There was a stout, broad table in the center that might seat twenty or more, if one could locate the table’s surface or a single chair through the piles of documents.
A rolling ladder sat off in one corner, blocked in by stacks of boxes, paperwork spilling out of them all.
Another look revealed that the track for the ladder went all the way around the room, just like in the smaller library.
Tap sighed and glanced over at me. “Do you regret agreeing to this yet?” I shook my head.
I didn’t mind a challenge and I enjoyed setting order to messy things.
“Good. A decent portion of what’s here can be sent off to the archives.
That will grant some open space and limit the number of documents to be sorted through. ”
“I can handle this,” I said, and meant it. I thought of the library in the church basement, how I’d lovingly catalogued and shelved each volume, even if I wasn’t allowed to read them all.
Tap smiled, backing us out of the libraries and taking us through an open doorway behind the living area.
To the immediate right was a well appointed kitchen and dining area.
“Are you hungry at all? Thirsty?”
“I’m fine, thanks.” The thought of food might appeal soon, but my stomach would have to finish unknotting first.
“I’m due a thorough restocking, but there should be something worthwhile to eat in there.
Please help yourself to anything you’d like.
” He gestured to a door across from the open kitchen.
“Through there is the washing tub and a drying line, as well as an extra bath and toilet.” A bit further down he paused at another set of doors directly across from one another.
He gestured to the one on the left. “This is my room. Down the hall are the workshops and…” He shook his head.
“No matter. We can discuss those another time. This one will be yours.” He opened the door to the right, and we stepped inside.
The room was impressively large compared to the tiny space I’d kept at the church and included a private bathroom. The walls were bare, and the furniture was limited to a bed and a small dresser, but it was clean and warm.
Tap was frowning again. “We’ll need to get you some things.”
“This is fine,” I insisted, a blush heating my cheeks, uncomfortable making any requests or continuing to take.
Over the last several years, I’d become used to living in similar simplicity.
Additionally, it not only felt like an abuse of his generosity, but also as though payment would be required at some point.
I had no money to trade with, which left me feeling as though suspended above a pit, waiting to see whether the rope would get pulled one direction or the other, or simply let go of.
I blinked and forced myself to shove such thoughts aside. “Where are the linens?”
“Just here.” He slid a small trunk out from under the bed and pulled sheets, a pillow, and blankets from it. We worked in silence, movements oddly coordinated as we tucked and straightened.
“Thank you,” I said, suddenly feeling overwhelmed.
Urgency flooded my veins as my heart pounded impossibly fast and my fingertips went numb.
I needed him to leave. I didn’t want him to see me have another attack.
“I think I might clean up and maybe rest for a bit, if that’s alright?
” I could only hope he ignored the tremor in my voice, how breathless I sounded.
My shoulders began to ache as I silently pleaded for him to go.
“Certainly.” He ducked his head and backed toward the door.
“Please move about freely. The portals excepted, of course.” Tap hesitated in the doorway, and I forced myself to breathe through my nose instead of panting like my body wanted to.
“It should be mentioned that time moves differently here than it does on Earth. Every hour here is about half again what one there is. I’d imagine that you’ve become well acclimated to that cadence.
No need to push yourself if you’re tired. ”
I nodded that I understood, my tongue too heavy to use. Once his footsteps moved down the hall, I slid to the floor, limbs like lead and mind too full to function.
My last thought before I lost the ability to think straight or speak was that it wasn’t fair; I should have had longer between episodes. There weren’t even any church bells here.