at the corpse. “They will need to learn basic anatomy,” he said. He turned toward Angel and stilled.
Chapter Thirteen
‘‘YOU WERE NOT ARMED when you entered this chamber,” the mage said softly.
“No.”
“And you simply chose a weapon with which to enter the fray?”
“I chose a weapon with greater reach than a sword, yes. No one else was using it, and it wasn’t doing much good as a substitute painting.”
At that, the mage smiled. “No, I imagine it wasn’t. It is, if I am not mistaken, an interesting choice. Will you leave it here?”
Angel nodded. “Are we likely to see more of these creatures soon?”
“If by that, you mean, are they likely to attack you in the library? No; I think it very, very unlikely. But this room does not exist in quite the same place, and yes, it is entirely probable. They will not attack unless provoked.”
Jewel grimaced. “I’ll have a word with Shadow—if he gets back.”
“I heard that.” Of course he had. Shadow was perched—precariously, given his size—in the window. He leaped to the ground, and curled himself around Jewel. “Wait, why is he holding that?”
“It fell off the wall.”
Shadow hissed. “Well, tell him to put it back.”
Angel’s eyes narrowed. He gestured in brief den-sign. Jewel laughed, and got a nose full of Shadow’s tail in response.
“But—clean it first?”
Meralonne, however, said, “The blade does not need cleaning, as you can see. Where did you retrieve it from, Angel?”
Angel turned. “There,” he said.
But Jewel already understood why Meralonne had asked. “Is this ever going to stop?” she asked softly. There was no empty space on the wall; the wall was still fully adorned with weapons of various descriptions.
Angel headed toward the wall, carrying the spear.
Avandar, watching, said, “I do not believe your Angel will find a mount on the wall for that spear.”
“Do you recognize it?” she asked.
“The spear? No, not as such. Illaraphaniel?”
Meralonne, however, was watching Angel, a strange smile at play around his lips. “Yes,” he said softly, “I believe I do. Did he truly just grab a random long weapon from the wall?”
“The wall he was standing closest to, yes.”
“I suggest that, as Terafin is already accustomed to the unusual sight of Rendish hair, they might accept an equally unusual weapon.”
“Terafin will. I imagine the Kings—and any of the rest of The Ten—won’t, if he’s out in public. It’s not going to hurt him, is it?”
“It will cause him far less harm than those against whom it is wielded. Did you watch him fight?”
She nodded.
“Did anything strike you as unusual?”
“Besides the shrieking, half-armored winged creature that flew through the window?”
“Besides that, yes.”
“No. I didn’t expect to see him leap into the fight . . . but no. He stayed at the reach of the spear, and he never tried anything beyond pointing, stabbing, and getting out of the way.”
“You noticed nothing unusual—at all—about the weapon or its blade?”
“Nothing. Nothing besides the fact that it cut through part of the creature’s spine.” She turned to Shadow. “Now you can go join your brothers.”
* * *
Angel found no place to put the spear. He walked up and down the length of the wall three times, stopping at the spot where he was certain he’d jumped to grab it; there was no empty space where it might have been. “This would be a damn impressive armory,” he said. “It replenishes itself.”
He put the spear up, letting most of its weight rest against the flat stone.
“No armor,” Jay said, approaching him. Shadow came with her; he took a swipe at the spear. Angel moved it before his claws connected. Jay clamped a hand on the gray cat’s head.
“Oh, fine.”
“You don’t like the spear?” Angel asked. It was possibly the best reason offered to keep it.
“I don’t need a spear.”
“You don’t need to play with a spear, either,” Jay told him. “We need to head back to Teller so I can find out just how bad my day is going to be.”
“And the spear?”
She hesitated; he marked it. “It’s up to you.”
“If it were you holding the spear?”
“Unless it belonged to an ancient ancestor—or my Oma—I’d hide it under the table and pretend I’d never touched it.”
He laughed, and she signed, I’m serious.
* * *
She returned to the right-kin’s office by way of the healerie. It was not generally considered the most direct route there, but Jewel wanted to check in on the Chosen before she spoke with Teller. Daine and his two assistants were in the infirmary, and she left Torvan outside