Angel-Seeker by Sharon Shinn Read Free Book Online Page B

manner could be blamed on more than the heavy burdens of leading a hold and rebuilding a province. He would have to watch carefully to see if there were other woes troubling Magdalena. He would not for the world have her grieving and not be willing to turn to him.
    Maga escorted him to one of the angel dormitories, a rather utilitarian building a couple of blocks over from the main square of Cedar Hills. His room, on the second floor, was small and unimaginative, its only furnishings a bed and an unadorned armoire. The bed, fortunately, had been made up with fresh linens, but there were no towels in the adjoining water room and nothing at all in the armoire.
    Magdalena looked around a bit doubtfully. “It will look better once your own things are here,” she said.
    Obadiah’s gaze followed hers around the room. “I’m thinking perhaps I need to buy a few more things,” he said. “Do you have any commerce here in Cedar Hills?”
    â€œOf course we do. Our market is not nearly as grand as Velora, but there are quite a few nice little shops where you can get clothing and furniture and—” She gestured at the bare windows. “Curtains.”
    Obadiah crossed to the window and gazed out. It was hard to tell where the angels gathered, in this collection of buildings, and where mortals lived and did business. Everything was spread out and pretty much equal. That was the point, he supposed, but he had a feeling he would miss the compact intensity of the Eyrie.
    â€œWhere do you eat?” he asked.
    â€œOh, you can eat with us,” she said quickly.
    He turned to face her. “You mean, there’s not one dining hall where all the angels gather?”
    She spread her hands. “Each dormitory has its own kitchen. We do have a big hall in the main complex where we can have banquets that everyone can attend, but we haven’t used it very often.” She shrugged. “In fact, there aren’t even enough angels here to fill the whole hall. But we’ve been planning at least one meal a month where we all get together. It has become a somewhat festive occasion that we all look forward to.”
    â€œSo when I’m hungry, I can go downstairs to a little dining room here.”
    â€œOr you can come join us,” she said again.
    â€œI take it you and Nathan have quarters elsewhere?”
    â€œWe have rooms in the central complex, and there’s a smaller dining room there. Usually a few of our angels join us every night, and sometimes a couple of the petitioners who are here—landholders, usually—and I’ll be very unhappy if you don’t come sit with us for meals.”
    He smiled at her. “Well, I will, tonight at least. I certainly would like a chance to talk to Nathan. But I don’t want my dorm mates to think I’m too haughty to dine with them, so I’ll take some of my meals here in the future.”
    Now she looked troubled. “I would have put you in the centralcomplex with us, but there are only a few rooms there, and they’re all taken. I could have Daniel moved, though—he wouldn’t mind, I’m sure, and you could take his room—”
    â€œDon’t you dare! I’m not displacing anyone for my comfort. I think I’d rather be here, anyway, away from your watchful eye. So I can consort with angel-seekers and other low company,” he explained.
    She smiled. “Well, you’ll find plenty of them here. Or they’ll find you. But I would hope you would hold to your usual high standards.”
    He made her a graceful bow. “Angela,” he said gravely, “I shall live by your direction.”
    After Maga left, Obadiah showered and changed into his last remaining set of clean clothes, and wondered how long it would be before his belongings arrived. But he discovered, to his relief, that the dormitory featured a laundry room where he could drop off his soiled clothes to be washed