The Rise of the Fallen (The Angelic Wars Book 2) by J.J. Thompson

Mercedes and drove off, leaving them
standing at the base of the wide stone steps that led to the
iron-studded main doors of the castle.
    Before they headed for the
doors, Chris caught the judge's eye and waved at the huge edifice in
front of them.
    “ How did the
Dominion end up with a castle, sir?” he asked as he looked
around with undisguised awe. “I mean, it's not exactly low-key,
is it?”
    Both the judge and Natalie
smiled at his comment, and Judge Hawkes folded his arms and stared up
at the ancient walls, bright white and gray in the afternoon
sunlight.
    “ Well, it's mine,
Christopher,” he said simply. “The ancestral home of the
Hawkes. As the last of the line, the hulk came to me.” He shook
his head with an exaggerated sigh. “You would not believe the
cost of the upkeep for this place. My goodness, the energy costs
alone...”
    Chris had been looking,
well, everywhere, and the number of cars parked across the yard
caught his eye. A mingled bunch of older cars and newer, more
expensive looking models were tightly packed in neat lines. A young
man, not wearing the usual suit, but instead wearing a bright yellow
vest over a t-shirt and jeans, was standing at the end of a row of
cars, idly staring at his cell phone.
    “ So what's with all
the cars? Do you have a lot of staff here?”
    At that moment, the
double-doors sprang open and a group of people, adults and children
talking and laughing together, swept out of the castle and down the
steps, passing Chris and the others with hardly a glance.
    “ Ah yes.” The
judge followed the group with his eyes. “Tourists. We only use
the west wing of the castle. The rest is used to give tours to the
public. It helps to defray the costs of running the castle.
Somewhat.”
    They began climbing the
steps.
    “ Isn't that a bit
dangerous, sir?” Chris asked.
    Natalie was staring at the
ground as they walked, her expression pensive. The judge looked at
her with a frown and then back at Chris.
    “ Not really. The
west wing is very secure. And in an emergency, we can lock down the
entire castle if needed. However, we do have a larger staff than the
one from the Nest. Some of them act as tour guides. I refuse to allow
strangers to wander through the building without proper escort.”
    The two other cars had
disgorged their passengers and Chef puffed up the steps to catch up
with them.
    “ Happy to be home,
Ethan?” he asked genially.
    The other staff members
stayed back, talking amongst themselves. Chris caught a few comments
and realized that only George had been to the castle before. The
others were asking him eager questions.
    “ Home, Mario?”
Judge Hawkes shook his head slowly. “My home is the Hawkes
Nest. Always will be. This hunk of stone is part of my family's
history, but I have very little affection for it.”
    Chris was still staring
around. The walkway to the doors was lined with bright flowers,
yellow and white, and the flagstones were clean and neat, laid out in
interconnecting patterns. The sweet smell of the flowers seemed to
clear Chris' head and he breathed deeply, beginning to relax for the
first time since they had left the Nest.
    “ Well, I for one
quite like it,” Chef said cheerfully. “The kitchens are
massive, and I rather like making some of my signature dishes for the
poor staff members here.” He shook his head mournfully. “Forced
to eat some of these British dishes, oh my. Boiled and fried is not
the way that people should eat food.”
    Chris had to laugh at
Chef's exaggerated tone and even the judge smiled. Natalie was lost
in thought.
    A young woman wearing the
standard suit stood by the front doors. She had a set smile on her
face that disappeared as her eyes widened as they approached. She
stared at the judge, apparently stunned by his unexpected appearance.
    “ Lord Hawkes!”
she gasped. “I wasn't informed of your arrival.” She gave
the judge a bit of a bow and Chris saw him stiffen a bit. He hates
that sort of thing,