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

Chris thought. But the judge's tone was kind.
    “ Amanda, isn't it?”
At her astonished nod, he smiled. “Good. No, I'm afraid we had
to drop by without warning. Your superior is aware of our visit, but
I assume he didn't have the time to inform the rest of the staff. I
apologize for that.”
    “ Oh, no need to
apologize, m'lord,” she said hastily. “You are always
welcome here. Valiant is your home, after all.”
    “ Valiant?”
Chris said curiously.
    “ Valiant is the name
of the castle, Christopher,” Judge Hawkes said with a bit of a
forced smile. “My ancestors were a gallant bunch, apparently,
and had a fairly well known name when it came to their exploits in
battle.”
    “ At any rate,”
he turned to look at Amanda, “we're on our way to see Mr.
Mahony. I assume he'll be in his office at this time of day?”
    “ Yes m'lord. Shall I
call ahead to tell him you're here?”
    “ No need. He knows
we're here, I'm sure.”
    The woman hastened to open
one of the wide doors.
    “ Thank you.
Everyone,” he called back to the staff, ”come along. We
have to get settled and start making plans. Step lively now.”
    The group crowded in
behind the judge and he led the way into the castle.
    The building inside was
opulent. The walls were covered with tapestries, the shining wooden
floors were glowing with deep polish and the ceilings were ornately
covered with carvings and inlaid with panels, painted with scenes of
battle and mythic figures. Chris was fascinated.
    “ Wow, it's amazing,”
he said in a hushed voice. He felt like he was in some sort of
cathedral. The air smelled faintly of lemony wood polish and some
sort of incense. He felt his scalp tighten in response.
    Natalie finally snapped
out of her silent thoughtfulness and looked at him with an
understanding smile.
    “ I agree, Chris. The
last time I was here I was quite upset, but this place still filled
me with a kind of awe.” She looked around as they followed the
judge. “Maybe because it's so old. It has a brooding dignity or
something. I don't know.”
    She seemed puzzled by the
atmosphere of the castle and she looked to Chris for support. “Can
you feel it? Like it's watching us or something, judging our actions,
deciding whether we're worthy of being here.”
    Startled by Natalie's
characterization of the building, Chris scanned the area as they
walked.
    The main hall was about
five yards wide, the walls hung with many paintings of
stately-looking men and women in fancy old costumes. The eyes of
these people seemed to watch them with detached interest. It was a
bit creepy. He didn't feel animosity, exactly, but there wasn't a
welcoming air to the place either. It was a totally different
impression than the one he'd had when he had first entered the Hawkes
Nest.
    “ Yeah,” Chris
finally answered. “I think I feel it. The place isn't sure
about us. It's, I don't know, withholding judgment about us until we
prove we're worthy.” At Natalie's look, he reddened. “Well,
that's how it feels to me.”
    “ Hmm. I think that's
it.” She frowned as she continued to scan the area. “It
wants to be sure we're the right sort of people. Huh, what a weird
feeling to get from a heap of stone.”
    Chris had to grin at her
confused reply, but he agreed with her. However, weird vibes or not,
he still tried to take in all the sights.
    Several groups of people,
obviously tourists, passed them as they made their way through the
main floor. All were talking and laughing and many were carrying
cameras. He noticed several bunches of school-aged kids, some of whom
looked at him curiously as he walked along in the middle of the group
of solemnly dressed adults. Chris wondered if they thought he was in
trouble or something and was amused by the idea.
    They finally entered the
massive central area of the castle and Chris was awed yet again.
    It was the size of an
average school gymnasium. A wide mahogany desk was planted in the
middle of the room, surrounded by