In the Shadow of the Gods by Rachel Dunne

The children had been easy enough to keep contained when they’d been younger and stupider, but since growing some and figuring out that brains were a thing to be used, they’d proved distinctly less easy to contain. They had an eerie way of seeming not to follow the natural laws of walls and doors. It had been harder to keep their existence a secret from the other preachers, what with the fecking spooky little shits popping up in places they shouldn’t be, strolling through the tunnels like they owned the world, and so the Ventallo had agreed to stop trying. Let them wander, let them roam—so long as they stayed within the spire of the mountain.
    For all that Mount Raturo was enormous, it only had the one central path up and down the mountain, so it was exceptionally hard to avoid running into other preachers. And for all that their numbers swelled year after year, the Fallen were still a small group, rattling around inside Raturo like a handful of peas in a communal cookpot. All considered, it wasn’t necessarily surprising that Dirrakara should cross his path; though Joros cursed it as another minor annoyance, she had the strangest effect on his ability to breathe.
    She flashed him a sly grin, her hair curling like fire around her face. Joros gave her as much of a smile as he ever gave, a tight curving of the corners of his mouth. Dirrakara swept her arms wide and said, “Why, if it isn’t some of my favorite people.”
    Honestly, Joros didn’t know what she expected. A hug from the children, most likely, but that would be a ridiculous thing to expect and he couldn’t bring himself to think so lowly of her. Avorra and Etarro didn’t like being touched, and that topped the very short list of things Joros agreed with them on. So Dirrakara stood with her arms spread and a smile plastered on her face until she realized they weren’t getting her anywhere. She hastily cleared her throat and crouched down in front of the twins; Etarro flinched slightly, and she noticed it, of course, her eyes going all mothery. She’d tried so hard to fill Verteira’s place, for the children who’d never known a mother. They’d gotten along well enough without one so far, and they hadn’t shown any sign of wanting that to change. Joros knew it hurt her every time they rebuffed her, but she kept trying. He saw her hold back the hand that tried to reach out and brush at Etarro’s hair, and instead she put that smile back on her face. “What are you two doing with Cappo Joros, hmm?”
    They glanced at each other, briefly at Joros, and then at the floor. They didn’t seem inclined to answer, and so Joros did it for them: “They’re showing me something they found.”
    Dirrakara looked up at him with eyebrows raised. “Is that so?” She looked back to the twins, though she still spoke to Joros. “And what have they found?”
    Joros shrugged. “You know children.”
    Still not looking at him, she nodded. “I do. And I’m still wondering what they’re doing with you.”
    He bristled at that, though he did his best to hide it. Usually he found Dirrakara’s perspicacity and boldness refreshing, but not always. She’d come to know him well in the five years he’d served the Ventallo, better than anyone else could claimto know him. He was still trying to decide whether that meant he should marry her or kill her. “Perhaps I’m taking an interest in their lives. They’re finally of an age where they can almost speak in coherent sentences. One day soon they might even say something interesting. It would be a shame if I missed such a groundbreaking event.”
    She smirked, eyes flicking playfully up to him. “It would be, wouldn’t it?” She rose and stepped smoothly around the children, resting her hand lightly against Joros’s arm. Her eyes were the deepest green he’d ever seen.