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

loud knocking was coming from the front door out in
the sitting room. He breathed deeply and clicked on the bedside lamp.
It had to be fairly late; the view outside of the window was all in
darkness.
    Chris slipped out of bed
and stumbled to his feet. He grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt at
random from the bureau and put them on as he made his way into the
sitting room.
    “ Coming!” he
called out at whoever was knocking. He was relieved as the banging
immediately stopped.
    Chris turned on the lamps
on the end tables, made sure he was zipped up and unlocked the door.
    As he opened it, he saw a
smiling Jamie standing there. The smile slipped from his face as he
saw Chris' disheveled appearance and his grumpy expression.
    “ Oh, I am so sorry,
sir,” he began to say. Chris shook his head and held up a hand.
    “ Look, I don't know
what the rules are here in the castle. What's the word, protocol?
Yeah, well, I'm no sir, that was my dad. And I'm younger than you
are. Just call me Chris. It'll save time. I always look around to see
who people are talking to when they call me sir.”
    Jamie looked delighted and
laughed at Chris' comment. “Very well, sir, I mean Chris.
Please call me Jamie.”
    Chris waved him into the
room. “Have a seat for a second. I have to find some socks and
brush my hair.” He ran a hand through his long tangled locks.
“I must look like a mess, going to sleep with wet hair.”
    Jamie smiled as he sat
down on the couch. “You look fine.”
    Chris walked into the
bedroom. “So what's going on?” he called out as he
rummaged through several drawers until he found some new sweat socks.
    “ Lord Hawkes called
and asked me to rouse you, I'm afraid. He's convening a meeting with
all of the people that came in with him, staff included. There will
be food,” he added brightly as if trying to cheer Chris up.
Chris grinned.
    “ Thanks,” he
called as he put on the socks and his rather beat-up old sneakers. He
grabbed a brush off of the bureau and pulled it through his hair
roughly, frowning as he ripped a few hairs out as he worked through
the knots. He looked in the mirror and shrugged at himself. Could
look worse, I guess.
    He returned to the sitting
room and Jamie sprang to his feet.
    “ I'm ready, I
guess,” he said to the older boy with a wry grin.
    “ Excellent. While
I'm here, m'lord asked me to give you this.”
    Jamie pulled a cellphone
and charger out of his pocket and handed them to Chris. “They're
yours. Next time you're needed, they can just call you. No need for
me to pound you awake.”
    Chris laughed at that
comment, thanked Jamie and put the cell in a front pocket. He tossed
the charger on to the couch. “I'll plug it in later.” he
said.
    Jamie nodded and led Chris
out of the room. Then he clapped a hand to his brow and dug into
another pocket.
    “ I almost forgot
about this.” He handed Chris an ornate key. “For your
rooms. I've been asked to tell you to try not to lose it. There is
only one other and that one is only lent out to housekeeping and
immediately returned after each use. We have to call a locksmith in
every time someone loses a room key to make a new one.”
    Chris thanked him and
locked his door. As he slipped the key into a pocket, he looked at
Jamie curiously.
    “ Why only the two
keys? This place must have hundreds of rooms. Shouldn't spares be
kept?”
    They began to walk with
the older boy in the lead.
    “ Oh they are, but
not for private quarters. That has been Lord Hawkes' order since he
took over running the organization from his late father. Apparently
he's quite serious about privacy.”
    Chris' estimation of the
judge bumped up yet another notch. He personally was a very private
person and had never shared any more of his affairs with others than
he absolutely had to, even on the streets. Especially on the streets,
he added bitterly. He'd learned that lesson the hard way.
    The two chatted amiably as
Jamie led Chris through the maze-like