Aodhan swallowed, squeezing the edges of the bench on which they sat. “What happened? Did Aegaeon do a mean thing?”
Going as still as one of the snow leopards that Naasir had shown Aodhan, Raphael murmured, “Now, why would you say that?”
Aodhan shrugged. “I don’t like him.” He flicked up his eyes to see if he was in trouble for saying that.
“Neither do I.” Raphael’s voice was even harder. “And the answer is yes, he did.” Swiveling so he was straddling the bench, Raphael helped Aodhan get into the same position, so they were face-to-face. “Aegaeon went into Sleep. He didn’t warn Lady Sharine or Illium. He just went into Sleep without warning.”
Aodhan knew about Sleep. His grandmother who was his father’s mother had gone into Sleep before he was born. It meant she was resting because she didn’t want to live in the world anymore. One day, she’d wake up, but it might be a long time from now. Maybe even after Aodhan was a grown-up.
“But Aegaeon’s a papa.” He scrunched up his face. “Mamas and papas don’t go to Sleep.” Not until their children weren’t little angels anymore.
“Even a small child knows our unwritten laws,” Raphael said, his eyes like the blue stones in Aodhan’s mama’s favorite bracelet, “and yet that ass thinks he is above them all.”
“Ass” was a bad word when used that way. Aodhan knew that, but he didn’t say anything. Raphael was an archangel. And it sounded like he was using the bad word about Aegaeon. If Aegaeon had done such a horrible thing, then he needed to be called bad words.
“Is Aegaeon going to wake up soon?” he asked in hope, because even though he didn’t like Aegaeon, he knew Illium loved his papa.
A shake of Raphael’s head. “All signs are that he intends this to be a long Sleep. He’s set up a transition team in his court.”
When Aodhan just looked at him, Raphael shook his head. “Of course you don’t understand. None of that matters, Aodhan. What matters is that Illium is—”
“—hurt inside,” Aodhan interrupted. “I know. Can I go see him?”
A faint curve to Raphael’s lips. “Naasir says you have a heart like a tiger, fierce in your love.”
Antsy to see Illium, Aodhan said, “Did Illium cry?”
When Raphael nodded, Aodhan banged his fists against the dark blue cushion of the bench seat. “Illium never cries! He’s happy all the time!” Now Aegaeon had made him cry. “I hate Aegaeon!”
Raphael didn’t tell him not to say those things. He just said, “You can be angry, Aodhan. But today, you need to listen to Illium. His heart is broken. He’s very sad. We can hate Aegaeon, but he’s Illium’s father.”
Aodhan’s eyes were hot, but he nodded. Raphael was talking to him like a grown-up, talking to him like Aodhan could understand. So he would. He wouldn’t talk about how horrible Aegaeon was; he’d let Illium say whatever he wanted. “I promise,” he said, his voice wobbly.
“Aodhan.” It was a murmur as Raphael took him into his arms and held him close to his chest, the huge breadth of his wings wrapping around Aodhan in a wave of warmth and protection that made it okay for Aodhan to cry.
After he finished, he wiped his eyes and sat up. “I can see Illium now. I won’t say mean things about his papa.”
Stroking back strands of hair from Aodhan’s face, Raphael met his eyes. “You have a tiger’s heart indeed, small sparkles.” A gentle smile as he used Naasir’s name for him. “I think Illium will be quite all right with you by his side.”
After they got up, Raphael used a wet cloth to wipe Aodhan’s face so he didn’t look like he’d been crying, and then they walked down the hallway of the stronghold, all the way to a room that was big and full of light. In the center of it stood a bed, on which lay a blue-winged boy curled up into a small ball, his body jerking as he slept.
The angel who’d been seated by the bed rose. “Sire. He hasn’t woken since you left him.”
“Thank you, Adaeze. You can return to your duties, now.”
She inclined her head before walking out the door, her wings held neatly to her back. Aodhan didn’t see what color they were; he was already climbing onto the bed to pat Illium’s shoulder so his friend would sleep without bad dreams. It took a few pats, but Illium stopped jerking and soon, his face wasn’t scrunched up anymore.
Raphael, who’d sat on the other side of the bed, reached out to brush Illium’s hair off his forehead. “I will leave you be,” he said. “Illium and I have spoken, and he knows I’m but a single call away. Now, I think he needs his closest friend.”
Aodhan nodded. “I can come get you if he wants.” He knew all he’d have to do was step into the hall and stop the first grown-up he saw; they’d find Raphael for him.
Raphael’s smile was of a kind that made Aodhan feel good inside. It was how Eh-ma looked at him when he finished a piece of art. “I’ll have Adaeze bring up a tray of food for you two. She has a little one of her own and tells me that everything is better with small sweets and savories.”
Aodhan wasn’t too sure about that, but when the angel with curly black hair and skin almost as brown as Naasir’s walked in with a tray of things that smelled nice, his stomach rumbled.
Adaeze smiled. “There you go, sweet little child.” She placed the tray on a table right beside the bed, so Aodhan could reach it from where he sat. “It’s usually no eating in bed for little angels under my care,” she murmured, her voice holding a rhythm that was like music, “but today’s a special case. Don’t you worry about crumbs now, and if you spill anything, you just let Adaeze know.”
Aodhan nodded. “Thank you.”
“You are most welcome.” Soft eyes on Illium. “Poor baby. But he is loved, so loved. I see that, I do.”
She left the door half-open when she went out, but Aodhan got out of bed after and quietly nudged it all the way shut. Illium wouldn’t want anyone to see him crying if he wanted to cry some more. Raphael was different. Raphael was part of their family. Then, his tired wings dragging on the floor, he walked across the carpet and climbed back onto the bed.
Illium stirred.
Seated beside him, Aodhan patted his shoulder so he’d know he wasn’t alone. Rubbing his eyes, Illium sat up. He had marks on one side of his face, and his hair was all mussed up and his eyes were big.
“Want a snack?” Aodhan picked a small pie thing he thought his friend would like.
Nodding, Illium took it, and they sat side by side, eating snacks from the tray until Illium spoke. “My papa went to Sleep.”