Andrea Höst - The Sleeping Life

This book is in Australian English. It is a sequel to Stained GlassMonsters and develops events from that book.

Even ignoring his nightmare predicament, Fallon DeVries would beglad to get back to the Arkathan and away from the ritual of sayinggoodnight to an idealised statue of his mother and sister. Everyevening, as his father pressed lips to a marble forehead, Fallons heartcrawled into his stomach and writhed.

"Youre looking well today, my dears," Vannan DeVries said. He reacheddown to pat the head of the smaller of the two figures, then glancedexpectantly at Fallon.

"Goodnight Mother," Fallon said, obediently. "'Night Auri."

"You must be sure to visit on rest day, Fallon," his father said. "Thehouse will be quiet with only we three."

"Youre forgetting Mrs Pardons."

"Indeed. Though I regret to say this evenings offering will not easilyslip my mind." Fallons father tugged at his short, brown-blond beard."Perhaps she would do better with an assistant. We burden our oldhelpmate too much."

"Its just because Ive been home." The words had come too fast, toostrong, and Fallon bit his lip, then forced a lighter tone. "Ive eatenout the pantry. Besides, Mrs Pardons would be hurt if she thought wewere angling to replace her."

"Oh, she could not think that." Distressed, Fallons father held a handout toward the smiling, seated figure of his wife. "My dear, I had bestgo speak to her. Goodnight, lad."

Fallon let himself relax, knowing that Mrs Pardons would take in stridesudden reassurances that she was too valued a friend to be replaced, andnip in the bud any further ideas of new staff. Her cooking wasnt likelyto improve, but if Fallons plan succeeded she would be able to go backto providing meals delivered by her granddaughter. Father would neverknow.

"But hes getting worse," Fallon saidto himself, not the statue.

The two figures smiled on: his stone mother relaxed in a stone chair,head turned attentively toward the library door, while stone Aurienneleaned against her knees, lips curved enigmatically. Even Auri admittedthat the marble version of herself was a good deal prettier than itshould beand laughed at the thought of herself ever sitting devotedlyat their mothers feetbut still this remembrance of the dead was atriumph of their fathers skill. Mother had always had that complacentexpression, that expectation of an audience. And Auri looked properlyherself: restless and eager all at once.

Fallon went and ate jam tarts. They sat uneasily on the burnt grease MrsPardons had produced that evening, but were necessary energy. While hisstomach settled he did the household accounts, refusing to let himselffactor in any hope that his father would begin to work again, and maketheir financial situation less precarious. Then he prepared his room,setting a glow above a new book in the page-turner Sigillic, andweighting the corners of the latest collection of newssheets beforesettling with his head under a pillow to escape the light and dream hissister.

Though she neither ate nor drank, Auri had aged during the three yearsof the Dream, and now appeared fourteen to his sixteen. Even so, she wasalready inches taller, since Fallon took after their mothers blonddelicacy, while his twin had their fathers lanky frame. She readthrough the newssheets before crossing to the bed to take Fallons handand draw him fully into the dream state that was now the whole of herexistence.

"Can you think of anything to hobble Uncle?" Auri asked. "Youll neverget anywhere with Rennyn Claire if he keeps up this campaign against herhusband."

"He was here today." Because he didnt want to notice how frayed Auriwas looking, Fallon glanced down at himself, shifting uneasily in thebed. "Banging on at Father about the need to counter the Kellian threat.Perhaps, if the first approach doesnt work, I can offer Lady Rennyninside information."

"Was Father very upset?" Auri asked, her voice sharpening as she crossedto the door. "Why cant Uncle leave him be?"

Fallon followed his sister through the cold soapiness of the woodendoor. "If anything, Uncles visits do Father good," he said, rubbing hisgoose-nabbed upper arms. "He gets annoyed and that makes him less vagueand more in tune with the real world. But hehe is talking to themmore."

Without replying, Auri stepped through the door of their fathers room,and again Fallon trailed her through slippery chill, finding herstanding by their father, who was sitting up before his fire leafingthrough one of their mothers books of verses.

"It might be too much for him," she said, stroking the oblivious mansshoulder. "If you manage to get me back, he might be even more convincedMamas still alive. Or"

She stopped, and moved to warm her hands over the fire, growing visiblymore solid. Warmth was important to Auri, and while Fallon had learnedto make sure there were always heatstones nearby, she preferred fires.Fallon didnt go too closefires in the Dream always made him feelfloaty and less real.

"Father wont blame you. You did something stupid, but Mothers the onewho made your disappearance all about her. She spent more time pickingout becoming mourning clothes than crying. And wandering weeping in therain was a scene right out of the last novel shed read."

"She still wouldnt have fallen ill if not for me," Auri said, bluntly."And Father wouldnt havewouldnt be this way if she were still alive.Me coming back isnt going to make him better, is it?"

"Its not like Fathers the only reason to fix this," Fallon said,moving away from the fire. He knew Auris mood was due to tomorrowsreturn to the Arkathan, where Fallon would have to share a room withfive others, and could not set the page-turning Sigillic withoutprompting questions impossible to answer. Shed been desperately boredduring Fallons first term: unable to travel far from Fallons side, andfinding little entertainment in a dormitory of sleeping studentsbeyondthe things people did in their beds when they thought everyone asleep,which was hardly what Fallon wanted her watching.

"At least therell be plenty of food," Auri said, her thoughts obviouslyfollowingnearlysimilar lines. "You look liable to snap in half. Weddo better to see if we can get any use out of Lady Rennyn before riskingmore experiments."

"This will be the last we can do for an age," Fallon pointed out. "Andyou promised not to wriggle out. Dont be weak."

He pushed out through the door, knowing any suggestion of cowardicewould bring her to the point. But, while Auri followed into thecorridor, she passed him and stopped, blocking the way.

"Im not the problem," Auri said. "You are. You kept putting thisoff until you were sure you had the right Sigillic, and now youre allthin and worn looking. Do you want Father to carve a third familymember?"

Fallon flinched, but would only concede a partial point. "I know Im rundown. But this is just a divination. And you know we cant pin ourhopes to one solution. No matter how clever and powerful a mage LadyRennyn might be, if she isnt told the problem she wont be looking fora solution. Its not as if I can explain anything."

"Bah. If shes truly as good as the Elder Mages were, then she shouldknow all at first glance, have an answer after a second. And why youdargue against this I dont knowadmit it, theres nothing youd lovemore than to be the student of someone like that and burble on all dayabout the structure and nature of magic."

"Im not arguing. But even without Uncle the chances of me convincingLady Rennyn she wants another student are slim at best. We need to"