Savage Saints (Monsters of Saint Mark's)

“What?” I laugh this word out.

“Yep. He’s got a date tonight.”

“Well, look at him being all grown up and shit.”

Batty is still talking.

“I’m sorry, Batty. I don’t understand you and Tomas isn’t here to translate.”

He holds out his palm and makes a little circle with his thumb and forefinger with the other, then points to my bag.

“Oh. The rock?”

He nods enthusiastically.

I fish through my bag, find the sandstone rock, and plunk it into his outstretched palm. Several other monsters rush up to him, chatting excitedly.

“What’s that about?” Pell asks.

“Hell if I know.” I turn to him and smile again, so happy to be home. Then I notice something. “Pell! You’re wearing pants!”

He beams a smile at me, like he’s been waiting all day to show me his pants. “I needed pockets. For the bag of r-i-n-g-s.”

I sigh. And giggle. “I’m so happy to be home.”

He grins back at me as he takes my hand and starts leading me towards the cathedral. “Tell me all about your day.” But then he stops. “Hey. Where’s Pia? She went with you, right?”

“She did,” I nod. “But she’s staying there. She can talk again. But only when she’s there, so…”

“Huh. That’s good, I guess.”

“It’s great!” But my enthusiasm is fake and it shows.

“Aww,” Pell says. “You’re sad about that.”

“Yeah. It was kinda fun in the beginning. Pia could talk, I made a friend—a whole group of them, actually. I got coffee. I saw the city. But—” I stop. Because it feels like a long story and I don’t want to tell it now. “You know what? Never mind that place. It’s a job. That’s all. This is home. I want to know what happened here today. You didn’t really explain the soot.”

He proceeds to tell me about the bag of rings and how he went looking for a spell. Then his idea to make a bag of chainmail.

“You’re a blacksmith?”

“Yeah. I’m pretty good at it too. It was kind of nice to work again after all these centuries.”

I am already holding his arm with both hands, but I lean in to his shoulder and sigh. “I missed you. Did I mention that?”

I’m not looking at his face but I know this made him smile. “You did.” And then we’re at the cathedral doors and he opens them for me. We step through together and the smell of cooking food is strong, wafting down from the center staircase like a siren song.

My stomach grumbles and I’m suddenly starving.

All the monsters crowd us as we ascend the stairs as a mob, but when we get to the upper level, I have to stop to take it all in. Gone is the empty space and in its place is a collection of massive dining tables. Each one seats eight, or ten, or twelve. And each one is covered with platters of food. Lots of green stuff that looks like hay, but then again, doesn’t look like hay at all. It’s like a professional chef cooked the hay with spices and arranged the platters with herbs and vegetables. There are side dishes of potatoes, and radishes, and turnips. There’s meat too. And breads, and cakes, and fruit.

“Wow,” Pell says.

“I take it you didn’t know about this?”

“Tomas mentioned we were having dinner with them tonight, but I didn’t imagine it would be this big of a production.”

Production is the right word, too. Cookie is now clapping his hands, directing other monsters to do things. And every one is taking a seat. Pell and I start towards two chairs, planning on sitting together, but a couple of monsters gently lead us in opposite directions.