The Son of Thunder

Chapter Ten

For Thanksgiving, I'm posting two chapters... 

"Quiet," Magpie muttered. She wrapped her hands over her head. Pounding came at her door. "Be quiet."

Glenada whipped into the room and tore her bedding from her. "Magpie, get up." 

Magpie gave Glenada her meanest eye. Noise was filtering upstairs.

"Hurry," Glenada said, pulling her daughter up.

Magpie put her feet on the cold planks, scrubbed the heel of her hand into her eye.

"We're being invaded." Glenada looked awfully calm for a woman declaring that the Acidonians had broken down the walls of Thundonia. "Star Children everywhere. Not nearly enough room for them all."

Through her exhaustion, Magpie smirked. Star Children were hardly a threat.

"Get up. Help me with blankets and assigning rooms."

She let out a whine.

"Up, Magpie," Glenada said. She hustled out of the room as Magpie came to her feet. She was still in her shift as she wobbled down the hall. Canary was bustling, yanking every free linen from the closet. The Lovebirds fluttered about, putting extra pillows in each room.

"How many, Mana?" one of the Lovedbirds, Vachel, asked.

"At least two a room."

"Ugh," Magpie groaned. They had been invaded. "Do we have to have Star Children?"

"Shawna has ordered it," Glenada said. "Tomorrow someone will be around more officially to sort through the number of people and pair us up."

If Magpie hadn't been so tired, she would have vomited. She went downstairs, started rounding up the lot. They were crowded in the lobby. Glenada didn't have to tell Magpie her job. It was to find as much space for them without waking guests. Which they were failing at. Many had already come down from their rooms. Most had been like Magpie, not bothering to dress properly, though she was getting plenty of glances from the Star Children for walking around in her shift. Like Star Children didn't look like fools, running around in robes with bare feet all the time. Magpie would have never been able to keep a white robe clean.

Magpie counted seventy-five Children. A good number, but not as bad as she had feared. They could put five in each of the family rooms. That left twenty-five to remain in the lobby. It would be cramped, but the other guests wouldn't have to deal with them.

"I'm not having a Star Child in my room," Dark announced, his arms folded across his chest. He barred the door with his own body.

"You'll have five because I said you would." Magpie pushed him aside and ushered them in.

"I said not any," he shouted after her.

"Then you can go home to your mother and listen to her rant at you for not having a vocation yet."

Magpie had no sympathy for his plight. He gave no sympathy to her and he only had his mother to rage at him.

"Magpie, I will not take orders from you."

"Then take them from Shawna," she muttered. "She's the one who saddled us with them."

Her younger siblings didn't question her. None of them liked Star Children, but they had less authority to argue with her than Dark did. Blessed Hobs, he was the only one who was happy for the company. Magpie was careful to put the youngest ones in his room. She didn't trust the older ones to leave him be. She also made a point of putting females with females and males with males. Those who wouldn't part with their spouse remained in the lobby.