Chapter 146

"The other men," he said passing out servings, "are terrified of the child. That sound, it keeps making, puts them on edge."

Kein leaned in and spoke quietly to me, "Did you see the women appear when the child called out?"

I shook my head no, so he continued to talk.

"The men said each time the child cries the women come around. There was one stalking up and down outside our apartment all last night."

Evan took his plate and replaced Kein talking, "Just now three women appeared at the entrances to see what was happening."

"They're proving a point," Damien said as we all leaned in to listen. "The women want us to see them watching the child."

"There's a bet that Archen's family will try to touch the girl," Evan said. "I heard it in the sorting room."

"Didn't they see what the women did?" I asked. "Why would they risk it? That is monumentally stupid."

Christof loaded my plate with food and placed it in front of me. "They were Wa