Prelude (The Rhapsody Quartet) (27 page)

“Make no mistake, Sarah,” he said carefully, his brown and green eyes locked on mine. “You are by far the most
maddening
assignment I’ve ever had the privilege of taking on… but…” He cast his gaze to the ground. “I want to do this the best I can.” He dropped my arm, bringing his eyes back up to meet me. “Please… let me do my job.”

My nostrils flared out a little, and I sucked in a breath. “I’m not going to stop seeing him. And I want to see him
alone
.”

Glenn sighed, rubbing his forehead tiredly. He gestured, indicating he was ready to continue walking back. We trudged along the beach, and finally he said, “Conditionally, Sarah. Conditionally, you can go alone.”

I couldn’t help grinning in excitement. My mood had changed so abruptly; I wondered what color had taken over my eyes. “Really?!”

“
Conditionally
,” he said again, with emphasis.

“Okay,” I agreed. “What are the conditions?”

“I need to know when you’re going, when you’ll be back, and at least a general idea of where you’ll be.” He narrowed his eyes, “Speaking of which, you practically vanished tonight. Where were you?”

I bit my lip and shrugged. I could offer him a half-truth, at least. “We were on the beach.”

His eyes narrowed further. “I
looked
on the beach.”

“Well… I’d never been to this particular section of beach before,” I said lamely. “It wasn’t very trafficked. Maybe that’s why.”

“Hmm.”

I tried to gloss it over. “So we can be alone as long as you have the whens and wheres, right?”

“Mostly, yes,” he agreed.

I raised a brow. Incomplete privacy wasn’t enough— Score had insisted on secrecy. “
Mostly
?”

He shrugged, shaking his head. “I need to be at least within yelling range of you. You have to understand, that’s further than you think.” He stared off into the distance. “Marin is leaving for her own date right now, as we speak.”

I whipped my head back to him. “How do you know?” We were still a good mile away from the house, the wind howled around us, and Marin’s dates typically started late at night and ended early the next morning.

“Elf ears,” he explained, smiling softly. “So shouting range to me is quite a bit further.”

“Oh,” I mumbled. His compromise had been fair so far, especially if he was allowing potentially miles of distance between us. Besides, I was sure Score would hum the same spell as before, just in case. So I nodded. “Yes. That’s fair.”

Glenn sighed. “Good, that’s sorted… well—” He stopped, suddenly frowning, tilting his head. He grabbed my hand urgently and sprinted. “We need to get you back to the house, inside the house—” he said, tugging my wrist.

My feet were clumsy compared to his.

While we ran, I could feel what was bothering him. A static-like charge hung in the air. A lightning storm? It was the wrong time of year for it. The humidity should’ve been high this far into the rainy season, but the air was surprisingly dry.

I couldn’t move fast enough. Glenn was practically dragging me.

“What’s wrong?” I sputtered, confused.

He shook his head, his mouth a grim line. His free hand sought his bow as we flew towards Marin’s house. It was finally in my sight. The crackling charge continued to grow, making the fine hairs on my neck and arms stand on end.

We reached the door, and he flung it open furiously. Glenn pushed me inside and slammed it shut.

I pounded on the door. “Glenn!” I screamed.

What was going on?

There was a rumbling of thunder outside— no, not thunder, just a similar sound. Dread settled into my stomach. The house was dark inside, though it wasn’t that late. With Marin absent, I didn’t know how to call the maids. I sat on the edge of the bottom stair, my gaze fixed on the entry door.

I finally recognized the sound I was hearing— hoof beats. There were horsemen in the drive, on the sand.

A voice outside made me jump. “Bring her out, and we won’t have a problem.” Loud, male, booming. My whole body began to tremble. He could only mean one
her
. The voice did not sound friendly.

Glenn’s response was soft and steady, though I couldn’t hear his reply clearly. A laugh— now a chorus of laughs— followed by a brief response. Whoever wanted me spoke too quietly to make out the words.

My lower lip trembled, and I squeezed my eyes shut. I stooped down, wrapping myself into a ball, trying to become as small as possible. I tried to focus on my breathing— in, out, in, out— making it as rhythmic and natural as possible. I could hear it, coming out in short, stilted gasps.

Now a clash— the sound of steel clanging against the walls of Marin’s house with a crack and ring. The thundering echo I’d heard before, loud crashes, scraping noises. It was madness, but it was over quickly— less than ten minutes. Then more beats, less frantic, the horsemen making their exit.

The door knob rattled, ever so softly, and Glenn slipped inside gracefully, wiping off his forehead. It was beaded with sweat, his face flushed, his mouth open. He panted, rolling his eyes down to me.

Every muscle in my body relaxed at once. I began sobbing. He rushed to my side, his brows knitted in worry. “Did anyone enter?”

He stood, not waiting for an answer, running past me and up the stairs. He threw open the doors one by one, checking that the house was secure. When he was satisfied, he raced back to the base of the stairs.

“You’re okay, aren’t you, Sarah?”

I shook my head, unable to speak.

He gently pulled me, prying my body upright. He picked my arms up, inspecting me to make sure I was whole, intact. “You appear unscathed,” he said. His eyes scoured mine. “You’re okay,
right
?”

Dumbly, I nodded up and down. “I think so,” I managed to gasp out. “What
was
that?”

He turned away from me. “Nothing important. Certain extras want to see you gone, that’s all. It’s why I’m here… to stop them.” He didn’t meet my eyes as he said it, instead staring at his feet. He sighed, “This is why I keep you close. This is why it’s so important to not go out of your way to lose me.” He raised his head up to me, and I threw my arms around him.

His whole body went taut, but I buried my face into his shoulder. “Thank you, Glenn.”

He gave me a quick, impatient squeeze and pushed me away from him. “I think we should head upstairs. You should try to get some sleep.”

I clung to him, unwilling to let go. He sighed, scooping my body into his arms and carrying me up the stairs. Glenn’s skin was warm, flushed from the exertion he’d spent saving my life. I could smell sweat on him and something sweet and earthy— like a freshly mowed lawn and the dirt after a rainstorm.

He fluidly turned the sheets down on my bed, slipping me under them. He tugged the blankets up to my armpits. “Do you want some night clothes?” he asked me gently.

I shook my head, shimmying out of my jeans and kicking them to the ground. My toes were still covered in sand from my date, and while the tee I was wearing was comfortable, normally I wouldn’t choose to sleep in it. Still, the bed felt warm and safe. I didn’t want to leave it until my heart rate had slowed considerably.

Glenn stretched out, a movement that looked more for show than for any real benefit. “Try to get some sleep.”

“Glenn?”

“Yes?” He didn’t make eye contact as he responded.

“Thank you,” I mumbled again.

He nodded, an uncomfortable look on his features. “No problem.” He sighed, “Really, go to sleep. Everything is fine for now.” He sunk into the chair by the reading nook, his body alert.

I rolled over, onto my side, trying to relax. The shadows in the room seemed to contort, forming figures out of the corners of my eyes. I inhaled deeply, forcing myself to count to ten before exhaling. My brain kept mulling over the attack. I doubted I’d ever be calm again, but in the late hours, I finally fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the morning light, everything felt safer and more natural. Glenn was wearing an undershirt I’d never seen before. It was lighter than his usual tunic, a cream color, and looked almost like cotton. The way it moved as he shifted, however, made me think it was closer to silk. He stitched his normal green shirt with a piece of long grass. He held a section of the blade between his lips to keep it straight as he carefully twisted it into the fabric with his fingers. He was repairing a small tear in the shoulder area.

As he patched the hole, it almost looked like the material grew around it— like the plants Glenn wore were living things. It wouldn’t have surprised me if they were. Noting the tear in his shirt, I glanced over to his shoulder. Sure enough, there along the outside edge of his shoulder blade was a leaf stuck to his skin. A poultice seeped out from the edges of it.

“Are you hurt?” I asked.

He shrugged, not looking up from his work. “A scratch…
His
mistake,” he added barely above a whisper.

I kicked the sheets off of my legs and stood up, moving to examine it. I started to peel the leaf back, but Glenn’s hand caught my wrist, his eyes flashing as he stared into my own.

“It’s
fine
. It’ll heal up by this afternoon.”

I shook my head, feeling guilty. If it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t be hurt at all. I stepped in front of him. “What
was
that? Really? If I’m responsible for—”

He shook his head. “Sarah, do you really think that I’d be any safer if I wasn’t here? Do you think my Lady is immune to threats on her life? Do you think this is different than
any other
day for me?”

I felt my shoulders slump down. “I don’t know,” I mumbled.

“Well, it’s not,” he said firmly. “If anything, I’m finding my time here refreshing. I enjoy talking with you.”

It was news to me. He blushed for a single second after he said it— or maybe I just imagined it. I blinked. “You still haven’t answered me,” I said softly, eying the floor. “What was that? Who wants me dead this time?”

Glenn sighed. “The centaurs. Their council member frenzied them. They figured one elf, even a member of the Amaranth Guard, wouldn’t be much of a challenge. The herd wasn’t united on the decision, so only a handful of them showed up. None of the women, of course.” He continued on, but his voice sounded harder now, “I tried to reason with them, but they attacked. A dozen fought me, total. Two were unharmed. Seven were wounded. I had to put down three.” His tunic repaired, he slid it over his head.

“You killed three?”

“They were unrelenting. It was regrettable,” he said plainly. “I’ve already said a prayer for their souls. Those left unscathed gathered the bodies.”

I saw, though Glenn was trying his best to hide it, that the battle had disturbed him. But there wasn’t anything I could do or say to comfort him. Instead, I murmured, “Thank you… you saved my life.”

He smiled softly. “Indeed I did. Perhaps it won’t be the last time, either.”

I walked up, heading to the bathroom to shower. Despite trying to remain cool and collected, I shuddered at the implication of his statement. More people could die because of me.

I showered, ate breakfast. Marin babbled about her latest swim meet coming up, how simple it would be. I stared out the window, watching the cloudy sky, hoping it would rain.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

A Dance

In school Monday morning, Score approached me quickly, sitting next to my desk in history class.

I smiled weakly at him, but in truth I wasn’t really up to being cheerful. Over the weekend, I’d been practically a shut-in. Glenn hadn’t allowed me to leave the estate at all, much to Marin’s chagrin. His paranoia consequentially increased my own. As a result, I spent most of my time flipping through Aldan’s atlas, wondering where the attacks were originating.

Score’s brows turned up, noting my expression. “Are you okay, Sarah?”

It was almost enough to make me flinch. Now that I knew my real name, I wanted him to use it. Obviously, he couldn’t— at least not in school. I leaned forward into the desk, doodling scribbles on the top of my notebook. “Rough weekend. That’s all.”

Score’s eyes flickered to Glenn, as if he wanted to ask if I’d been in trouble for escaping with him. Instead, he smiled brightly. “Well…” He grabbed one of my hands, and my pulse quickened.

I heard Glenn groan next to me under his breath.

Score continued, “I’d love to see you again soon… pick up where we left off?” He sounded hopeful.

In my peripheral vision, I could see Marin leaning forward, her eyes sparkling, a wide grin on her face.

I nodded. “I’d like that.”

“Eep!” Marin squealed. I whipped my head to her. She slapped a hand over her mouth and stifled it, shrugging innocently.

I chose to ignore her. “When?”

He shrugged. “I have tonight free, if that works for you.”

Maybe tonight wasn’t ideal. I’d just been attacked a few days ago. Glenn seemed extra wound up after this last one. I couldn’t blame him. He’d fought off a small army, walked away scathed, and spent most of his earlier evening pointlessly chasing after Score and me. He had to be feeling some stress.

My eyes wandered over to my bodyguard. I raised a single brow in question.

He rolled his eyes, flapping his hand dismissively.

“
Thank you,
” I mouthed silently, turning back to Score. “Yes. Tonight works.”

Score beamed. “Great! I’ll meet you at my house this afternoon?”

Despite the anxiety I’d felt over the weekend, a shiver ran down my spine in anticipation. At least for an evening, for a little while, I’d be able to slip into the same comfort I usually felt with Score. I grinned, feeling cheered. He returned to his own seat as the bell rang, starting class.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At lunch, Marin slid over to me, waggling her brows. She nodded towards Score’s packed table. “So… you and Will. Pretty serious, then?”

A heat rose on my cheeks. “
No
!” I hissed out.