“Whenever. But if you aren’t there today, and for enough time to get your bearings at least, he’ll be sending a comment to Daddy. Might jeopardize your standing with the council.”
Sighing, I swung my legs over and curled my toes into the soft carpet, bringing myself to a stand. I wandered to the wardrobe and grabbed one of the outfits I hadn’t tried yet. Tucking it under my arm, I stalked off to the bathroom. It didn’t take long for me to shower and slip into the soft cream colored blouse and blue jeans. At the bottom of the package was a pearl colored headband. I jammed it haphazardly onto my head. Once again, I looked stunning without any effort. I pulled on the same boots I wore to the council meeting.
When I stepped out, Glenn was already on his feet, bow and quiver across his back.
“Let’s get this over with,” I said glumly. Glenn’s lips twitched again, and for a second I swore he thought that my reaction was hilarious.
Marin waved at us as we left her house. She had assured me that Aldan’s place was within walking distance and that Glenn would know how to get there.
After we’d trekked a short distance from the house, Glenn cleared his throat. “So you never did let me know— what our ground rules are?”
I glanced at him. He was right. Last night I’d basically stuttered out something ridiculous about him making me feel awkward, then gave up and left. I stood up a little straighter. “Okay, rule number one: If we’re going to be around each other all the time, I’d rather it feel less like babysitting and more like friends. So, be friendly. Engage in the conversation.”
He smiled broadly, showing his teeth. They were straight and flatter than human teeth tended to be, but they were still pearly white and bright and attractive. “Being friends is easy enough. Let me know if I’m slipping up,” he added sincerely. “Duty on the Amaranth Guard is very formal. There is no illusion that I’m friends with my Lady.”
I felt cheered by this. It seemed like a step in the right direction, so I continued, “Rule number two: I get my privacy when I want it.”
“Can’t promise that,” he said, “I’d be a poor guard if I did.”
“Okay,” I sighed, amending my statement, “I get my privacy when I both want it, and when it can still be attained prudently on your part. You can say no if you feel it will compromise my safety.”
“Fair enough.”
“Rule three: I want to ask you any questions about yourself, and you’ll answer me, honestly.” I felt like this would be a good way to learn, not only about Glenn, but about the new world around me. Besides, isn’t learning about someone a fundamental way of creating a friendship?
He smiled, a strange expression on his face that I couldn’t place, “That, I’m afraid, I will not agree to.” He paused mid-stride, “But I will honestly answer three questions of your choice.”
“Why three?”
His brows raised, “Isn’t it always three or seven with humans? They love those numbers.”
“Why don’t I get seven, then?” I asked him.
He laughed, “Because I’m just not that generous, I’m afraid.”
CHAPTER TEN
Aldan
We’d been walking toward a small strip of forest just outside of town. Glenn gestured to the right, drawing my eyes to a large boulder at the edge of the woods. It was round and a little lumpy looking. Tree branches and moss draped over the stone, practically growing on it.
“Now,” Glenn said, “I hope you’ve laid all your rules, because time is up. This is the keeper door.”
I glanced at the boulder uncertainly. “Are you joking? Is there some trick?”
“No joke. Give it a knock.”
I just looked at him.
Sighing, he gave the rock three sharp raps. With a scraping noise, the boulder split, creating cracks that formed the outline of a doorway. The stone shuddered open. The inside was a blinding maw of light. Glenn motioned towards it, “After you.”
My initial impulse was to run. This was completely unnatural, after all. Instead, I squared my shoulders, stepping into the bright chasm. I was determined to remain undaunted. Unless I could find a cure for my transformation, I needed to accept magic in my everyday life. The light surrounding me burned my eyes, making me squint. All I could see was white. All I could feel was the discomfort of my eyes.
Walking through the light, I heard a sharp, ancient voice. “That’s far enough. Any further, and you’ll likely damage something. Let your eyes adjust.”
Glenn brushed up against me, hastily retreating. In my blindness, I couldn’t tell how far he’d backed up— an inch, a foot. We stopped, waiting for our eyes to handle the piercing brightness. After several minutes, I could open my eyes without pain, though I still couldn’t make anything out. After another few minutes, the edges of furniture and books materialized into view.
The room was bright, of course, but the room was also very full. Row after row of shelf after shelf, all stuffed with books in pristine condition. A glance told me the space was devoid of anything except the books and shelves, with the single exception of a large square desk in the back. The desk housed a leather bound tome that was huge and ancient looking. A large metal ring on the spine linked it to a chain. When I followed the chain with my gaze, I found it was attached to the wrist of a gnarled little man.
He squinted, though he was wearing large, round spectacles. His eyes were magnified through his glasses, the amplification making them terrifying. The color appeared entirely dark, but upon closer inspection I realized that a fine ring of light blue encircled the black: his pupils were simply dilated to let in every ounce of the searing light. His nose was long and hooked like a bird’s beak. He was balding. His skull was wreathed with gray hair above his ears, and a few renegade wisps grew haphazardly on top of his head. The man was tiny— much larger than the pixies from the meeting, but smaller than the dwarf.
He sat perched atop a tall stool. His wizened finger traced the pages of the huge chained tome in front of him. He looked ancient, but sturdy— stouter than most old men.
The room was bright, and the light seemed to bounce off the walls. The illumination itself came from large globes that were still too bright for me to comfortably look at directly. There were perhaps twenty of them hanging around the room. I glanced back: Glenn was still shading his eyes, and behind me our exit appeared to be nothing but a black hole in comparison to the brightness surrounding us.
“I suspect you have your bearings now,” the man snapped.
I timidly approached the miser, wordlessly handing him the envelope.
In a movement swifter than I’d expect from such an antique of a man, he tore it open and removed the letter. He grunted as he read it, “Heh.” The man set the note next to his book, then stared at me appraisingly. “This is a unique opportunity,” he started, “a chance to learn something new.”
I nodded, nervously. “I hope I can learn a lot.”
He snorted, “You’ll be lucky to absorb even one millionth of an iota of what you should. I mean this is a chance for me to learn something new.”
Glenn had been silent before, but the man’s demeanor provoked a response. “Wait a minute, keeper! This girl is protected by my Lady Amaranthe’s elvish clan of Kaeylo—”
He rolled his eyes and flapped a hand, cutting Glenn off. “You are not welcome here, elf.” He said the word ‘elf’ as if it were a derogatory term.
Glenn’s mouth became a hard line. “I am her guard.”
“And I am her teacher.”
“So it would seem.” Glenn stood stiff as ever, his expression daring the old man on.
The little man laughed, a sound that was strangled and— at least with my siren perspective— dusty. “You should know,” he said, moving down from the stool slowly, lurching, “that no elf is welcome here. It would be a great and foolish risk for me to allow it.” He bundled the chained book up to his side and approached Glenn, stopping a few feet from us.
“Regardless, I must insist
,” Glenn pressed. He was polite, but there was an edge to his voice.
“Oh, really? You think I’d let you remain when I am in earnest work? You may stay outside the door, with the gate opened if you would like. You will be able to hear us. Should there be a problem, you are free to rush in and play the part of the white knight to save the damsel… though I doubt very much she would require rescue if she truly is siren blood.”
“Why isn’t he allowed to stay?” I asked, curious.
“Ah, lesson number one, then.” The little man bowed to me, “I am your new instructor, Aldan. One of the keepers.” He pointed at Glenn with a grizzled finger that ended in a long, yellowed nail. “Elves are, as the extraordinary community is well aware, notorious environmentalists. Taken to extremes.” Glenn rolled his eyes, but Aldan continued, “This particular environment is filled with books. Carefully preserved books that house infinitely precious reserves of knowledge— both about the Overworld and the Realm. He would typically regard a book as an affront to nature— it is twisting a tree’s body into pulp, bound and covered in ink. Never mind if he finds the knowledge within controversial or useful, acceptable or appalling. The book itself is considered an abomination.”
Glenn sighed. “I hardly—”
Aldan interrupted him, “Most of his kind would take immediate action to destroy such a collection, return it to nature ideally. If that could not be achieved, the secondary duty is to avenge the trees.” He paused. “So you see, to let one into a library such as mine, a library that has been carefully cultivated through years of patience and fortitude, would be grave folly. Even with said Álfar taking elementary privilege of a sponsorship from a new pupil, such admittance would be imprudent on my part.”
I stared at him, bewildered. I understood about half of the words in the last sentence.
He sighed, “He is not welcome here. It doesn’t matter if you can— what’s the term?— vouch for him. I’d sooner exsanguinate than see my collection vanish.”
Glenn shook his head, “I have no desire to ruin your books. I like books. It’s one of the stranger things about me.”
Aldan’s eyes narrowed, “I don’t believe it, and even if I did, I’d never risk my library. Out you go.”
I gave Glenn an apologetic glance. “I suppose this is one of those instances where I need privacy.”
He sighed. His hand brushed against mine for an instant— as if he was considering making a run for it— but he pulled back. “Make a noise if you have any trouble. If you cannot speak, or scream, pound the floor. If I hear anything amiss, I will find you.” His eyes flickered to Aldan. “If anything ever is amiss, I will do more than wreck your library.” He turned on his heel, exiting into the blackness outside.
My new teacher’s posture changed as soon as Glenn had left, visibly relaxing. The books must mean the world to him, I thought. He impatiently waved at me to follow, hobbling back to his stool.
“You may stand, or sit upon the floor if it suits you, but take care not to injure my tomes,” he said gruffly.
I lowered myself awkwardly to the floor, careful to not brush against the shelves flanking me. I sat cross-legged, looking up at the little man on his stool.
“Sir,” I said, “I apologize if this is rude but… what exactly is a keeper?”
Aldan laughed, “So you are to give me a duplicitous study. A siren, nurtured under the assumption of humanity. Fascinating.” He pulled his glasses off, rubbing them furiously with a white rag. His eyes didn’t seem as black without the magnification of the lenses. He sighed, replacing the spectacles atop his nose. “A keeper, my dear, is one who keeps knowledge. It is my duty and nature to record and preserve the world around me in its entirety. Keepers pursue truth and hard facts, striving to extinguish secrets.”
I let that sink in. Personally, I saw the value in a few secrets. It was likely that eventually I’d be forced to reveal my greatest mistake, but I was grateful only Marin and her father currently knew about my foster parents’ demises. Some secrets save pain.
The little man’s eyes were hungry, studying me. Aldan seemed adamant in his thirst for knowledge.
“Why do you have a book chained to you?” I asked.
He smiled grimly. “It is as much a part of me as your arm is a part of you. It contains the greatest secrets I have discovered.”
I didn’t fully understand his answer, but I let the subject drop.
We sat in silence for about five minutes. I stared at Aldan awkwardly, and he continued to scrutinize my features greedily, taking in every detail.
The attention made me uncomfortable. Eventually, I plucked up my courage and cleared my throat.
He arched a brow quizzically, “Yes?”
“Excuse me, sir, but what am I supposed to be learning?”
He laughed, the question seemed to almost perplex him, “You are supposed to learn nothing. It is up to you to decide what you wish to learn. There is no limitation except for your own curiosity. What do you want to know?”
The answer was instant, “I’d like to know more about the sirens. Especially the full nature of their magic.”
Aldan nodded, “A wise pursuit, though it is unlikely I know anything enlightening on the subject. Your kind were notorious with their secrets. I can only hope that it was nurture, not nature, that made them so inclined to withhold.”
I felt my heart fall. If he couldn’t help me find what I needed, I’d have to look elsewhere. Still, I asked, “What do you know, sir?”
He chuckled, “Very little, but I do have a compendium on the species, if you would like to read it. It may be a good start. To find out more information on them…” He sighed wistfully, “It is why I agreed to tutor you.”
“Sir?”
His eyes softened, “I told you I do not value secrets. I am tutoring you so I may observe you, to take in as much new information on sirens as I can. For that reason, our relationship is reciprocal, mutually beneficial. I will ask you questions, and you will ask me questions, and if we are both honest, we will learn. Can I trust you, siren?”
I paused, considering it. The truth was, I needed the help. I could flounder through this and try to figure things out on my own— and surely Glenn and Marin would help me— but Aldan had a wealth of knowledge that neither of my new acquaintances did. I nodded, “Yes.” I smiled, “And my name is Sarah.”
“It is not,” Aldan said, returning my grin. He looked less gruff with the smile on his face, though it made his wrinkles etch together like a web. “But it will do for now.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
On Sirens
I emerged from the library ten minutes later, entrusted with two of Aldan’s books— a slim volume on sirens and a thicker one on the basic council laws. Now that my eyes had adjusted, the darkness outside felt overwhelming— like someone had switched off the light in the world. I stumbled forward, books folded carefully in my arms and nearly fell. Glenn caught me gently by the shoulders and propped me up. I felt a pang of guilt that he was forced to remain outside, but the rule was Aldan’s, not mine.
“You need to wait for a few minutes. Let your eyes readjust to the outside. You find what you needed?” he asked. He was trying to be friendly.
“I’m not sure. Maybe,” I said softly. “If nothing else, I’ll be more educated.”
“Well then. We should head back home.”
“Glenn?” I asked as we walked the short distance back to Marin’s.
“Yeah?”
“Are you going to be at school tomorrow?”
“As I’m your guardian, yes.”
I let that sink in. I still disliked the idea of a bodyguard following me around. But Glenn was okay. Even though I didn’t know much about him, I already liked him.
I’d never had friends before. A few acquaintances, but never anyone close. When I was younger, I’d tried to make friends more often but after a while decided it wasn’t worth the effort. I always moved away too quickly. By the time I landed in Whitecrest, I
was decidedly awkward at forming companionships. I focused instead on getting through school as unscathed as possible.
“Don’t you miss your friends?” I asked.
He stared forward, his face expressionless. Finally, he said, “Is this one of your three questions?”
I sighed. I wanted to be able to be friendly with him, and the questions were supposed to help with that. But if he wanted to just spout off three random facts about himself and be done with it, we weren’t really going to learn anything about each other. I shook my head, “No, it’s not. I was just curious… so if you wanted to answer and be friendly, you can, but you don’t have to.”
He laughed a little, “Fair enough. It’s not often I have the luxury of such choices.”
We were silent for a bit longer, and finally he made a grunt in the back of his throat, clearing it.
He tilted his head to me. “The answer is no, I don’t. I don’t really have friends.”
“Neither do I,” I admitted.
“You?” he said, his brow raising. “Really?”
I smiled. “I wasn’t always a siren,” I said, “and I’m not suited to popularity, anyway.” I shifted the weight of the books in my arms. “When I was a kid, I was shuttled around a lot. I guess I had a few friends, but it’s hard to hang onto them when you move so much. By the time I was here, in Whitecrest…” I shrugged, “I don’t know. I guess I just didn’t know how to make them anymore. Maybe I just didn’t try.”
“But you could have as many friends as you wanted now,” he pointed out.
I shook my head, “There’s a vast difference between friends and groupies, Glenn.” I sighed, kicking at the ground, “What about you? Why the lack of buds?”
His mouth formed a lopsided grin. “Hmm… I guess I just haven’t found any in the Amaranth Guard.”
“You’ve got me as a friend, for what it’s worth,” I offered.
Glenn stared off in the distance, “Hmm. Yeah.” He sounded uncomfortable about it. Maybe there was a rule about having friends when you were part of an elite private army.
Prelude (The Rhapsody Quartet) Page 9