"What?" she snapped.
"Is everything alright?"
He looked worried, and somehow, that was irritating to her. He was in her way… she had somewhere very important to be. She had a date, a date in the woods with a beautiful man with a beautiful voice… the music was swelling and dancing in her ears as she frowned, trying to figure out the best way to get him to leave her alone so she could slip out of the castle and away across the road and into the woods again, to finally be with Glimmerbright, as she should have those several weeks ago… who knew what could have happened between them if this foolish mortal before her hadn't intervened…
"Julia!"
"What!"
"You look drunk," he said flatly, taking her firmly by the shoulders. "Or – addled, somehow. What's going on?"
"I'm just a little distracted," she said patiently, gritting her teeth. "Don't fuss, Galen."
"The full moon," he murmured, half to himself. Then, before she could stop him, he reached for his belt, grabbing a scabbard that hung there, maybe the length of his palm. She narrowed her eyes as he raised the scabbard, recognizing it as the iron blade that he'd been wielding against Glimmerbright on the day they'd met. Savage man, cruel, vicious – and then he unsheathed it, and she staggered again, shaking her head.
"The music –" she started, feeling oddly bereft. The blade shone in front of her, somehow more real than anything around it, and she stared at it for a long moment… and when she looked away from it, her eyes were clear, and so was her mind. "The music's stopped."
"Julia, what did you hear?"
"I heard…" She realized, suddenly, that she was freezing cold – not just the light chill that she'd been feeling on the rooftop, but a full-body cold that was making her teeth chatter and her shoulders shake.
A worried look on his face, Galen put his arms around her, drawing her close and wrapping the cloak he was still wearing around the two of them. It was warm with his body heat and it smelled like him and she inhaled deeply, confused and more than a little alarmed by what had happened, by why her mind had disappeared like that. It had been a little like being drunk, or high, or something… she'd been so convinced that she had to go out into the trees to find the source of that music, to find Glimmerbright and talk to him…
The presence was gone, she realized as she felt the cool press of the flat of the blade against her arm – Galen was still holding the iron knife in one hand as he held her close. It was grounding, somehow, helping her re-orient herself, and she realized that her own iron knife was tucked safely away in her room – she hadn't transferred it to the bodice of this gown today, for some reason. Had that been why the music had reached out to her, had danced and played in her mind like that…?
"Julia, what happened?"
"It was the strangest thing," she said softly. "I went up to the roof to get some air before bed, and I thought I heard… I thought I saw…" But she bit her lip. If Glimmerbright really had been behind the strange dream she'd just had, it was in her interests not to let Galen know. He already hated the Sidhe so much… this would just be more evidence to add to the growing pile that said he needed to be killed. And she couldn't let harm befall Glimmerbright, no matter what. She owed him that much, for saving her life.
Chapter 37
"There was this strange music."
"I didn't hear any," Galen said, narrowing his eyes.
"It was very faint. Coming from the forest. I thought I'd go out into the courtyard and see if it was any louder there," she explained.
He didn't look convinced, but he did release her shoulders, clearly glad she wasn't going to go charging out into the courtyard – or worse, into the forest. What was scarier – how determined she'd been to charge out into the woods a minute ago, or the fact that a part of her still didn't think it was that bad an idea? Would she have frozen to death out there? she wondered. The night air was freezing, and her gown wasn't at all warm…
"You're not going to go outside, are you?" Galen asked. His eyes were narrowed, and his jaw was tight.
It was easy to look into his eyes and shake her head. After all, it would be pretty foolish of her to go charging out now. She'd bet just about anything that Galen would follow her, probably in secret… and that would put Glimmerbright in danger. No, she'd be heading back to bed, now.
"Good," he said, giving her a little smile. She could tell he was still worried, though. Fair enough. She'd be worried too. "What on Earth were you doing on the roof?"
"Just getting some air, like I said." She shrugged. He was still suspicious… that was clear. She sighed. Clearly, he wasn't going to go away without a fight. "Would you like to walk me up to my room?"
"I thought you were investigating the music."
She shrugged. "I can't hear it anymore. Must have had something to do with the Fae and the moonlight, right? If that iron knife of yours put an end to it… serves me right for not carrying mine, I suppose."
He looked a lot more relieved now that she seemed to be getting involved with explanations, and he walked her to her room happily enough. They lingered by the door, and she realized with an odd little flutter in her chest that they were alone… that she might just have the opportunity to steal another kiss, here, if nobody stumbled upon them… but somehow, something about it felt wrong. So, she just smiled up at Galen and bid him goodnight.
"Sleep well," he said softly.
"Oh, I will. I think I'll put the iron knife under my pillow. Should put a stop to any strange music."
"See that you do."
She sighed, giving him a hopeless smile. "Come on, Galen. Are you going to put a guard on my door?"
"Of course not." He was doing his best to smile, but she could tell he was still worried.
Well, she couldn't exactly ask him to stay the night just to make sure she didn't go anywhere, now could she? Just what would the servants think? Besides, she wanted to be on her own tonight… just in case there were any more strange dreams that might like to visit her…
"Goodnight, Julia."
"Goodnight."
And then she was alone in her room. First things first, she scooped her iron blade off the table where she'd left it, wrapped it in several layers of fabric and hid it under the wardrobe on the other side of the room. Then she opened the shutters to let the moonlight spill into the room – and smiled a little as she heard the distant sound of that strange music swelling again in her chest. Glimmerbright understood, she knew he must… understood that she couldn't come to him, understood that she couldn't break her word to Galen and leave the castle just now. But it had been so wonderful to speak to him… and she felt her heart pounding happily in her chest as she slid into bed. With the moonlight on her face and the music still playing in her ears, she knew she was in for an eventful night of sleep, that was for sure…
She ended up sleeping almost til noon. Her dreams – such as they were – didn't allow her much rest, and when dawn broke, she was wide awake in her room, sweating, tangled in the blankets for all the world as though she'd had a lover there. But to her surprise, she could barely remember the dreams. Only that she'd been there, and Glimmerbright had been there… the two of them whirling through a kaleidoscopic, beautiful world unlike any she'd ever seen or could possibly recognize… and then, once dawn had broken, she fell again into a deep sleep, this one dreamless and deeply restorative.
It was Galen who woke her, in the end, with a gentle tapping on her door. Blearily, she sat up, pulling the blanket around her shoulders as she called for her visitor to come in, expecting Amelia. Instead, Galen sidled in, and she caught the look of relief on his face when he saw her safe and sound in her bed… and she was grateful, in that moment, that at dawn she'd closed the shutters again.
"Good morning," she said blearily. "Can I help you?"
"Morning?" He raised an eyebrow, teasing her a little, though she could see the worry on his face. "It's almost noon. I thought we were training this morning."
"I slept in
," she said, blinking her eyes hard. No need to share the reason for the sleep-in with him, not just now… not unless she wanted him to worry. And she absolutely didn't. If he worried, he might stop her from … well, he might stop her. And she didn't want to be stopped. "Something about the full moon. I slept so badly."
"Me too," he admitted, shrugging his great shoulders. "I've brought you some lunch, though. I was worried you might be unwell."
"Never too unwell for lunch," she said brightly, her eyes falling on the covered tray he'd brought up to her room. "Brilliant. Thanks, Galen. Can we train this afternoon instead?"
He smiled at her, and though she could tell he was still a little worried, she saw some of the tension go out of his shoulders and knew that he'd relaxed a little. "Aye, I suppose so. But I'll be working you twice as hard to make up for the morning."
"That's just the way I like it," she said with a grin, and even caught a slight blush in his cheeks as he turned away to leave her to her meal. She felt different, today. More bold, somehow, more energized, more… present. Was it something about having a secret? Her mother had always said that women with secrets were the most attractive… she grinned to herself as she set about eating her lunch in bed. Should she feel guilty about these twin romances, her slow, strange courtship with Galen and her whirlwind romance with Glimmerbright, or whatever strange spirit had possessed her like that last night? No, she decided. She wasn't going to waste another second feeling guilt.
She dressed quickly and headed downstairs after lunch, already looking forward to a good training session. Galen was true to his word – he put her through her paces with a single-minded zeal, and she was breathing hard when they broke away, knowing that she was going to be feeling her muscles the next morning. But it felt good, too. Even in this short time, she could feel how much she'd improved, how much more dexterous she was with the knife, how much more accomplished. In a few more weeks, or months, who knew where she'd be? Maybe even good enough to join the Watch.
But that made her hesitate. Did she really want to be part of an organization that had treated Glimmerbright so poorly – a band of men who were determined to kill him, even without any evidence that he was responsible for what was going on? She bit her lip, lost in that thought for a moment. What if her days at the castle were numbered? After all, everyone here seemed to agree that Glimmerbright had to either be killed or banished.
And the crazy thought occurred to her that if they sent him away… she might just end up choosing to go with him. Was that crazy? The more she thought about it… the more she didn't think so.
But where would that leave her and Galen?
Chapter 38
The sun was low in the sky when they finished training together. Galen had been looking at her oddly all evening – she'd been trying to ignore it, but it was difficult when she kept catching his sidelong looks and his woeful attempts to pretend that nothing was bothering him. They headed into the castle to clean up and met again in the entrance hall for dinner, as was their habit. She'd long gotten past the stage in their friendship – or whatever it was – where she thought that actually challenging him to tell her what was on his mind would help at all. No – she just had to wait him out.
And in the end, she only had to wait until a few bites into dinner. He lowered the bread roll in his hand with a sigh and looked across the table at her. They were alone this evening – the other women often dined later in the evening than she did, especially on training days, but she knew she'd catch up with them for lunch the next day or similar. They were never too far from one another.
"Tell me one thing. Was it him, last night?"
She blinked, thrown by the question. "What do you mean?"
"Whatever it was you were hearing, whatever it was that was … calling you out into the forest. Was it that Sidhe?"
She took a deep breath. Galen, for all his faults, had an unerring ability to tell when she was lying to him… that had become clear over the last few days. And she didn't really want to lie to him, either. Deceit made her feel… dirty. And it wasn't as though she'd done anything wrong last night, was it? Not in real life, anyway… though her dreams were another story… "Yes. I mean, I think it was. It's hard to say. But unless there are any other Fae creatures out there…"
He sighed. "I thought it might be. He has… a connection to you, it seems."
She shrugged. "I mean, maybe. Isn't there something luring children into the woods, too? Maybe I was picking up on whatever that was."
"Whatever that was?" Galen narrowed his eyes, looking at her thoughtfully in a way that made her shoulders tense. "You aren't telling me that you seriously still believe he's not to blame for all of this, Julia?"
"I mean, do we have any evidence?" she said irritably, putting her fork down. It seemed they were getting into this. Well, at least she'd already eaten her favorite parts of the meal. She had a suspicion her temper was going to kill her appetite pretty soon. "He's been out there for weeks and you still haven't found any actual concrete evidence linking him to the kids wandering off, or the cattle getting sick, or the crops –"
"So, it's just a coincidence that he turned up at the exact same time as it all started happening, is that it? Listen to yourself, Julia. You're not making sense."
"Have you even tried talking to him?" she snapped, not liking the direction Galen was going. Her ex had often told her she wasn't making sense when she was, in fact, making a great deal of sense… she wasn't going to entertain that kind of talk from anyone, least of all Galen, for all that she was enjoying getting closer to him. No man was worth doubting your own sanity. "Have you tried having a civil, diplomatic conversation?"
"Aye, I tried. You walked in on it," Galen snarled. "And stopped me putting an end to it once and for all, for that matter."
Her eyes widened. "You really think that? You think that killing an unarmed man in cold blood… that that would have been a better choice, a month ago?"
"Aye, I do! Because if I'd killed him, two members of the Watch wouldn't be dead. The crops wouldn't have failed, the cattle wouldn't be sick and dying, and the people of the Village wouldn't be living in fear. Honestly, Julia –"
"So, he told you it was him that was doing all that?" she asked, ignoring his bluster. He hesitated, and she slammed a hand down on the table. "Exactly! You don't know! Aren't you the one who's always telling me how complicated and difficult to understand the Fae are?"
"I didn't mean –"
"Are they or are they not mysterious and dangerous and difficult to –"
"Fine, yes, alright?" He ran a frustrated hand through his hair…
But to her delight, she realized he wasn't as furious as he had been in previous conversations. He had been condescending, yes, and rude… but this time, he seemed to actually be listening to her… at least a little. Well, baby steps. She could afford to be patient if this was actually a sign that he was changing.
"There's a lot we don't know. But Julia… do you really think a creature like him can be redeemed?"
She hesitated, thinking of the man she'd spoken to, his charm, his charisma. The way he'd saved her from the wolves, the way he'd spirited her away… the song that had risen from the forest last night, swirling through her mind and making her dizzy… But Galen was glaring at her, and she pressed her lips together, not wanting to incriminate herself. If he suspected she had some kind of connection with Glimmerbright – well, that would open up a lot of complications she wasn't interested in entertaining right now. Especially as that would mean discussing just what the nature of the relationship between her and Galen was…
"I believe everyone's capable of good," she said firmly. It was true – it always had been. It was a big part of why she'd been taken advantage of so often in her love life… but she wasn't going to think about that right now. Not when she was trying to argue for Glimmerbright's safety. "I don't see why a Sidhe should be exempt from that."
"Your optimism is… charming," Galen said, hesitating
a great deal before he decided on an adjective.
Must have re-thought the first few, she thought wryly… but she appreciated the effort.
"But the Unseelie can't be redeemed. Can't be reasoned with. Can't be turned good."
"Never?" she pressed. There had been a flicker in his eye that made her curious.
"Well –" He sighed. "Look. Very, very rarely, an Unseelie Fae has been known to jump to the other side, okay? But we see the opposite much, much more often," he said darkly. "If Old Maggie was around I'd send you to her to talk this out, she knows a great deal more than I do. But nobody's seen hide nor hair of her for weeks."
"Is that unusual?" she said, blinking. She'd heard so many stories of the old Fae woman who lived in the cottage she'd approached on her first morning here – she'd be horrified if anything had happened to her.
"Not really. Maggie does as she pleases. Still… we could use her advice." Galen sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Listen, Julia, I really do admire your optimism, and belief in the general good of people, and all that. But this man… he's not going to come good."
She disagreed… but she could hear in Galen's voice that he wasn't going to entertain any further disputes of his central point. Time to change tactics. "Then… why don't we get rid of him?"
"Aye, that's what I'm trying to –"
"Not kill him. I mean – send him away. Back through the Burgh to his own lands, or somewhere else, or something. If the problem is him being here – if the problems are all caused by his presence – then surely sending him away would solve them just as easily as killing him."
"I suppose you're right," Galen said thoughtfully. "But I've even less of a clue of how to go about that than I do about killing him."
"We just have to trick him, that's all," she said firmly. "They follow rules, don't they?"
"Not the Unseelie. They're lawless monsters, overall."
Woken By The Highlander: A Scottish Time Travel Romance-Highlander Forever Book 7 Page 17