Then she remembered her satchel… the iron blade, tucked deep within it. If worst came to worst… she had a secret weapon. At least, she assumed it was secret. If Glimmerbright was aware of it, he certainly hadn't said anything yet. "I wanted to ask you something," she said softly.
"What a coincidence. I've a question for you, too. Shall we trade?" His eyes gleamed, and she smiled.
"A question for a question? Sounds like a good deal."
"Wasn't that a question?"
"Wasn't that?" she fired back.
Glimmerbright actually laughed at that, throwing his beautiful head back to the sky before returning his approving gaze to her.
"I knew I liked you," he said softly, shaking his head. "Fine. Call it square –" a flick of his wrist, as though physically dismissing the question game – "and start again. Julia Andersen, ask me a question and then I'll ask you."
"Agreed," she said, grinning. "Glimmerbright… are you in any way responsible for the crop failures, sick cattle, erratic behavior of children and elf-shot guards in this area over the last month?"
There – just for a moment, she saw it. Glimmerbright's expression flickered, ever so slightly, from a smile to a cooler expression. He hadn't been expecting that question… and more to the point, he hadn't been expecting it to be so carefully worded. Well, she'd been working on it all day. A carefully worded question that couldn't be wiggled out or disputed. And he'd already agreed to answer it… though when she thought back over the wording of their conversation, she realized that he hadn't.
"Is that your question?" he asked softly, tilting his elegant head to the side. She resisted the urge to grit her teeth, realizing that that was their bargain fulfilled. She'd asked him a question, he'd asked her one in response. Well, she wasn't going to answer his if he didn't answer hers… and she folded her arms and pinned him with a pointed glance, waiting. A minute passed… two minutes… and then he clapped his hands together and laughed again, real delight shining in those glowing green eyes. She tried to resist the urge to fall into the warmth of his regard, the delight she felt at having pleased him. This was serious. This was essential information she needed if she was going to know how to proceed from here.
"Oh, it's like we're dancing," he said softly, reaching out to brush her hair back from her face the way he had the last time they'd met like this. "Julia Andersen… you're an utter delight."
"That's nice of you to say," she said, unable to hide her smile from him any longer. "But you didn't answer me."
"No, I didn't." He sighed, sitting back a little and turning his face pensively to the sky. "You've been talking to people, I suspect. You're more careful with your words than you were last time. You've a gift," he added, glancing sideways at her. "I rarely meet a human who handles language so deftly. You're speaking like a true Fae. A little clumsy, perhaps, but your talent…" He shook his head. "Like a newborn babe springing up and walking."
"That's some compliment," she said drily.
He chuckled.
"Not my best work, I'll admit. You make me nervous, Julia Andersen. I haven't felt that… oh, in a very, very long time. Which brings me to my question."
"We're not done with my question," Julia pointed out, folding her arms again. "A question for a question. That was the deal."
"Your first stumble," Glimmerbright said, eyes dancing… though there was a sudden depth to that regard that made her feel a prickle of nervousness for the first time. "A good attempt, but what you ought to have asked for was an answer for an answer."
"Then that's what I want," she said firmly. "An answer for an answer."
"And in return?"
"I won't stay cross with you for jerking me around," she said primly.
He barked laughter again. "Delightful. Truly. Very well, Julia. Our pact is sealed. I'll answer your question, and you'll answer mine." He inclined his head and extended a hand to her, as though inviting her to dance. She took a deep breath.
"Glimmerbright, are you in any way responsible for the crop failures, sick cattle, erratic behavior of children and elf-shot guards in this area over the last month?"
His eyes widened a little in acknowledgment of the question, and she hid a grin. He'd been hoping she'd mess up the wording the second time, had he? No such luck.
"Here I am, painted into a corner," he mused, shaking his head. "The answer, dear Julia, is yes. My presence in these lands is certainly connected to those regrettable events."
"Regrettable? By whom?"
"By those who value human life, of course." His face was as blank as a tranquil pond and she could feel her heartbeat accelerating.
"Does that include you?"
"That's three," he said, wagging a finger at her. "Now, Julia, if you're playing my game you must do so without cheating. The deal was one answer, I gave two – and you ask for three? Shame, shame."
She opened her mouth to apologize – then shut it hard against the word. There had been a story in the book about a man apologizing to a Fae… who had then construed the apology as a debt that he'd only been able to pay off with a year's hard labor. "Then ask for yours," was all she said… and the pleased glint in Glimmerbright's green eyes told her that he had, indeed, been trying to trap her.
This game was a lot more dangerous than she'd expected.
Chapter 44
"My answer from you," Glimmerbright mused now, folding one leg over the other and leaning back on his hands. He took a sip of the wine at his side, nodding at her to enjoy her own – but she resisted the temptation. They'd discussed the strawberry she'd eaten being obligation-free, but he'd said no such thing about the wine. "It requires some prelude, I'm afraid – you'll indulge me a minute or two of conversation. To answer truthfully, to answer with your heart… you'll need some information that I doubt anyone on this side of the Burgh would be capable of sharing with you."
"Interesting," was all she said, sitting back and listening expectantly.
He grinned at her again. It was a little exhausting, staying on top of this wordplay game they were playing… but at the same time, she had to admit she was exhilarated. In a way, it reminded her of blade training with Galen, the way he'd taught her to dodge and parry, to stay on top of her own stance while reading her opponent for any minute lapses or weak points in their armor. Well, Glimmerbright was a formidable opponent, and she was yet to spot any weaknesses… but she felt like she was doing a decent job of keeping her own guard up.
"First, let me tell you about the Fae," he said, his eyes gleaming. "Words don't do it justice, I'm afraid. But think of every problem you have with this place, with this time… everything you've ever found disagreeable, everything you've ever resented, everything that has ever made you feel small, or powerless, or unhappy. The fundamental truths of the universe you can't change, can't deny… the realities of life. Suffering, ageing, death… our loved ones disappointing us, our loved ones leaving us, our loved ones not being everything they wanted to be…"
"Doesn't sound great," she pointed out, raising an eyebrow. She didn't want to be drawn into his rhetoric too deeply.
"No," he agreed with a glint in his eyes. "It doesn't. So, when I tell you that in Faerie, none of these troubles are real… I want you to know I say that with full knowledge of the claim I am making. There, you will not age. You will not die. You will not suffer pain or discomfort… unless you chose it," he added, a flash in his eyes that made her mind go to some truly obscene places until she sternly brought it back under her control.
"This is all hypothetical," she commented, raising an eyebrow. She didn't want to ask a question – not when he hadn't answered her original one properly yet – but at the same time, she needed to know why he was saying all this.
"It doesn't need to be," Glimmerbright said softly, his green eyes glowing as he looked at her. "Depending on your answer to my question."
She waited, her heart pounding. Why did she have the strangest suspicion she knew what he was going to ask her? And why wa
s part of her already screaming at her to say yes?
"Julia Andersen," Glimmerbright purred, his voice like satin and starlight. "Will you marry me, and be my immortal bride?"
She took a deep breath, and then another. The smile that had sprung to her lips was inevitable, and she ducked her head, a little embarrassed by how quickly her emotions had surged forward to take control of her. Glimmerbright was smiling, too, but she avoided his eyes, trying to look down at the soft grass at her feet, to get some focus. Of course, she wanted to say yes. He was gorgeous, and fascinating, and she was so fiercely attracted to him that she felt like her heart might actually burst in her chest like a balloon… but she couldn't just blindly agree to marry him. That would be a promise. And she had spent plenty of time learning about how bad an idea it was to make a promise to a Sidhe you didn't know… or even one you did.
Her eyes rested on her satchel, and she remembered the iron blade tucked away in there, safe and sound. Too little, perhaps, to be interfering with Glimmerbright from here… but knowing it was there made her feel stronger, somehow, more grounded. A tether to the real world. Something that gave her power… something that reminded her that she was spending time with a being who was all too adept at manipulating the truth of a situation. Hadn't he eased so carefully out of her original question, before asking his? She looked back up, feeling more grounded now, more focused.
"I appreciate the offer," she said carefully. "But if I'm to consider it, Glimmerbright, there can be no secrets between us."
"Nor shall there be," he said firmly… but his smile faded when she folded her arms again.
"Answer my question, then."
"I did."
"You didn't," she said firmly. "Tell me, in plain English, whether or not these attacks are your doing. If you can't do that, I can't consider your proposal."
He looked at her for a long time, his expression unreadable. Finally, he sighed, shaking his head as though a little disappointed in her… and though that twinged at her heartstrings, she forced herself to stay strong. He was trying to manipulate her. Yes, the idea of being carried off as a Faerie bride was absolutely entrancing… but she wasn't going to end up in another abusive relationship if she could help it, no matter how charming or magical her suitor may be.
"Fine," he said softly, shaking his head. "Have it your dull, human way. Yes, I shot a few of the iron-armed brutes who came to kill me. Have they not all recovered from their wounds? Yes, my presence here has drained some life from the land. What other sustenance was I to subsist on? And yes, the human children find me charming. Have I done any of them any harm?"
The questions were rhetorical, so she ignored them. But the admission of guilt made her heart sink from her chest into her feet. So he was responsible for the attacks. "That's a shame," she whispered, shaking her head. "I thought… I had hoped it may be a misunderstanding."
"Oh, we've more than enough of those to be getting on with," Glimmerbright said, and she saw him attempt to gather himself, to draw his charismatic façade back over his features. But she'd seen something there… something behind the handsome smile and the shining eyes, something that had sent a chill down her spine that had nothing to do with arousal. She'd seen something ancient, something cold. Something she wanted nothing to do with. "Well, I've answered your question. Now it's time for you to answer mine."
"Your question about marriage?"
"That's the one," he said, impatience flickering in those green eyes. "Are you determined to make a fool of me? This isn't the kind of proposal a creature like me makes every day, you know."
"I imagine it's not," she said levelly, looking straight at him as she carefully set down the wineglass she'd held for their whole conversation – without tasting a drop. "But do you really think I'd want to be with someone who threatened the livelihoods of a whole village? Who laughs at the pain and suffering of the men he's shot, or led to their deaths?"
"Julia," Glimmerbright started, shock vivid on his handsome features – but she rose to her feet, feeling her heart pounding with the effort it took not to be drawn into his illusions again. She hefted her satchel, grabbing at the fabric and feeling, through the thick cloth, where she'd stashed her iron blade. And even that much contact, muffled by the bag, gave her the clarity she needed. For a split second, she saw through the illusion – saw the clearing as it truly was, saw a sky of grey cloud and not starlight, saw a murky bog and not a crystalline stream… and saw Glimmerbright, ancient and malevolent, gazing up at her with a mixture of anger and scorn on a face that was suddenly much less than handsome.
"It was nice to see you again," she said firmly, stopping her body from trembling. "Please enjoy your evening."
And with that, she turned on her heel and made for the edge of the clearing. She knew better than to run, to indicate fear in any way – she could hear him behind her, calling her name, beseeching, and part of her was desperate to turn around, screaming at her for being such a fool, for rejecting such an offer… but she tightened her fist around the iron in her bag and kept walking.
And by the time she'd moved through the treeline, Glimmerbright was gone… and so was the music that had drawn her into the woods in the first place.
Chapter 45
Julia headed down the path, her whole body trembling as though she'd run a marathon. Crossing that clearing away from Glimmerbright, even with the iron in her fist, even at a slow walking pace… it had felt like a Herculean effort. Was that the illusions? Or was that something else – something darker, something that had been draining her life force even as she sat in the clearing with him? She thought of the delicious strawberry she'd eaten and winced, regretting the choice to partake of his hospitality… and felt a burst of gratitude deep in her belly that she hadn't been careless enough to drink the wine, too.
No wonder Galen had been so worried about her interacting with the Fae. The experience in the clearing… it had been eye-opening. If she hadn't known what she'd known from the books and from Maeve, if she hadn't been completely prepared for their conversation… who knew what she might have done, what terrible promises she might have allowed herself to make to the man? If he even was a man… she shivered a little at the recollection of what she'd seen after she'd startled Glimmerbright into dropping his guard.
He was an enemy, of that she could be sure. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves, coping with a maelstrom of emotion – from shock and fear, to something a lot like grief, as part of her resisted acknowledging the fact that the handsome, charming man she'd been falling for was all an illusion. Maybe not, her desperate mind begged… maybe there was another explanation… just maybe, just maybe… but she shook her head, picking up her pace as she strode through the trees, sure of her way this time. She'd made sure to learn the way back to the castle by the stars after getting lost last time, and she was determined to get back as soon as possible before anyone could worry about her.
Strange, how much she'd wanted to believe that Glimmerbright was good. Had that been all it was, her insistence on getting more information? Her infatuation with him… and that, in turn, driven by his illusions, his magic? No wonder Galen had been so reluctant to believe her, to go along with her plans of talking to the Sidhe and getting some information out of him. Well, he'd be delighted when she told him she was on his side now, she thought, shaking her head with some amusement. If he didn't throttle her for going into the woods without him, that was…
Twenty minutes later, she found herself at the base of the Keep, smiling a little at how close it had been. That night she'd gotten lost… she must have been walking in circles again and again. It was almost ridiculous that she hadn't found her way out… you could almost see the castle over the trees in some parts of the forest. Then a chill ran down her spine. Could her getting lost have had less to do with her own naiveté… and more to do with a certain Sidhe in the woods? If his illusions could mask his true intentions, surely they could lead her into getting lost in the woods…
Gritting her teeth, she clutched again at the knife in her bag for comfort. She didn't doubt that having iron on her person had helped her out back there… even if it had just been a psychological boost. And it was late, too… later than she'd thought. Had their conversation really taken hours? Or was that just another trick of the Fae? At any rate, she was glad to be home… and as she slipped through the small door she'd left propped open, she felt the last of the illusory magic fade as her hand brushed the iron handle.
No wonder the castle had such a strong focus on iron. She'd thought it was a design choice when she'd first gotten here. How much she'd learned.
She slipped into the castle and up the stairs without being seen – it seemed the majority of the castle was still asleep, with dawn still a few hours away. She made it safely to her room, where the fire in the grate had burned almost all the way down. Hanging her cloak up in the wardrobe, she shivered at the chill in the air, and added a little fuel to the fire, reasoning she'd earned a bit of coziness after her long night out. Then she settled herself into bed, sighing with relief as the blankets welcomed her into their comforting embrace.
She'd intended to stay up a little, to make some notes about her confrontation with Glimmerbright… but now that she was back, she was far too exhausted to even consider it. So, without further ado, she tucked herself in tight and drifted off into the embrace of perhaps the most restful sleep she'd had since she came here. Did it have something to do with the iron knife clutched in her hand under her pillow? Perhaps.
Woken By The Highlander: A Scottish Time Travel Romance-Highlander Forever Book 7 Page 20
