The Angel of Elydria (The Dawn Mirror Chronicles Book 1) (34 page)

The music started, and Hector led Penny around in perfect time, his hands clutching her waist. She had trouble fitting her hands around his high shoulders and strained to make herself taller. He led her through the complicated movements, laughing at Penny’s lack of finesse. She rudely instructed him to shut up, which only made him laugh harder. He looked at her and smiled.

“You’re wearing that thing I bought you,” he observed, eying the star-shaped barrette that had turned a periwinkle blue to match Penny’s gown. Penny was surprised he had noticed. They danced in silence for a while, and as she got used to being swept around, Penny had to admit there was something enjoyable about the twirling of a waltz.

“Tell me, how does a humble professor know how to dance so well?” she teased, but her question held genuine curiosity. He grinned and leaned closer to her ear.

“That, my good lady, is a secret,” he whispered and spun her, making Penny feel even dizzier. His answer aggravated Penny, but she lost her burst of annoyance when he dipped her effortlessly.

In the final moments of the lilting tune, Hector drew Penny close, until her face was up against the folds of his shirt. Penny could clearly hear his heart pounding an irregular beat in his chest. She realized with a start that Hector was probably just as nervous as she was and for whatever reason, this relaxed her. She shut her eyes, feeling his arms poised on her waist as the song slowed. Penny inhaled, discovering that Hector smelled very nice, like sweet cedar pines and freshly done laundry. Without her permission, a rose-colored feeling swept through her, both wonderful and terrifying. They broke apart as the song faded, Penny’s heart feeling like it was galloping away faster than she could follow.

THE WALTZ OVER, Penny wandered around the ballroom, her head reeling and spinning as she meandered through the sea of cackling party guests. She squeezed through a particularly large group and popped out the other side, colliding with someone so hard she fell to the ground as a deafening crash echoed throughout the ballroom. With a rush of horror Penny realized she had run straight into the angry-looking man who had been shouting orders at the cooks earlier. Scattered around her on the ground were the remains of a food tray that had been on its way to the buffet table. She choked as she scrambled to her feet, apologies flooding out. The man steamed with anger.

“Do you
know
how long it took me to make those?! Ruined,
ruined!
All ruined!” he raged, looking at the destroyed food.

Penny knew she was blushing again, but this time it felt painful. “I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t see you there, I swear! Please, forgive―”

“
Sorry
does not get back the
hours
of back-breaking work, does it?” he shouted, anger staining an otherwise handsome face.

Penny opened her mouth to beg for forgiveness again and felt a heavy hand land on her shoulder. She glanced back to see a man standing behind her, looking at the mess with a raised eyebrow. She wondered if she was in even more trouble as he surveyed the scene.

“Flynn, what’s all this about?” he asked. Penny guessed from his fine attire that he was a ranger or military officer high up in the ranks. His voice was pleasant: husky and low, soft but domineering. The disgruntled cook ran an olive-toned hand through his dark curls.

“This
guest
just destroyed my wine-steamed kelru, that’s what,” he snorted, though he sounded less spiteful now.

Penny was about to explain herself when she got a good look at the military officer. He was stunning; handsome and well-groomed, with rich blonde hair and eyes the color of the sea in the morning. Behind him stood a much taller unsmiling man clad in the same impeccably clean military uniform, with tawny skin and dreadlocks tied back by an elegant gold chain.

“Flynn, you’ve gone and upset this Little Miss. It was an honest mistake,” the golden haired man soothed, looking over Penny with kindness.

“Chivalrous as always, Noah,” Flynn sighed to the golden-haired man.

“Won’t you please excuse his behavior? He’s under a lot of stress…it’s no easy task to manage the kitchens,” Noah requested.

“Of c-course,” Penny stammered, her eyes transfixed on the alluring man, feeling that whatever he asked of her she would agree to. He extended a muscular arm to Penny and took her hand in his, exacerbating the dizzy sensation flooding her.

“It is truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Noah said with a bow, kissing her hand. “Might I ask your name and whom you are here with?”

“U-um, I’m Penny. Well, actually it’s Penelope, but Penny―well, most people call me that, you see…erm….” she stammered, wanting to slap herself in the face.
Get a grip, Penelope. He’s just a guy.
“I’m here with Annette Deveaux. We were introduced as her
entourage
, I think.” She smiled, making an attempt at humor.

Noah laughed; it was a heartbreakingly perfect sound.

Flynn rolled his eyes and collected his fallen tray, leaving the scene as he shouted at several palace servants to begin cleaning the mess. Noah pulled Penny away from their work with genteel assertion, the silent man in the military coat following.

Penny could not take her eyes off the gorgeous Noah as he led her away while asking questions about where she was from, why she was in Iverton, her age, and her thoughts about the party. She answered each with as much truth as she could, lying here and there to avoid sounding insane. Penny joked with him in an attempt to diffuse the questions—his laugh was so pleasing to the ear.

Noah was not detained for long. “Now, I didn’t want to say anything, but did you say you were here with Annette Deveaux? Do you mean to say that you know her personally?” he asked, looking a shade impressed.

Penny smiled, feeling a bit braver. “Yes. In fact, I’m staying as a guest in her house right now,” she revealed, trying not to sound like she was bragging.

Noah contemplated this. “I wonder…if you aren’t otherwise engaged with your entourage duties, would you care to join me outside? I’d be thrilled to show you the view,” he offered in a way that suggested he knew she would not refuse him.

“Oh, that sounds wonderful, but Annette needs—” Penny stopped, confused as the man who had been trailing behind them laid a hand on Noah’s shoulder and gave him a warning glance.

“We’ll only be on the balcony, Damari. If I’m needed, I’ll only be a moment away,” Noah promised.

Damari considered this for a moment, and then nodded and stalked away, shooting suspicious glances at Penny as he went. Noah looked back at Penny, his gray eyes reiterating his prior request. She knew she had to protect Annette, but couldn’t refuse Noah.

Penny flashed a quick glance back to see Annette at their table, surrounded by Hector, Gavin, and Simon. Convincing herself that Annette would be safe enough with them, Penny nodded. She stiffened as Noah led her through the ballroom and toward one of the doors that led to another part of the castle, concerned she would lose sight of Annette.

Noah ushered her through the doors with a hand on the small of her back. Beyond the doors was the promised balcony. Outside it had stopped drizzling and the air was filled with a brisk bite and a dusting of mist. From the balcony’s leafy railing Penny could see the city stretched out underneath the midnight sky. She floated to the edge, spotting the Grand Cathedral, the Airstation, and the Sophotri Stone in the center of the Business District.

“The city looks so different from up here,” Penny said, enthralled. She had come to love the city of Iverton, and being able to view it with such mysterious and charming company was nothing short of exhilarating. Noah stepped beside her and leaned over the balcony.

“Indeed, it does,” he agreed, looking over the vast cityscape. “If I might ask…how is it that you know Miss Annette? I hear she’s something of a recluse.”

“Oh, I—” Penny’s mind raced as she thought up something plausible. “I’m—I’m teaching her Elvish. She wants to go on a tour to the Nation of Elves—you know how popular Mr. Aldridge’s plays are there.”

Noah’s eyebrows raised and he looked at her with sparkling eyes. “You speak Elvish?”

Penny laughed, her cheeks growing hot as she pushed her hair behind her ear. “Oh, my dear sir—I can speak pretty much every language in the world,” she said, trying to channel Simon’s flirtatiousness, doing her best to be alluring and sound Elydrian at the same time. It seemed to impress Noah, though he remained skeptical.

“Ah, is that so?” he tested and Penny detected his voice speaking in Elvish.

“Quite so,” she answered him back in the same language with confidence. Noah nodded at her and continued his test, not satisfied until she had demonstrated fluent Fae, Gobblish, Therosian, and Old Andronian. Awed, he burst into applause.

Their conversation took off as Noah asked Penny about her education and roots, and she answered everything to the best of her ability, inserting scraps of truth wherever she could. They shared opinions about favorite foods, styles of music, and talked about the books Penny had been able to read while she had stayed at Annette’s house. Noah seemed to be drawn to Penny’s unbridled passion for Elydrian culture, oblivious that her enthusiasm stemmed from having just been introduced to what she thought of as exotic wonders.

Penny found herself quite enjoying the conversation despite the frequent lies, but her heart dropped when Damari appeared from within the ballroom and whispered something in Noah’s ear. Noah nodded and turned to Penny, looking a little disappointed.

“Duty calls. It was enchanting to have met you, Penny Fairfax,” he said and kissed her hand. “I hope you won’t think me rude if I come by Annette’s home at some point in the future to visit you both? I should very much enjoy seeing you again.”

Once again his words sounded like more of a statement than a request. Penny blinked. “You know Annette? Why didn’t you say so?” she mumbled, surprised.

He laughed and let her hand go. “You are quite a funny one, indeed,” he repeated and disappeared into the ballroom, melting into the crowd. Penny stayed motionless on the balcony for a long while, looking off in the direction Noah had left. She was almost sad when she thought of Noah dropping in on Annette only to find Penny had left for Hulver, but forced those thoughts away and looked back over the city, her heart pattering with contentment.

She only remained a moment longer before rushing back to the ballroom to find Annette. Penny was eager to tell Annette what had happened and ask her questions about the mysterious Noah.

B
ack in the ballroom the party was still effervescent with activity. The dragon called Farful swung around the middle of the dance floor, his tail often smacking into guests. Penny peered around the room, realizing with a start that she could not see Annette anywhere. She circled the ballroom until she spotted Hector, Simon, and Gavin at the table where she had left them. Penny slammed her hands down on the table, jarring them from their conversation.

“Where’s Annette?” Penny cried. Gavin looked back at Annette’s group of theater friends as if expecting to see her. He went still.

“She was there
just
a second ago! I literally
just
saw her!” Simon insisted, panicked and getting to his feet.