Glenn

Despite the pouring rain, Glenn had no trouble making his way quietly across Karl Coldbreaker’s slanted roof to the upstairs window he knew well. The single window in Karl’s small attic overlooked the smithy and the roof atop it, which made it easier to access than most. He’d both snuck into and out of Karl’s attic many times in his younger years, of course, with Karl none the wiser.

This attic had been Becka’s room. A room Karl Coldbreaker had locked from below and made clear he had no intention of visiting until Becka returned. Almost every parent whose child went off to Adventure had rituals and superstitions they followed in hopes of seeing them home safely again, and keeping Becka’s attic room undisturbed was likely Karl’s.

A brief pang of melancholy washed over Glenn before he pushed it away. He crouched before the closed and opaque window and rapped quietly on the frame. Under other circumstances Glenn never would have considered hiding two people he barely knew in Karl Coldbreaker’s attic, but he hoped Karl would forgive him. Lives might be at stake.

As for Becka, wherever she was, Glenn had no worries about her being angry with him. If the only way to hide two people in danger of being hurt was to hide them in her old room, he knew Becka would have volunteered her room for this purpose. She’d want Anna saved.

The window opened with scarcely any sound. Glenn caught the vague outline of Zack inside. It was dark, of course—lighting a lamp would invite attention—but Glenn knew this room just as well as darkness. He slipped inside, quietly closed the window behind him, and crouched to let his eyes adjust.

A small candle burned in the center of the room, the only light in the space. A sideways chair shielded its light from reaching the window. Beside it crouched two other figures, both barely visible in the light. The fugitives Alan Starshine ... and Anna Bronzelight.

After she’d slipped into Zack’s home in the guise of her delivery, Erika had let both of them know exactly what was happening and exactly where they should go after they snuck out. Thanks to her bravery and guile, everything had gone to plan. Now, Glenn supposed, he’d learn if he had been right to trust his instincts—and those of Zack and Erika—or if he had just made the biggest mistake of his life.

“I’m sorry I made you wait so long,” Glenn said quietly. “I had to make absolutely sure Leo was otherwise occupied before I could visit. Tomorrow, at first light, the Town Guards will search the town. Coleman’s in bed and Leo can’t wake him, since our mayor remains an ass, but I’m certain he’ll make the request first thing tomorrow. Mayor Coleman will have no choice but to cooperate.”

With her eyes wide and worried, Anna Bronzelight looked like she was about to break down and cry. “All of you are risking so much for me. I hate this. And you, Glenn ... you barely know me!”

Zack gently thumped Glenn’s shoulder. “He doesn’t need to know you to help you. He just helps people. It’s compulsive.”

“You’re one to talk,” Anna said quietly.

Glenn smiled as he saw the way she looked at Zack. Once again, his instincts about her felt right. This woman would never steal from an entire town to enrich herself.

“And what if the mayor gives you an order to arrest us?” Alan asked, his voice soft as well. “Can you refuse such an order?”

Alan had slipped out of the house after Leo left to chase down Zack, or Glenn assumed Alan had. He’d intentionally looked away from the house until Leo returned. That way, if questioned, he could honestly say he didn’t see anyone else leave the house after Leo ran off to chase their decoy.

“That won’t happen until tomorrow at the earliest, at which point you’ll be elsewhere,” Glenn assured everyone. “By that time, you’ll already have moved elsewhere. I know Zack already has a few bolt holes in mind.”

“Way ahead of you,” Zack agreed. “For all three of us.”

“And if Coleman asks you if you helped us escape?” Alan asked insistently.

“I’ll tell him the truth as I see it,” Glenn said, thinking of all the times he’d watched Scott Willowrose tell Mayor Coleman everything and nothing. “Don’t worry about me. When it comes to answering Coleman’s questions in ways that satisfy my duty, I’ve had a great mentor.”

“So ... what else can I tell you?” Anna asked. “What has Zack told you?”

“Most of it,” Glenn said. “Erika vouched for you as well. Still, I need to hear it from you. Why you’re here, your brother’s plot to abduct you, and the truth behind these Demon attacks.”

“But Erika will be okay?” Anna asked hopefully. “I don’t want this to blow back on her.”

Anna’s strong concern for Erika further reinforced Glenn’s good feelings about her. “We played out our scene just as we discussed, and Leo heard the whole thing. Even if he suspects she was involved in helping you evade him, he has no proof. Erika will be absolutely fine.”

Lips pressed tightly together, Anna nodded in the faint candlelight.

“Now, I want to hear it in your own words,” Glenn said quietly. “Tell me everything.”

As Glenn listened in silence, Anna confirmed all the details he’d heard from Zack, but having her repeat her story wasn’t why he’d asked her to do it. He needed to look into her eyes and listen to her voice as she recounted her tale. He needed to judge her sincerity for himself.

When Anna finished, he knew he’d made the right choice in helping her. She was still hiding a few things, but on the matter of her crimes—or lack thereof—he was confident she was telling the truth. She’d stolen nothing from Frostford. Her brother had lied to the Blazers.

He’d taken a huge risk. They’d all taken a huge risk. But the alternative—allowing Anna’s conniving brother to trick the Blazers into dragging her back home to an unknown fate—was unacceptable. Now, all that remained was to decide what to do next.

“Here’s my thinking,” Glenn said. “With the Town Guards alerted, you’re not going to be able to slip out of Wolfpine. Even with Zack to sneak you around, you’re going to be discovered sooner rather than later. We can’t keep you hidden forever, so our goal right now is to buy a day or two.”

“To do what?” Alan asked.

“Once Jenny Ambersun ... Leo’s mentor ... arrives in town, I’m going to plead your case directly to her. Once we get the Blazers off your backs, your only worry will be other Adventurers.”

Anna winced like he’d visibly hurt her. “No, you can’t.”

“I know Jenny. I trust her to listen to the facts and weigh those without bias, and if I manage to track down whatever Adventurer released those Demons in my zone, I’ll arrest them myself.”

“I mean you can’t reveal that you were involved in how we got away from Leo,” Anna said insistently. “Word will get back to your mayor that you helped us. I don’t know what kind of trouble you’ll get in for helping us, but it can’t be good. I won’t have you thrown in jail on my part.”

Glenn smiled. “Respectfully, Anna, it’s a little late for that.”

Her eyes widened. Before she could apologize again, Glenn raised one palm.

“I truly doubt my part in this will come to light,” Glenn continued. “Once I share the truth with Jenny, she’ll likely wish to keep this matter internal to the Blazers. If they have been deceived, as I now believe they have, she’ll not want that knowledge made public. I also believe that once I explain why we’ve all acted as we have, she’ll understand our reasons. I doubt she’d rat me out to the mayor.”

“You’re taking an awful lot on faith,” Alan said darkly.

Zack snorted. “Yeah, he does that too.”

Glenn gave Zack a gentle shove. “You asked for my help, remember?”

“To be fair, you’d already cuffed me at time.”

Glenn turned his gaze back to the two fugitives now hiding in Karl Coldbreaker’s attic. “For now, focus on staying hidden long enough for me to straighten things out with the Blazers. Once I’m gone, you should go with Zack to wherever he’s decided to hide you. If I don’t know, I can’t tell anyone.”

Anna watched him for a moment. Glenn was worried she might further protest. Yet soon, she sighed and smiled sadly. Glenn could imagine how conflicted she might feel now, being forced to put others at risk to protect herself. He’d hate that feeling.

“I don’t know how to thank you for this,” Anna said. “For helping us. Being forced to flee Frostford was a nightmare, yet I never expected to find such kindness waiting at the end of my journey. If I’m ever able to repay you for your help, I’ll find a way.”

“Definitely don’t try to give him a reward,” Zack said. “He’d just turn it down.”

Glenn ignored Zack and rose. “Before I leave, is there anything else I can do for you? I think my plan is the best option we have, but if you have any other ideas, I’m glad to hear them.”

Neither of them offered anything. Even Zack, for once, had no quip. Glenn went back over his choices since he first met Leo in his house and could think of nothing he’d have done differently. Kya had charged him to protect people. All he had done today was his duty.

And once Jenny arrived, he’d simply have to convince her to see it the same way.