Page 2 of Dragon Compelled
“Why not?”
“I am the heart of the library. Only the ones who bear my true mark may know of my existence.” She takes another step toward me, and this time, I do not back away. “You, Paige, Protector of Worlds, will be all I hope for…and more.” She reaches out and presses a translucent palm to my forehead.
The touch is cold, but warmth slams into me, and my body gets far hotter than I think it’s ever been. The room around us swirls again, changing with each passing second, until the scene surrounding me is completely different.
A man has his back to me as he stands amongst the stacks, facing another who is far older, his silver hair down to his waist. He wears amethyst robes and smiles softly at the first man whose familiar broad shoulders and towering height bring tears to my eyes.
Hoc.I can’t see his face, but I know, without a doubt, that it’s him.
The sting of grief is so powerful and sudden that I rush forward. A hand reaches out and closes around me, and I meet the cool gaze of the Athenaeum.
“They cannot see or hear you. We are in a memory,” she explains.
“A memory. Who’s?”
“Hoc. It is the day he was chosen as a replacement for his predecessor.” She nods, and I turn back as the silver-haired man begins speaking.
“Do you vow to protect this place from all threats?” he asks.
“With my life,” Hoc replies. The sound of his voice is a bandage to my broken soul. Even if I know it’s only temporary.
“Do you vow to uphold what is good and right, no matter the cost?”
“I do.”
“Then I freely give you my responsibilities as head librarian, Hoc. And, with them, all of the knowledge that I possess.” He steps aside, and Athenaeum appears beside him, blinking into existence just as she did to me.
“This is your replacement?” she questions.
“It is,” replies the silver-haired man.
“He has taken the vows?”
“He has.”
She steps forward. “Then bow your head, young librarian.”
Hoc does as requested, and she touches her hand to his forehead.
Everything shifts again, leaving me standing in Hoc’s office. His head is bowed as he reads a paper on top of a stack. I move in closer so I can make out the words on the paper.
“These are shelving request forms.”
“Yes. There was a time when computers were not prevalent.”
I smile softly, watching the way Hoc signs his name at the bottom of the paper. It’s such a simple action, but it brings tears to my eyes. I never had the chance to go to school. Hoc taught me everything, and there were so many times he would sit beside me, patiently guiding me through writing in cursive.
So many things I took for granted.
I swallow hard.
“This is painful for you.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
I look up, anger burning through me, but when I note the curiosity on her face, I realize she’s not meaning to be offensive. “You must see everything, do you not?” And then I realize what that must mean. Has she seen me and Aries? My cheeks heat.
