Page 28 of Must Love Libraries and Libations
Louisa May trilled then turned to Hawthorne. The pair clicked to one another, coming to an understanding. Louisa May gave Miss Windsong an affirmative nod then handed the basket back to the party planner.
Miss Windsong set the basket aside.
“All right,” she said with a smile. “A deal’s a deal. If you don’t mind clearing away a moment,” she said, gesturing. “I don’t want you to shine silver too,” she added with a giggle.
At that, Hawthorne and Lousia May moved away from the nest and watched Miss Windsong work.
Speaking in a low tone, I listened as Miss Windsong whispered in Elvish with some slight variations. I couldn’t quite catch all of the spell, but the magic was so soft, gentle. A glowing ball of silver light appeared in her hands. She worked delicately, like she was pulling string between her hands. Finally, she shook out the spell. It unfolded like a swath of silk. She let it go, the spell slowly drifting down onto the nest. At once, the entire nest took on a shimmering silver light.
At that, Louisa May and Hawthorne began to trumpet so loudly in excitement, it had all the other bookwyrms trumpeting back. Soon, the entire pack came to see what had Hawthorne and Louisa May so excited. When the others saw, they all erupted into excited clicks and calls.
Miss Windsong laughed and clasped her hands together in excitement. “Oh, it’s perfect. And look how happy they are.” She smiled warmly, her eyes shimmering in the silver light.
“You’re good with them,” I said before I could stop myself.
“It’s just a simple charm I use to make silver cutlery and goblets shine. But, in this case, it worked perfectly,” she replied, then turned to me, her hazel eyes bright.
Sunlight shimmered into the library from above the Wyrmwood tree, the sunlight slanting into this section of the library. The glow on her face, happiness from a job well done, made her eyes sparkle. I didn’t remember ever seeing eyes so beautiful before.
“Come with me,” she said, taking my hand.
Taken off guard, I blinked. “Where?”
“Just…come.”
I followed her out of the Herbalism wing, through the central hall, and out onto the veranda at the back of the library.
There, a stone patio curved toward the reflecting pond in the distance. Benches graced the space, along with a gazebo. Wishing willow trees at the edge of the pond swayed in the breeze. I hardly ever came out here, but a few patrons liked to sit and read outside.
“Okay, just hear me out,” Miss Windsong said, lifting a finger to ask for my patience, then she began gesturing. “It will be an evening event. We’ll begin at sundown to enjoy the beauty of the sunset on the water. As for the event, I want to put up a few tents,” she said, gesturing to the green space beside the library. “Cream canvas, no garish colors. Food tables, high-top tables for drinks, and enough room for mingling. Maybe even a space for dancing. The cupcakes and other food will be served underneath the tents, and we’ll serve drinks on the patio,” she said, gesturing. “Paper lanterns up here. Enchanted to stay warm and low-lit—magical, not flammable. And I’ll hire a string ensemble. Harps, violins, gentle music. Nothing too…brass.”
I said nothing.
She turned back, earnest now. “And inside, a quiet display. With your help, we can highlight the history of the library. You must have many things in your collection that the town’s residents would like to see. And of course, there’s the Wyrmwood tree.”
I froze. “Not inside,” I said after a moment.
“But no one ever sees the Wyrmwood tree bloom,” she said softly. “No one but you. Don’t you think maybe the townspeople should, too?”
I looked through the tall window at the tree. The closed flowers pulsed faintly with magic, but they would not bloom until the moon rose. No one else had seen it bloom because no one else had been here when the moonlight turned its branches silver and the blossoms ruby red. No one else had stood beneath its glow because it was always just me, alone, in the library. Just like I had been for hundreds of years.
“I know you care about this place,” she said softly. “I do too. I just want to show people just how special it is.”
It would’ve been easier if she’d demanded something ridiculous, but this?
This was worse.
She wanted me to share my world. Could I do that? I was as much a molding relic as the books in the rare books room. Letting them see the library and me…
Emotions warred in me.
Finally, I cleared my throat. “Not inside. It’s not possible. But I will agree to your party outside.”
“But—”
“That is the only compromise I can make. But no loud music.”
“Of course.”
