Page 49 of Must Love Libraries and Libations
It’s nothing to me.
But at the mere thought, my heart twinged.
I turned back to my work. The end of the codex was full of complex spells, works of magic that were confusing at best, next to impossible for most, but I had learned the witch’s ways. There were sections about transfiguration, rooting magic, memory spells, and more. Focusing, I wove my book magic around the words, locking the spells in place. But as I did so, the spells shifted on the page, struggling to escape. Why? Why these spells? Why did they resist more than the others had? Frowning, I pulled from deeper within myself, finally pinning the spells in place. They throbbed, fading and weakened by my spell work. After centuries, the codex had been neutralized.
I sat back and stared in awe.
It was done.
I was done.
My bottom lip trembled with an emotion I didn’t understand. My heart beat hard in my chest.
It was done.
Over.
I had completed my assignment in Moonshine Hollow. One hundred eleven, plus four hundred years later, I was done.
My hands shook.
I lifted the manuscript and locked it into its box.
My life’s work.
Done.
Feeling oddly numb, I returned to my desk, where I finished off the now ice-cold tea Harriet had brought me. How long ago had she come? Pulling out a scrap of paper, I wrote a note to the council. My work was complete. The grimoire was neutralized. Trying to calm my thudding heart, the sound of it pounding in my temples, I went to the enchanted message box hanging on my wall and slipped the message inside. The box glowed green for a moment, then faded. Message sent.
Feeling unsteady, I turned and went to my bedroom and lay down on my small cot. Closing my eyes, I remembered every moment with Primrose. How perfect she was, and how I had felt in her arms, with her kisses on my neck, her touch. I replayed every conversation. She had been so infuriating, insistent, but also gentle and patient. She had seen something in me that no one else ever had. My mind spun like a storm.
For a fleeting moment, I’d had something rare, special.
And I…
I had ruin?—
I jumped when the ancient message box sparked.
Surprised, I rose to retrieve the reply message from the council.
I began to read at once but found myself sinking into my seat as I digested the words.
Dear Master Erasmus,
The council sends you their deepest gratitude and congratulations on your marvelous achievement. Your efforts have made our whole world safer. Your advanced skill and decades of dedication are to be commended and honored. We will dispatch an envoy to collect the codex.
It is our greatest honor to extend the offer of a new assignment to you. After your many years in the quaint town of Moonshine Hollow, we know you will be eager for more challenging assignments. Therefore, we present to you the offer to take the prestigious position of Master of Libraries in Golden Spires in the lands of the Bright Sidhe. They have asked for a librarian whose skill is without compare. There is no one better suited to the task. They need someone at once, so please inform us of your decision at your earliest convenience.
Sincere Regards,
Archimedes Regulus
Master Librarian
I stared at the note, reading it again, and again, and again. It was everything I could have dreamed of, an honor with no equal. I could not have asked for more.
And yet…
