Page 52 of Must Love Libraries and Libations
I scanned the library, watching as the building reorganized the books on the shelves, brooms and dusters working, pillows fluffing, the bookwyrms clearing off the last of the stray spells. The familiar hum of evening at the library took over once more. The blooms on the Wyrmwood tree were beginning to glow as the sun set. Soon, the flowers would open, and the library would truly come to life.
Normal life carried on, warm, comfortable, but admittedly, missing something.
I closed my eyes, listening to the sounds, smelling the books, feeling the library’s magic. I could leave this all behind, go to the lands of the Bright Sidhe. There was no greater honor for someone like me.
Opening my eyes, I scanned the library again.
I had always thought of the space as my home. My home. But a new reality was settling on me…it was not my home. It was my assignment. I had coveted this space because I thought it was mine, but it had never belonged to just me.
“I’ll be back soon,” I called to the bookwyrms, who chirped in reply, then I turned and headed off, making my way onto the streets of Moonshine Hollow.
With every step, I felt uncertain.
I was making the right decision.
I hoped.
It had been longer than I could recall since I’d mixed with the local people. They hurried on their way, laughing under the colorful summer lanterns that hung above the streets. Passersby cast curious—but not unkind—glances my way, nodding in acknowledgment. The late summer air smelled of flowers, ripening bloomberries, and that soft scent of decay that indicated a shift of seasons was coming. The air was still warm just after sunset, but the night temperatures had begun to cool just a little. Still, the people of Moonshine Hollow sat outside at café tables or on their porches. From open windows, I could hear people laughing. Music rose from the pub nearby, along with the sounds of people singing.
When I passed the bookstore, I paused, looking up at the keystone above the door. There, the witch’s mark, a complex knot pattern, remained. When her grimoire was gone, the bookstore, ridiculously named Sir Hootington’s, would be the last remaining mark of her presence here. She would become nothing more than a piece of Moonshine Hollow history, a prankster witch who sometimes took her jokes too far.
I scanned the windows, finding a pair of starry eyes looking down at me.
The owl.
I had never seen his like before, and no book I’d ever read had mentioned a species like his. He watched me with great curiosity.
I inclined my head to him, the owl greeting me in kind.
He had never done that before.
Odd.
Pushing the thought aside, I continued my path, finally coming to the gate of the herbalist named Juniper, owner of Thistle and Thyme.
The light was still on inside.
Opening the gate, I crossed the herb and flower garden, noting the fairies working amongst the blossoms, as I made my way to the door.
I ducked as I entered, a bell ringing to announce my arrival. The sound summoned the human herbalist from the back. She was wiping her hands on her apron when she appeared.
“Master Erasmus,” she said, her brow lifting in surprise. “Good evening to you.”
“And to you.”
“It has been many years since I’ve seen you here. Is everything all right with the bookwyrms?”
“Yes. We are all well. Thank you. I, however, am in need of assistance.”
“What can I do for you?”
“I need… I need flowers.”
She smiled softly at me. “Well, I can certainly help you, but perhaps Winifred at?—”
“And discretion,” I added. While the gnomish woman Winifred Bramblewood was an excellent florist, the woman lacked any form of moderation. “My request requires some level of subterfuge.”
“I see,” Juniper said softly. “Well, I have many flowers and plants. What did you have in mind?”
