Page 6 of Must Love Libraries and Libations
I gave her a warm smile. “Good, because I am bursting with them.”
Izelda laughed. “If your plans involve cookies from Lottie’s Bakehouse, I’m all ears,” she said, referring to the café and cookie shop owned by a local kitchen witch.
“Well, I can certainly make that happen,” I said with a laugh. “I’m just so grateful to you for this amazing opportunity.”
“Everyone knows if anyone is up for this challenge,” Tomas said, giving Izelda a knowing look, “it’s you.”
“Elder Theodonna said you had been working on some sample plans for us?” Izelda said.
I nodded then opened my picnic basket, which served as my briefcase, and began pulling out my notes. Suddenly, two little clawed hands slipped onto the side of the table. A moment later, a pair of twitching, cat-like ears and two glimmering golden eyes appeared. The little red bookwyrm I had spotted in the tree had his eyes on my basket.
“No, Stevenson,” Izelda told him. “It’s paper, not food.” She turned to me. “He must have spotted your basket and got hopeful. That one is always hungry.”
The bookwyrm eyed me, his snout lifting over the edge of the table, his nostrils flaring as he tried to catch the scent of anything tasty. When he determined Izelda was right, that I had not brought food, he squinted his eyes at me in withering disappointment, then disappeared once more.
I chuckled. “Sorry, Stevenson,” I called to the now-absent bookwyrm. While I couldn’t see where he had gone, I did hear him blow a frustrated raspberry in reply.
Izelda shook her head. “Please, Primrose, continue. Let’s hear what you have for us.”
“Excellent. Well, I have several ideas and themes,” I said, and began unrolling scrolls that depicted the variety of party possibilities. I went over them one by one, showing the possible ideas, features, and so forth. When I glanced at their faces, I could see that they were enjoying my tasteful but festive plans, but…
Still, there was hesitation.
Undeterred, I continued. “And no matter what ideas you decide on, every theme will end the same way.” I waved my hand over my notes, evoking the enchantment I’d written on a scroll. A moment later, an ethereal image of the library appeared, and in the sky above it, fireworks. Tiny pops of shimmering gold and pink illuminated the late summer sky. The image was beautiful and whimsical.
“Naturally, I will work with the gnomes to ensure that the fireworks are all made with unharmful natural elements and?—”
“No,” a deep voice growled from the corner of the alcove.
The sound and the tone took us all by surprise.
Tomas frowned, Izelda sighing heavily.
I shifted my gaze from the last of the fireworks toward the back of the room, my eyes adjusting to the dark.
“Absolutely not,” he said again, then stepped into the light.
The gargoyle was at least seven feet tall, made of muscle, with horns sprouting from under his long, black hair. I had never seen him this close before. While I’d always had the sense that he was imposing, I didn’t realize he was also stunning. Square jaw, piercing eyes, massive frame, he was… A blush rose in my cheeks, and my heart started beating faster. He studied me a moment, then frowned, his golden eyes glimmering. “I said no. In fact, I clearly said no to all of it. No to cake. No to food. No to music. And especially, most definitely, no to fireworks. No to the party. No to all of it.”
“But, Master Erasmus,” Elder Theodonna began, a gentle tone in her voice, “we just want to?—”
“I said no,” the gargoyle interrupted bluntly. “The library is a sacred place. I will not have the books, the wyrms, the tree, or anything else that resides here agitated by meaningless frivolities.”
“But we all know eleventy-one is the most special of birthdays and—” Elder Theodonna tried once more.
“To you,” Master Erasmus replied rudely. “The answer is no. You and your perky friend should go and leave the library in peace,” he told her, then turned to me. “We don’t want or need anything from you.”
With that, he turned and stalked off to his private room, the metal sign on his door clanking when he closed it behind him.
“Well,” Elder Theodonna said, fanning herself in a fluster. She had gone pale, and for the first time in my memory, she looked truly upset.
My heart slammed in my chest, but not from fear.
Fury washed over me.
It was my turn to say no. It was one thing to not want a party or to have suggestions, but to be rude to Elder Theodonna? Never.
I rose.
