Page 4 of Legends and Librarians
I pulled back, drawing my sword as I studied our surroundings. The thump thump noise drew closer, almost like the sound of a shovel breaking open the earth.
“What’s wrong?” Nyssa asked, gaze searching the tree line on the opposite side. “What’s that noise?”
“Not sure, but I’ll handle it. You’re safe with me.”
She nodded, standing firm even as the noises surrounded us. Shapes moved between the trees, oddly formed like no creature I’d ever seen. I squinted. They looked like they had square heads and only one leg? No. They were made of wood, some kind of box attached to a stake.
Nyssa let out a breath, laughing quietly. “They’re just thelibrary’s little lending boxes. They’re placed along the path in case people can’t make it all the way to the library.”
I didn’t loosen my grip on my sword as the little lending boxes hopped closer. Their paint was chipped and faded, doors either missing or hanging off their hinges, and there wasn’t a single book inside any of them.
“Do they usually move on their own?” I asked calmly, trying not to judge this wonderful library of hers.
“Well, no, not that I remember, but imagine how useful that’ll be when I need to restock them every few days.” She held out her hand to one of the boxes. “Come here little library, we’re not going to hurt you.”
It hopped up and down frantically, flinging its door open and shut, making a horrible squeaking noise that anything else on this mountain would surely hear.
“Be careful,” I said. “We don’t know what else is out there.”
Nyssa waved her hand at me like I was being ridiculous as the lending libraries crowded around her. I kept close, ready to fend them off if they got violent, but they seemed more curious than dangerous as they leaned toward us, tilting this way and that.
I’d never seen anything like them. The elder gods had shaped our world out of magic through the power of their storytelling, imbuing magic into everything from the air we breathed to the food we ate. It’s what formed the land and made the waters flow. It was beautiful and so full of potential, but when that potential was wasted, the magic spoiled, becoming wild with the need to finish its story. Even the gods couldn’t say what it would do then.
And those cute little broken-down libraries that Nyssa was fawning over reeked of wild magic.
“Is this what you’re looking for?” Nyssa asked the lending libraries, moving closer to the cart full of books. “Do you want more books?”
They hopped up and down like excited puppies. Nyssa smiled, not even a little afraid of them. I shook my head as she searched for just the right book to give each little library. She really seemed to care about them, even though she’d just met them and had no idea what they were. I admired that. Not enough people truly cared about others in this world. Not unless they got something out of it.
Nyssa handed out books like they were treats, giving each library one or two as she walked around the cart to reach them all.
“You know they’re just going to lose those, right?” I asked, pointing at the lack of doors. “They need better doors, something with a latch that won’t fly open when they hop.”
Nyssa raised an eyebrow at me. “Here I thought you didn’t like them. Now you’re offering to help?”
“Wait, when did I offer that?” I shook my head. “I’d need tools and spare parts and stuff.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing we picked up all sorts of stuff in town.” She laughed, patting one of the libraries on its little roof. “They’ll just have to come with us to the library so we can fix them up later. For now, it’s time to head out!”
All the little libraries hopped to attention, creating a single file line behind her as she marched ahead like the pied piper, leading her ragtag team of lending libraries up the mountain. I couldn’t help but grin, hurrying to keep pace with her.
“You’re kind of amazing,” I said.
She glanced sideways at me. “I know.”
Silent laughter shook her shoulders as we walked together, followed by the thumping sounds of the library stakes and the creaking of the wagon wheels. I sheathed my sword, hoping that if anything else was going to attack us, it would have done it by now. We weren’t exactly inconspicuous.
The path ahead grew more twisted and unkempt the closerwe got to the library. Broken lights hung from the tree branches, doing nothing to guide our way as dense fog blanketed the ground. The air felt thick, buzzing and snapping around me like it was dripping with magic. Wild magic.
“We’re almost there.” Nyssa’s voice rose with excitement. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long. The last time I was here was right before it got hit by a wild magic storm. After that, my parents and I ended up moving, but the librarians swore the place would heal itself.” She sighed, shaking her head. “A few years ago, I realized that not only had the library not healed itself, but the Librarian’s Guild had transferred most of the books to other libraries, basically shutting the place down.”
“That’s awful,” I said, walking a bit closer to her. “I’m glad we’ve got a few books with us then.”
“Yeah, good thing you showed up.” She glanced back at the cart and then me, a smile tugging at her lips. “Maybe—”
She stopped talking as we stepped out into a clearing, her eyes widening.
A ramshackle library rose up from the mist, giant holes in the roof badly patched and windows boarded over like it was completely abandoned. The lending libraries raced ahead as Nyssa stood there, transfixed. The stone exterior was cracked as vines claimed the surface as their own.
