Page 69 of Legends and Librarians
“You’re a writer then, huh?” I asked as I took the book from her, checking it into the system again. “It must be fun having somebody like your Gran help you come up with ideas. She seemed really nice.”
Willow raised an eyebrow at me. “Gran said she did nothing but grumble at you until the very end.”
“Well, she was still nice,” I murmured as the back of my neck warmed up. “We’ve got a bit of a reputation, but she was willing to look past that. So she’s pretty awesome in my book.”
She stared at me for a moment, her gaze calculating, then nodded as if she’d made up her mind about something. “Okay, so the real reason I’m here is because Gran thought you might need a writer for the festival. And she also thought that you might be a little desperate, desperate enough to let me sponsor the libraryeven though this is my first book. But I promise I put my heart and soul into it!” Her words tumbled out faster and faster as a blush burned across her face. “So...think you need somebody like that?”
I blinked. So she was a writer, but not a very experienced one it sounded like. Most people’s first books were terrible though, so that didn’t really mean much and she’d kept going. That showed a lot about her as a person. Plus, the festival didn’t require good books, it just required stories in general. Getting a famous author just helped draw more people in. It had no other effect on the blessing.
“Sorry,” Willow said, taking a step back. “I was practicing that the whole way up the mountain and then when it came time to say it, a bunch of words just came out. I love this library, so it would mean a lot if you let me be the writer for your festival.”
Her smile was so warm and bright, full of such genuine happiness that I couldn’t help but believe her.
“You’re fine, don’t worry about it,” I said, motioning for her to follow me deeper into the library. “If you really want to sponsor the library though, there’s something you need to know first. Our library’s unique. The stories here...come alive.”
Willow smiled. “I love when stories do that, like you can see them in your mind.”
“No, they really come alive,” I said, “like the characters can talk to you.”
“Oh, you’re one ofthosepeople,” she said with a small smile. “Uhh, my characters have never talked to me, but it seems like a cool way to write.”
I shook my head. “No, that’s not what I meant. The books in this library magically come to life.”
“Okay...” She paused, staring at me like I was speaking a different language. “Maybe I should just head back to Gran. I’m the only one helping her at the shop, so… yeah.”
I ran my hand across my face, fully realizing I was messing this all up. How was it so hard to explain that the story spirits existed?
“Just show her already,” the Demon Lord said as he casually leaned against a bookshelf with a sinister grin. “Showing always works better than telling.”
Willow’s eyes widened. “You have...horns?”
“And more.” His grin widened, showing off all his teeth like he was trying to mimic that poster from earlier. “Want me to give you a tour?”
I sighed. “We’re trying to welcome her, not scare her off. Go find Lisa.”
“No, no, it’s fine,” Willow said, moving ever so slightly closer to the Demon Lord. “What are you?”
She sounded curious instead of fearful and something about the way she was looking at him made me wonder. Did she, maybe, like dangerous men?
“Willow, meet the Demon Lord,” I said. “Demon Lord, meet the wonderful writer who so graciously decided to stop by.”
I gave him ahint hintlook, trying to make him realize how important she was without saying it. We needed a writer for the festival, so he better behave.
“Hello, nice to meet you.”His voice was gravelly with only a hint of disdain, but it was the best attempt I’d seen at him being welcoming.
I wanted to cheer him on, but he’d probably snap at me and ruin all these good vibes.
“So, about that books coming to life thing,” Willow said as she reached toward the Demon Lord, dropping her hand before she actually touched him. “Sorry, but are you saying he’s from a book? I mean, demons don’t exist, so if he’s a Demon Lord, then...he’s gotta be from a romance novel. Nobody else would write a demon this handsome.”
The Demon Lord’s usually gray cheeks got a little bit rosy before his shadows curled around him, as if he was shrouding himself in darkness. I clamped down on my laughter and grabbed his book from the table.
“He’s a character from a pretty famous fantasy series actually,” I said, showing her his book.
Her eyes widened. “Wait, I love that series! The Demon Lord hasn’t been an on-page character yet though, so I didn’t recognize him. This is actually happening then? The books in this library arealive?”
“Yeah, there’s other story spirits here too if you want to meet them.”
“There’s more?” she snatched the book from me, flipping through its pages.
