Page 73 of Legends and Librarians
I clenched the chair again, glancing away from her. “I’m sure you were fine without me.”
“Yeah, right.” She laughed, falling back into her chair. “I got my ass kicked so hard day after day. Every mission I went on was a slog and I barely made it out. I never realized just how much you handled when we went out together, just how much you did for me so I could focus on training. I’m sorry it took you leaving for me to notice.”
I dared to look at her, and for once, there wasn’t a trace of that mocking smile of hers. She was being honest.
“Well it looks like you got better somehow,” I said. “You’ve become an amazing adventurer, just like I always knew you could be.”
She let out a breath, then smiled. “If you’re really planning on sticking around, maybe we could start over. See if there’s a friendship here left to salvage.”
“I’d like that.” The tension in my shoulders eased. I think I’d been wanting to work things out with her ever since I left, but I just couldn’t bring myself to admit it. “I’ll be around for a while. To help the library.”
“For the library, huh?” Jade grinned. “Sure it’s not for that cute librarian I saw you with last time?”
“Oh shut up,” I said with a laugh. “I just meant I’ll be around.”
“You know,” she said, leaning forward with her arms on the desk, “we’re looking for some new trainers. You’d be perfect forthe job and it would keep you close to the library.”
Now that was a good idea. I leaned my elbows on my knees, thinking. Maybe I didn’t have to worry about people using me for my skills and I could pass them on instead. I’d helped Jade when we were younger and had enjoyed it, for the most part, so maybe I’d be a good trainer...
“I’ll think about it,” I said. “But for now, can you help me convince people the library isn’t dangerous?”
Jade sighed. “Fine, but I want to meet those story spirits again. See what they’re really about.”
“Deal. You should come to the festival, it’s our grand reopening.”
She smiled softly. “Hearing you say things like that makes me happy. It sounds like you’ve finally found a place you feel comfortable at.”
We kept talking for a while as her words sank in. I really did feel more comfortable at the library than anywhere else. Maybe it was time to finally tell Nyssa that I was going to stay. That I wanted to see what we were to each other.
“Sorry, but I should get going,” I said. “I have to get back to the library.”
Jade smiled knowingly at me and nodded. For the first time ever, I had somewhere I wanted to runtoinstead of away from.
Chapter 26
Roan
After a few days of hard work, this library was finally looking festival ready. Mochi was laying out snacks on the new snack bar, which Nyssa had absolutely loved, while the golem hung strings of lights from the ceiling. It was all coming together and I couldn’t wait for people to see it.
“Want to help me clean the story gods’ statues?” Nyssa asked, holding a bucket of water that looked like it was dragging her down.
“Only if you let me help with that,” I said, nodding at the bucket.
I held my hand out, grabbing the handle with her to share the weight. Our fingers brushed against each other, sending a spark through me. Every little touch was like the first time, full of excitement and anticipation. I wanted to explore that feeling, revel in it even, but the only thing on Nyssa’s mind was the library. Maybe once we finished up her to-do list, we could go on another date and I could finally tell her about my decision to stay.
Tiny roars, like what you’d hear from kittens trying to be big cats, pulled my attention up. Some of the dragons had gotten caught in the new string lights, flying so fast they must not have noticed the golem hanging them. With all the changes we’d beenmaking, the dragons were often getting caught in something and causing a ruckus.
Nyssa clicked her tongue against her teeth, sighing.
“Hey golem?” she called out. “Mind helping the dragons out again?”
The golem turned slowly, tilting its massive head as if trying to find the dragons. They were so small and it was so big. They probably looked like flies.
“Over there,” I said, pointing at the new lights.
The golem’s eyes lit up. “Okaaaay.”
Each step it took rumbled through the library, but soon the dragons were free and flying around its head like happy little birds. Not that I’d ever call them birds to their faces. Those dragons were a handful and I didn’t want all our hard work getting burned down accidentally.
