Page 9 of Legends and Librarians
The bartender handed me an amber beer, one of the guild’s specialties. It was rich and strong, just the thing to ease my anxiety about being back here. I drank deeply, enjoying the malty flavor.
“So, what have you been up to?” Master Carmine asked quietly. “I’ve missed you, you know. You left so abruptly and I never got to properly say goodbye. Did you go look for your parents? I heard they’re retired and running an inn now.”
Oh, I’d found my parents all right, just to make sure they were still alive, but they didn’t deserve a happy reunion. Not when they’d never come back for me. They were so skilled and could have easily found one kid no matter which guild I’d gone to. Even after I’d proved I wasn’t a burden anymore, that I could take on anything, they hadn’t checked in.
I drank deeper, holding my hand up for another hoping it would stop this ache in my chest. Time to shift the conversation to something less personal. All this reminiscing was starting to get to me.
“Well, I did just help a librarian carry some books up a very scary mountain.”
A beautiful librarian full of passion. She’d been so fiercely protective of those books that I almost thought she was goingto slap me when I offered to buy them. If I’d known she was bringing them to another library, I’d have bought even more for her. Restocked the whole place just to see that smile of hers.
“Wait,” the guild master leaned closer, “are you talking about the Misty Mountain Library?”
I nodded, downing the rest of my drink before motioning for another. I didn’t usually drink like this, but it was an easy distraction until our food came. As a waiter handed me another, I realized the guild hall had grown quiet. Everyone was staring at me.
“What’s going on?” I asked, glancing from wary look to wary look.
It reminded me of the night I left. They’d all just stared at me, unwilling to tell Jade off for what she’d said. They hadn’t respected me enough to stand up for me then and they didn’t respect me enough to speak up now.
Master Carmine shook his head. “Ignore them. Tell me more about the librarian.”
“Well, she’s determined and beautiful,” I leaned back in my chair, remembering her hair shimmering in the sunlight. “I’ve never seen anyone as passionate about a library as her and—”
“Not that,” a woman’s voice snapped. “What’s she doing bringing books to that library?”
I turned to see Jade standing in the open doorway, glaring at me with her hands on her hips. She was leaner than I remembered, but well-toned, like she’d spent her time fighting and training until she was all muscle. Twin swords peaked over her shoulders and daggers lined her belt. Muck coated her clothing and brown braid too. Had she taken care of the ant queen already?
I’d never admit it out loud, but I was kind of proud that she could hold her own against monsters like that. It was nice seeing her hard work pay off, even if she was a total pain in my ass.
“Don’t tell me you’re helping monsters now.” Jade stomped over to me. “I know you like to do your own thing, but seriously Roan? Deal with that bleeding heart of yours already.”
“Calm down,” the guild master said, “he just got here, so he doesn’t know about the library yet.”
“Know what?” I asked as my frustration started welling up. The vibe in here had changed the moment I mentioned Nyssa and the library. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Jade laughed. “Shouldn’t you know already? You are the big bad S-rank adventurer. People speak your name like you’re some kind of hero, but here you are, clueless. I could tell you, if you asked nicely. I’d even be willing to show you around, help you understand what mess you just stepped into.”
I rolled my eyes. She’d been like that since we were kids, always trying to prove she was better than me. But I didn’t have the time or the energy to deal with her, so I turned to the guild master. “If something’s wrong with the library, I need to know. I left that librarian all alone.”
“You should check on her,” he said. “The library’s...a little haunted, if you believe the stories.”
“A little haunted?” I gripped the edge of the table, the wood digging into my palm. “Why haven’t you dealt with it yet?”
“It’s not that simple,” Jade snapped, plopping down on a chair next to us. She threw her feet on the table, just like she did when we were kids, before the guild master swatted them down. “There’s never anything out of the ordinary when we go there.”
“But you still think it’s haunted?”
“Well obviously,” she said. “Why else would the board be covered in missions about it? The townsfolk have seen things and I believe them.”
The board. I hadn’t actually looked at it. I stood and walked over, gaze sweeping from mission to mission about the strange noises on the mountain, the lights and figures at the library, andabout the shadows that seemed to come to life and chase people away. The town was terrified.
And I’d just left Nyssa there, all alone. I clenched my hands. She must have known about the rumors, about the so-called haunting, and had sent me away on purpose when she saw what was inside. With how much she loved that library, she’d probably try to make friends with the spirits.
Dammit.
“I’ve gotta go,” I said, instinctively reaching for my sword.
Jade blocked my path. “Not so fast. What makes you thinkyoucan do something when none of us could? You’re not better than me, not anymore.”
