Page 13 of Legends and Librarians
“You’re a librarian too?” I asked. “When did you get here?”
Was she another story spirit or had the Librarian’s Guild hired somebody else without telling me? She looked real, but so did all the other creatures I’d seen here. The golem even smelled like damp earth. The story spirits were so life-like it was hard to tell.
“I’ve been here for years.” She crossed her arms, staring me down. “I didn’t abandon the library.”
Her implication was clear:Iabandoned the library. I clutched my chest, feeling like the air was knocked out of me. After my family and I had moved away, I could have visited, but it was so far away and I’d been trying to fit in in our new town. That’s what kids were supposed to do in new places, or so my parents had told me.
I’d spent the past few years working on getting back here, but now that I was finally back, they didn’t want me. What was I supposed to do?
A firm hand gripped my shoulder. Roan. “Nyssa just wants to help the library. Won’t you at least talk to her?”
He was right. They should at least take the time to get to know me before throwing me out. I was here to help them. I smiled at Roan, silently thanking him for that reminder.
“I am not leaving.” I straightened my back, ready to fight for the library. “My job is to repair this library and reopen it. Isn’t that what you want too? To see it back to normal?”
“Who says what’s normal?” Lisa asked, but then frowned asthe knights and dragons behind us lost interest in me and began fighting each other. “Sheesh, they couldn’t even behave for five minutes. Golem, we need your help!”
Her voice called out into the depths of the library where I heard the rumbling footsteps of the gentle giant coming toward us.
“Not again.” I groaned, searching for another option, before turning to Roan. “There’s about to be a twenty-foot forest golem trying to kick us out. Any ideas?”
A grin stretched across his face. “I’ve got a few.”
“Any peaceful ones?”
“A few less,” he said, wincing. “My sword does absorb magic though, so we could try that.”
Lisa frowned. “A magic-absorbing sword, huh? That could prove meddlesome.”
Wild magic might have created them, but I didn’t want to dispel them if I didn’t have to. Not if they really came from inside books. That was a whole new and fascinating kind of magic that I wanted to explore, not get rid of.
“Can we talk about this?” I asked Lisa. “Are you the one running things here or is it somebody else?”
“Me and two others,” she said as a dragon landed on her shoulder. Lisa tilted her head as she pet it. “But are you sure you want to meet them? What if they also think we’d be better off without you?”
“Then I’ll accept that decision,” I mumbled, “but only after stating my case fully.”
And doing everything in my power to convince them I belonged here. This was my library too and I’d be damned if I let them chase me out of it.
Lisa nodded. “Okay, then follow me.”
Roan held me back a moment. “Are you sure about this? What if she’s leading you into a trap?”
That was a fair question, but I wasn’t worried. The story spirits didn’t feel dangerous. Even when the dragons were spitting fire, all the flames missed us. And when the knights were aiming at us, they never actually attacked. Plus, when the golem threw me out, he carried me with such care and set me on the ground so gently that I didn’t get a single bruise.
They cared about the library. I could feel that, deep in my bones, and if they truly cared about this place, they wouldn’t hurt me. I was a librarian.
“I trust them,” I said, following Lisa deeper inside.
Roan sighed, but followed as well. We’d meet this leader together. Having him by my side, ready to defend me if anything happened, gave me the space to be confident. To trust in the library I loved so much.
We’d be fine.
Chapter 6
Nyssa
No matter how much Iwantedto trust these story spirits, each step I took following Lisa filled me with dread. What kind of book character would be powerful enough to manage them? I doubted they’d put anyone in charge who couldn’t handle that golem and the dragons. To do all that, they must be a great warrior or a sorcerer. Maybe even a god.
