Page 16 of Legends and Librarians
“You bet I am.”
The demon’s lips curled up a tiny bit, almost like he was impressed by my tenacity. Or it was my imagination and he was actually disgusted with me.
“Then I’m staying too,” Roan said, keeping a watchful eye on the others. “Can’t let you get in trouble by yourself.”
Mochi trotted over to us, holding wrapped sandwiches and drinks in his little paws. He dropped them in front of us, tilting his head back and forth. I glanced at Lisa, and she nodded, so I carefully pet his head. His fur was soft, smoother than any animal’s I’d ever touched. Almost silken. He purred, nuzzling into my hand for a moment before walking back to Lisa.
“He didn’t want you to be hungry,” she said.
That was the most adorable thing I’d ever seen.
“Where did he get the food though?” I asked.
The demon shrugged. “He always has something.”
Interesting. Maybe they could pull things from their books? I’d have to ask Oren, see what he thought. Maybe he’d found something about the tree’s magic in his research by now too. I picked the food and drinks up, following Lisa outside to a spiral staircase.
“There’s a caretaker’s room upstairs you can use. Try not to have too much fun,” she said with a wink.
“Thank you.”
I’d managed to convince them to let me stay for today, but tomorrow was another story. Determination strengthened my legs as I climbed the spiral staircase. My dream was finally in reach. I was really doing this. I was really going to reopen the library I’d loved so much as a child.
Tomorrow was the first day of my new adventure as a Misty Mountain librarian.
Chapter 7
Roan
Wild magic buzzed in the air like static, needling at me to pay attention.The library might not be haunted, but there was definitely something off about it.
Nyssa seemed to really believe that we could trust these creatures, and despite my hesitation, they hadn’t given me a reasonnotto. Yet. I wanted to trust her, to believe that her instincts were right, but I knew all too well how fast wild magic could turn on people.
“Sleep well, cuties,” Lisa said as she opened the door to the caretaker’s room. “See you in the morning.”
“Cuties?” I whispered to Nyssa, who just shrugged and covered a yawn.
Empty bookshelves lined the walls with a small table in the corner and a bed with a bookshelf headboard in the middle of the room. A side door opened into a bathroom with a large round tub inside. I didn’t see anything suspicious though, no wild magic creations at least.
“Seems safe,” I said, walking inside.
Nyssa followed and fell backward onto the bed with a sigh. “It’s been a long day. I can’t believe I won them over.”
“What are they?” I asked as I took the chair by the table.“They had to have been created from wild magic, but they feel different than anything I’ve seen before. Wild magic usually changes and warps things that are already there, like the lending libraries, but these creatures feel different. New.”
She turned to look at me, her beautiful auburn hair splayed out on the bed. “I think they’re books.”
“What?”
“I mean I think they’re characters that somehow came out of their books.” She sat up, excitement filling her eyes. “I recognized a few of them from stories I’ve read.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head, “that’s not how wild magic works.”
Or at least, no wild magic I’d seen before. But wild magic was....well, wild, so I guess it could do anything. Would the guild believe me if I said the library wasn’t actually haunted, but full of books that had come alive? I set my sword on the table, laughing at myself. No way. They’d think I’d lost it.
“Okay, then what do you think they are?” she asked as she nibbled the sandwiches the panda had given us.
I scratched my head, at a loss. She’d been able to talk with them, reason with them, and they even made valid points back. They were sentient, that’s for sure, but beyond that, I had no idea.
