Page 62 of Legends and Librarians
Roan
Moon lilies floated on the pond’s surface behind the library, their glow dimming as the sun rose higher in the sky. The golem had asked me to wait here while he looked for downed trees to use on our super secret project: Mochi’s Magical Munchies. It was a little gift for Nyssa to hopefully cheer her up after not finding a writer yesterday.
Enjoying the festival with her had given me a lot of ideas about how to make the library’s portion of it successful. Good food and cozy drinks felt like a must and Mochi was the best story spirit for the job. He deserved a snack stand worthy of his food.
The red panda padded over by me, leaning up against the beautiful maple tree I was sitting under and gazed out at the forest. The clear mountain air was invigorating and the tint of red sweeping through the trees was picturesque as autumn sparked a change around us.
There was something so serene about this mountain. If only we could get the townsfolk to see it, experience its vibes, they’d come to the library every day just for the good view.
Mochi offered me a steaming mug of green tea, holding it carefully in his little paws as the earthy scent wrapped around me.
“Thanks,” I said, taking the drink. “Are you ever going to show me how you do that?”
The panda swished his tail, chittering as another mug of tea suddenly appeared in his paws. I shook my head, laughing softly. This library, and the story spirits inside it, were really something special. I had a feeling Nyssa’s dreams would come true very soon. We’d not only save this library, but we’d make it a place nobody could forget.
The slow plodding footsteps of the golem pulled my attention to the edge of the clearing. He lumbered out of the forest with an entire tree over his shoulder, the top dragging on the ground as he pulled it over by us.
“That looks perfect!” I said, getting up to help him with it.
The golem’s eyes brightened. “Tree fell. Needs new life.”
He’d been adamant about us not cutting any trees down and I was definitely not about to fight a forest golem over trees. So I was glad he figured something out that worked for both of us. Now onto the next part: turning it into a food stall.
I crossed my arms, staring down at it. I didn’t actually know much about woodworking. Should we remove the bark first or cut it into planks somehow? The golem had hidden my axe, so I really didn’t have much to work with.
“So...what now?” I asked, hoping the golem would take the lead.
The golem ran his hands over it, magically stripping the bark as it wrapped around his arm instead. Then he made a noise like a whistle, summoning the little dragons to join us. They flew over happily, landing on the downed tree with ease. Their flames warmed the air, drying out the tree so we could use it. Only a few spots got scorched too.
It was nice to see the story spirits working together. Soon we’d be able to cut up the wood and use it to build Mochi’s snack shack.
“Any preferences for how it looks?” I asked Mochi, hoping somebody could translate his panda talk for me, but he was focused on the woods behind us.
The golem and the dragons were too.
I gripped the hilt of my sword. “Is something there?”
“Humans,” the golem rumbled.
That’s when I heard the rustling,as if somebody was pushing through an overgrown path. But I also heard something else. A thump thump that sounded far too familiar.
“Lending libraries?” I asked. “Are they leading somebody here?”
The thumping got louder, as if their stakes were hopping as fast as they could. Soon three little lending libraries leapt out of the trees toward us, followed by two women and a man. The people werebreathing heavily and looked a bit worse for wear with small snags in their clothing and sweat mixing with dirt on their arms.
“Thank the gods,” the man said. “We’ve been lost for hours. If these...whatever they are hadn’t found us, we’d have been goners.”
One of the women sucked in air, putting her hands on her knees. “We figured we’d just walk up the mountain like we used to, but everything’s changed and the paths don’t lead where we expected.” She sank onto the ground, sighing. “I’m Isolde, that’s Theo, and that’s Anya.”
“Roan,” I said, releasing my grip on my sword as the lending libraries hopped around me like they were hoping for a treat after a job well done. I patted them on their roofs, making a mental note for Nyssa to switch their books out later. “Are you guys looking for the library?”
The man named Theo blanched. “The library? No way, not a chance. We don’t want to be anywhere near that place. You know it’s haunted, right?”
The lending libraries slowed, tilting to the side a bit as if confused. I scratched my head, glancing at the back of the library twenty paces away from us. Should I tell them? Or let them calm down first?
The golem and the dragons kept working on the wood as if nothing had happened, but Mochi went to hand the newcomers bottles of water.
“Oh, thanks,” Isolde said, then froze, eyes widening. “You’re a panda.”
