Page 54 of Myths and Manuscripts
I leaned forward, bowing my head against the great book tree’s bark. “Misty, we’re here for you. You have nothing to fear. I’ll slay anything that tries to harm you, scare off any foe. I’ll be your shield and your protector, just like I’ve always been.”
“I’ll be your librarian and your friend,” Lisa whispered, resting her forehead against the tree as well.
The knights lifted their swords as one from on top of the golem’s shoulders. “We continue to be at your command. We will fight for you and stay by your side. We are your friends.”
“Library is my friend,” the golem rumbled, gripping the tree even tighter. “Best friend.”
Mochi chittered the same, producing Misty’s favorite tea to pour onto the tree’s roots. The dragons soared, dipping in and out of the branches. We’d all come from different books, but there was one thing uniting us: our love for this library.
“You’re safe with us.” I tried to send as much warmth andreassurance through our bond as I could. “Just relax and let the magic flow through you. Share it with us if you need to. We can handle it.”
Golden light fell from the branches above us like little orbs of sunshine, floating through the air and bathing us in a brilliant light. My connection to the library grew stronger, even more vivid than before, as we each took a bit more of its magic, stabilizing it. Misty would never have to bear this burden alone. We were just as much a part of this library as the shelves and the books.
We were story spirits.
The floor slowly stopped shaking and Misty’s branches relaxed, resting lightly on our shoulders. I pulled back with a smile as Lisa and the others grinned.
“That was amazing,” Nyssa whispered, her eyes wide as she spun around to take in the new library. “It’s so much bigger! Look at all those new rooms!”
She was right, there had to be at least six new areas and a double wide set of stairs that looked like it led to a lower level that hadn’t existed before. The Misty Mountain Library had grown, that’s for sure. A sense of calm washed over everyone as they wandered around to explore the new growth, but I stayed by Misty, not ready to walk away just yet.
This all could have gone much worse, but we weren’t totally out of the woods yet.
Willow was still stuck in my book against her will.
A book flew past my head with a tiny knight riding on it like it was a horse, whooping and hollering like the library hadn’t just gone through an emotional and magical crisis that changed the entire shape of the building. I shook my head, watching as the purple dragon who so loved perching on my horns chased after the knight. He flipped tail over head when he saw me though, flying back as quickly as he could. The dragon cried out,spreading his arms wide to latch onto my shoulder with tiny little claws.
“You again.” I patted the flying lizard’s head reluctantly, knowing they never left unless I showed a little affection first. “Now go back to chasing that knight of yours.”
The dragon nuzzled against me for a moment before taking off, flying after the knight to continue their game. The dragons and knights were always up to something from tag to wrestling to some kind of fireball game. Maybe this was a race and my distraction would make the purple one lose. Hmm...I didn’t love that idea. I followed his flight long enough to see him pounce on the book carrying the knight. They all went down, landing on a soft couch that I didn’t remember being there before.
“You’re something else, Misty.” I closed my eyes and let my mind wander, getting lost in our connection. It felt like the library was still a little unstable though, like it hadn’t given us as much magic as it could have. I ran my fingers across the bark. “Were you worried you’d overwhelm us earlier? That’s nonsense, I’m the Demon Lord. Give me as much magic as you want.”
Our connection warmed as the library did exactly that, trusting me to protect it like I always had. My entire body felt like it was lighting up, humming with magic like never before. I kept my eyes closed and relaxed into the tree, letting myself drift off as Misty and I shared a dream filled with beautiful library magic.
After a while, I woke up, blinking in the soft light of the library. How many hours had passed? I stood up, my body stiff like it had been at least a few hours. I stretched my arms, loosening the tension that had built up in my muscles. The library was so quiet, like it used to be before all the patrons had returned, and I found myself feeling quite at home again.
“Nyssa was looking for you.” Lisa sipped a cup of tea at atable nearby, giving me a strange look. “I’ve never seen you fall asleep like that. You seemed so peaceful and content. We didn’t have the heart to wake you.”
I sighed. “Well you should have. I needed to talk to her about Willow.”
Lisa shrugged. “Well, go find her then. She’s holed up with Oren researching just that.” When I was almost out of earshot, she called out one last thing. “And thank you for coming back. We all appreciate it, Demon Lord.”
My eyes widened, but she was already back to reading her book when I turned to look at her. I hadn’t done anything special, but it felt like we were closer somehow. Like family. I didn’t hate that idea and felt myself walking back.
“My name’s Thorne now,” I said softly. “Not Demon Lord.”
She lifted her gaze, smiling brighter than I’d ever seen her smile. “That’s wonderful to hear. Thorne is a good name.”
I nodded and cleared my throat, not sure why I’d even told her that or what else I should say. So I said nothing. I just walked away so I could look for Nyssa. Lisa hummed behind me, and it made me smile for some reason. It felt like I’d been gone for months instead of weeks, and seeing the story spirits again wasn’t so bad.
Walking through all the open areas felt surreal though, like this was an entirely different library than before. There was so much room for extra shelves and hundreds more books. Maybe even thousands. All I needed right now was answers though, and there was only one person who could give them to me: Nyssa.
I found her and Oren surrounded by books, all flipped open in a circle around them as they sat cross-legged on the ground. Ink stained Nyssa’s hands and smeared her face as she wrote notes on various pieces of parchment scattered around. Her hair was tied up with a string, but wisps of it were falling out like she’d been tugging at it. Roan sat outside the circle, leaningagainst a pillow wall with his eyes closed as he calmly pet the three-headed beast everyone loved so much.
Cerberus’ tail started wagging when I stepped closer. I gave him my best stern look to remind him to stay put, but he hopped up and came by me anyway, licking my hands and jumping up so his paws were on my legs. His mouths were open in big goofy puppy grins. He’d start drooling on me soon if I wasn’t careful. I scratched behind his ears before pushing him down.
I’d forgotten what a handful these story spirits were! But it was nice that they’d missed me...
