Page 3 of Myths and Manuscripts
“Yeah, that sounds absolutely terrible.” I gave him a wry grin. “So you have fans, what’s wrong with that? You’re from an extremely popular book series. I’m just sad that we’ll never get to know how it ends.”
The author of his story had passed away after writing seven amazing book and leaving the final one unfinished.
“Not you too.” His scowl deepened as his shadows snapped in the air. “I don’t know how it ends any more than you do so everyone needs to stop asking.”
His voice was almost a shout by the end, and he looked ferocious with those shadows whipping around him, his eyes set in a glare.
“Are you really that mad about having fans?” I snapped, gripping my inventory book tight. “Having people actually enjoy your story is a great thing. Some of us will never get that chance.”
His glare softened, but he didn’t respond, and the silence stretched between us. It was thick and awkward this time too.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you.” I opened a container to count how many elderberries we had. “My book just didn’t get the praise I was hoping for, that’s all.”
“That’s unfortunate.” He watched closely as I counted our stock of herbs, writing them down for a bit before opening the next jar himself. He started counting the ginger roots, moving them around in the jar. “Three.”
I raised an eyebrow. Was he helping me do inventory?
We continued on like that for a few hours, spending the afternoon inventorying the entire shop in amiable silence, which seemed to be the thing he craved most right now. As the sun set, he turned to leave with just a nod and a bow to my Gran.
“See you again soon?” I hated how hopeful that question sounded. “I mean, if you need another escape from the library that is. We can always find work for you here.”
He smiled a real smile for the first time. “I might take you up on that. Farewell.”
Then he walked out the door, bell chiming as he vanished in the shadows.
“Well, follow him, quick,” Gran urged, nudging me towards the door. “Seize the moment! He’s not used to this world, so you should walk him to the mountain at least.”
I shook my head, laughing. “He’s a Demon Lord, Gran. He doesn’t need me to walk him home.”
“Doesn’t need it, no, but maybe he wants it.”
I rolled my eyes, forcing myself to move deeper into the shop before my feet betrayed me and ran outside to see if she was right. He’d probably be offended by the idea of me walking him home anyway.
My place was here. At the shop. With Gran.
That was the only thing I could focus on right now. The faster I learned everything I needed to know, the sooner she could retire and rest up. I wanted her to enjoy life after all these years working, not work herself sick.
I was an apothecary and that was all I needed to be happy.
Chapter 2
Demon Lord
The quietest place in the library was on the second floor, in the corner of the old research wing that hadn’t been restocked yet. Warm light shone through the multi-paneled windows, each pane of glass tinted slightly different for a beautiful array of golden light. It was a remnant from before the wild magic storm had changed this library and it was my favorite place to hide away from the world.
Nobody came up here, so it was just me and blissful silence.
Or at least, that used to be true, but on top of the stack of epic fantasies Lisa had found for me was a handwritten novel titledLove in the Shadows: a fanfictionwith a note scribbled across the front.
You’re my favorite character! I hope you love my story.
I sank onto a chair, tossing the cursed story back on the table. The fans were getting out of control. It would be so much easier to chase them off the mountain and be done with it, but the new rules forbade me from scaring people. What a joke. I was the Demon Lord; scaring people was what I should be doing.
Instead, I hid myself away upstairs reading books all day. Thankfully Lisa took her role as a librarian seriously even though she was a story spirit like me, so she always managed to find stories worthy of my time.
Each one was full of love and heartache, joy and sorrow, good and evil. Reading let me feel what those characters felt in a way that I never could with my own story since my book series wasn’t about me. I was just a footnote in the hero’s claim to fame, the big villain he’d eventually defeat to save the world. He’d been fighting against my demonic forces for seven books while I conquered territory after territory, building an army.
He was humanity’s golden hero ready to save the world from my evil plans.
