Page 30 of Myths and Manuscripts
Sweet only gets you so far. Somebody’s probably going to take advantage of that some day. Maybe lead him down a bad path in the name of justice.
I froze, staring at the pen’s words. What if that was actually the plot twist? That the hero fully believed he was doing the right thing, when in reality, it was completely wrong? Oh, that gave me so many other ideas and I had to write them down.
“Okay Penny, now we’re getting somewhere.” I frowned. “Inky? Penpen? Scribbles?”
The name’s Inkheart.
“Inkheart, hello!” I turned to the shopkeeper. “We’ll take this pen, please.”
He readjusted his glasses, looking pointedly at the Demon Lord before nodding. “Okay, I think you’ve chosen a fine pen. Let’s pick out a flying book worthy of following you around all day.”
The pen was already standing tall on a floating notepad, but maybe those were just for show. The idea of a flying notebook and pen that could take its own notes trailing behind me at all times was enough to make anyone smile. This world was the absolute coolest. As we browsed through leatherbound books, wood-covered books, and every other kind of journal I could ever imagine, I paused.
“How is it that this village has so many cool things?” I asked the Demon Lord softly so the shopkeep wouldn’t overhear us. “I mean, the human villages had magical devices too, but nothing on this scale. They didn’t have personalities, not like this. They were more like tools than true magic. So what’s with this place?”
“Demons have innate magic,” he responded, leaning in closer. “And that purple glow outside feels like it’s connected too.”
The shopkeep rubbed his hands together. “Exactly! Usdemons are wonderful craftsmen, unlike those thieves you call humans.”
“Thieves, huh?” The Demon Lord loomed behind me, his shadows curling around us like a dark cloak. “Do you think we’ve done enough to stop them or are they getting too close again?”
The raccoon demon froze, his timid eyes flicking to me. “Please forgive me. You are wonderful.” He wrung his hands, his fur puffed out awkwardly as he lifted his gaze to the Demon Lord. “You saved us when you created the Wandering Woods. I know you’re doing everything you can to protect us. I didn’t mean to imply anything else.”
I elbowed the Demon Lord. “You’re scaring him, knock it off.” Once his shadows shrank a bit, I smiled at the shopkeep. “Sorry about him, he doesn’t know when to turn off the dark lord vibes. I’ll admit I’m still learning about this village. What are the humans stealing?”
He frowned. “Well, our magic of course. We have so much that the very land around us is gifted with it, imbuing the minerals in the ground with magic even lowly humans can use. That’s why they keep attacking us. For our resources.”
I gripped the notebook I was holding so tight my knuckles whitened. “That can’t be right. I’ve never heard anything like that before.”
“Well, humans are awful.” The Demon Lord shrugged. “It doesn’t really surprise me that they’d bend the truth.”
I rolled my eyes. “As a human, I resent that.”
“You’re...okay so far.” His words might have sounded harsh, but his lips were tugged up in a little half smile that made my stomach flutter. “If you stick around, maybe my opinion of humans will change.”
“Guess I’ll have to stick around to save the human race’s reputation then, huh?” I grinned, leaning my shoulder into him to add to the teasing. “Keep bringing me to awesome places likethis and I might just be tempted to.”
His deep purple eyes met mine, holding my gaze. “I’d come here every day if you wished it.”
I swallowed hard. I’d been teasing him, light and joking, but suddenly this felt serious. He meant that. Not that going to a stationery shop was anything intimate, but his tone made it feel like it was. I busied myself with the notebooks again, searching through every single one on display while the Demon Lord kept his distance, his gaze following me like I was more interesting than every pen and notebook here. It made my hands kind of clammy, if I was honest. It had to be nerves from a powerful man like him studying me so intently.
Eventually, I settled on a black and silver book that felt more like a witch’s grimoire than anything else, but it suited the pen the best.
“What do you think?” I moved Inkheart from the temporary notepad to the beautiful new notebook. “Keep looking? Or do you like this one?”
Its feather swayed as the pen danced across the pages, swirling and dipping hypnotically.
This is perfect.
Excellent, now I just had to grab some ink and we’d be out of here. Which was good because it felt like the heat was turned up way too high in this store. I stepped up to the register, feeling intensely awkward as I realized none of my human money worked here. The poor shopkeeper just wrung his hands, apologizing over and over for no currency exchanges.
“It’s fine. I can purchase anything you need,” the Demon Lord said. “It’ll be payment for writing my book.”
The shopkeeper’s eyes widened. “She’s writing a book about you, My Lord? Oh, then she can have this all on the house.” He leaned closer, whispering behind his hand. “Just let me be the first to read it, okay?”
“No, I can’t possibly take this all for free.” I shook my head, pleading silently with the Demon Lord. “I’d prefer the payment for writing your book deal, if you would.”
“Of course.” His shadows curled around me for a moment, reaching out for something I wasn’t sure of, before he paid the shopkeep for me. “Please deliver more ink and paper to the castle in a few days. We’ll probably need it.”
