Page 37 of Myths and Manuscripts
“Keep her safe.” I pinned him with a stare worthy of a Demon Lord, instilling every ounce of seriousness I could into it. “And give her whatever she needs while I’m away. Use my treasury if needed.”
“Yes, My Lord.” He bowed so low he almost tipped over. “I’ll protect her with my life and make sure she wants for nothing.”
“I don’t need all that.” Willow shook her head, waving her hands in the air. “I’m really fine here writing. Just go get the information and come back when you can.”
Inkheart scribbled furiously, floating up so I could see.
I thought the whole consort thing was a ruse, but the way you look after her shows your true colors. You care for her, Demon Lord. She’s safe with us.
What did a pen know? I grunted, brushing it aside. Of course I cared about her safety. It was my fault she was in this mess, so until she was safely back in her apothecary shop, all my attention would be on her. It was the least I could do. I closed my eyes, summoning the bright light that would take me back to the library.
Something tugged at my sleeve. Willow.
“Could you check on Gran too?” she asked softly. “I’m worried she’s overwhelmed without me. She should probably hire some help, but there’s no way she’d agree to that, so I’d feel better if you made sure she was okay.”
I nodded. “Of course. I’ll visit her shop myself and ensure her well-being.”
Willow let out a breath and smiled. “Thank you. You can get going now.”
The warm golden light started falling from the ceiling, but Willow tugged on my sleeve again.
“Sorry, but could you grab me some clothes while you’re there too?” She scratched the back of her head, looking embarrassed. “And maybe some other essentials? Gran can put a bag together for you. I just have a feeling I’ll be here for a while, so it would be nice to have my things.”
“Anything else?” I feigned annoyance, trying to get her back for all the teasing.
Her eyes lit up. “Oh! The rest of the books in your series would be great. I left them at the library and could really use them if I’m going to make your last book amazing.”
I sighed. “Am I your errand boy now? You do realize I’m the Demon Lord, right?”
“And that’s why I’m sure you can handle it,” she said sweetly. “My Demon Lord would never let a few errands get in the way of his mission, right?”
Her Demon Lord? A pleasant shiver raced through me. I’d never been anyone’s anything before and even though I knew she was teasing, it felt really good to hear. Too good. I closed my eyes, summoning the light that would bring me back to the library again so I could run these errands and get back to working on the final book.
Chapter 15
Demon Lord
The library was just as busy as I remembered, full of patrons and overwhelmed librarians. Nyssa and her researcher friend Oren had immediately shooed me away when I asked about their progress on getting Willow out of the book, saying that it hadn’t even been a day yet and even they weren’t that good.
I’d wanted to protest, but there wasn’t anything I could do to help them. No matter how badly I wanted to get Willow back home, I didn’t know anything about library magic. They did, and pressuring them wouldn’t get me anywhere. So I’d grabbed the books in my series and headed off to the next stop on my list.
The apothecary shop.
A soft bell chimed as I opened the door and stepped inside. Dried plants hung from the ceiling while living ones sat on every available shelf, throwing off a wonderfully earthy smell. Something sweet was mixed in too, like honey or fruit maybe. As I walked up to the counter, the sound of a mortar and pestle slowed.
“Welcome to Bloom and Bramble Apothecary, I’ll be right with you.” Willow’s Grandmother’s voice was soft, yet firm as she finished grinding the herbs she was working on, then slowly stood up. I could practically hear each bone creaking as she did so and rushed over to help. She waved me off. “Customers aren’tsupposed to come behind the counter, you know.” Then she squinted at me. “Ohhh, look at those horns. My, my, looks like we’ve got an interesting visitor today.”
She turned back as if to talk to somebody but paused. It was just her and I in the shop, nobody else. Confusion marred her features until she covered it up with a smile. My chest ached knowing how much she must miss Willow. I had to tell her what was going on, had to explain why Willow wasn’t back yet.
“Elder Mable.” I bowed my head to her. “Willow wanted me to check in and see how you’re doing.”
“If she wanted to know that, she should have come here herself.” Mable tilted her head, squinting at me even harder. “Unless there’s some reason my granddaughter didn’t come? Is she okay?”
“Fine, perfectly fine,” I rushed to say. “Just working hard on the book.”
I tried not to wince as the half-truth fell from my lips. I had to tell this woman where her granddaughter was, but I didn’t want her to worry too much. Maybe I’d wait until we had a plan for how to get Willow out of the book. I wasn’t used to dealing with people’s emotions like this. Usually, I just said what I thought without a care, but this little old apothecary was important to Willow. The most important person in her life.
She patted my arm. “I’m glad you found a way to get her writing again. Now, sit down and help me with these hand warmers.”
