Page 66 of Myths and Manuscripts
“No spies are that good!” I let out a breath, flipping to different pages and showing him specifics there was no way people could know. “Look, you were alone here, all by yourself in a locked room. How would somebody know what you were thinking in that moment? Even a spy can’t read your mind.”
He took the book from me, reading it carefully. He was silent for so long that I worried I might have broken him. He sank onto the couch while I stood there awkwardly. I’d been trying to get him to believe in himself again and leave, but I had a feeling I might be stuck with him even longer now.
The sound of a bunny keening pulled my attention to Cinder, Willow’s little pet who was sitting right where she always fedit, looking at us with big sad eyes. I grabbed some hay from a shelf and set it in a pile on the floor, remembering how Willow said she couldn’t just let the hero starve. I felt the same about this bunny now and something eased in me when she started munching on the hay, her cheeks full to the brim.
Willow had a knack for bringing in strays, first this bunny, then Dain, and then Leo too. Who was going to deal with them all now that she’d abandoned them? It certainly wasn’t going to be me. Right after that bunny was done eating, I’d take her to the bunny cafe. Coco and her mother would care for her just fine and yet another reminder of Willow would be gone.
“Okay, hero, time to go.” I pulled the book from his hands, nodding at the door. “You know what you are now, so there’s nothing else for me to say besides get out.”
“Just hold on a minute.” He pushed himself further into the plush couch, defying me with every move. “Say we are characters in a book, that doesn’t mean we’re not real. If that magical library you mentioned really did bring our books to life, then we’re just as alive as everyone else.” He leaned to the side and pushed a vase off a table. It shattered on the floor. “Did an author make me do that? No, of course not. I have free will, and so do you.”
I stared at the broken pieces of the vase mixed with the sunflowers I’d picked for Willow right before she left. They were dried out now, crumbling like they were weeks old. Seeing them lying there all withered and lifeless was like a punch to the gut. Why did her leaving have such an effect on my castle? If Misty was playing games, I did not appreciate it. It felt like it was something more though, like my sadness was being thrown back in my face. Slowly, the sunflowers crumbled to a fine dust that disappeared into the floor as if it was never there.
I’d wanted every trace of Willow and the others gone and it seemed like the castle was responding.
To me.
Maybe the castle wasn’t linked to Misty at all. I knelt next to the shattered vase, slowly picking up the pieces. Could the castle be linked...to my emotions somehow? That would explain why it had gotten warmer the longer Willow was here, but that was ridiculous. It was a castle, not a mood ring.
Leo helped me pick up the pieces. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to break it, I was just trying to prove a point and got carried away.”
“It’s fine. Villains don’t need flowers.”
He groaned. “Not more of this villain talk. You say you’re a villain because the author wrote you that way, then you wanted Willow to make you into a good guy instead, but you never seem to take your life into your own hands and work for what you want.” He held up a shattered piece of glass. “This vase proves we have a choice. It proves that you can decide who you want to be. Don’t let some author tell you that and certainly don’t rely on your wife to turn your life around. You need to do that yourself, otherwise you aren’t worthy of being my arch nemesis.” He stood up, putting the vase shards on the table. “You wouldn’t be worthy of being my friend either. So tell me, what do you want most right now?”
What did I want most right now?
I sank to the floor, leaning against the bookshelves as I twirled a piece of glass in my hands. I wanted Willow to write my book, but not just for me. I wanted her to write it because she loved writing and never should have given up on it. I wanted to spend more time in her apothecary shop, enjoying the warm and comforting vibes there without all this pressure. I wanted people to stop thinking I was a villain, but I also didn’t want to have to hurt people to protect others. I glanced up at Leo, remembering him joking about me being the demons’ hero.
Is that what I wanted? To be a hero in my own right? To be somebody who could protect the people he cared about withoutharming anyone and who other people looked up to? No, that didn’t feel quite right either. Being a hero was a whole big thing and I just...wanted to live my life.
Memories of the townsfolk greeting me warmly as I walked by or Willow’s Gran putting me to work because she knew I could help her came to mind. That was what I wanted more of, and I didn’t want to worry about the whole hero or villain nonsense. I just wanted to get to know people better and have genuine interactions with them.
I wanted friends who cared about me. I was tired of being alone.
Leo held out his hand. “Did you figure it out yet?”
“Maybe.” I grasped his outstretched hand, letting him help me to my feet. “I think I want to be more like you, actually. The kind of guy who fights for what he wants and never lets the heroine give up on her dreams.”
Leo’s eyes widened. “You want to be like me?”
“Nevermind, forget I said that.”
“Aww, it’s okay, you can admit you think I’m cool.” A grin stretched across his face. “Nobody would blame you for wanting to be more like the great hero of the story.”
“Oh shut up.” I pushed past him. I needed to find Dain to see if he wanted to join us. If I was going to do this, then everyone I cared about should be part of it. Especially the overzealous bodyguard I’d grown to appreciate. I turned back to Leo. “Bring the bunny too.”
“You are such a softie.” He laughed and picked up Cinder, cradling her in his arms as the bunny nuzzled against him. “I like your new determined vibe, but where are we going?”
“To talk to Willow. We might not be able to change her mind about writing the book, but I’ve got to try. Not just because I’m looking for a good ending, but because she loves writing and if she gives up on it now, I’m worried she’ll never try again.” Imade my way through the castle as sconces flickered back to life, illuminating the castle with a new light. “Instead of expecting her to do this on her own, I’m going to offer our help. This is our story, so we should write our own ending.”
“Ah, so you were listening to me.” Leo rushed to catch up with me, nodding. “I like the plan, but I thought you said Willow was gone?”
“Then we’ll just have to go out of the book and find her.”
I threw the big castle doors open, grinning as I found Dain standing at attention right outside. For all my faults, I’d somehow found a solid group of people I could call friends. This castle didn’t need to be my hiding place anymore. It was time I stepped outside for real and took advantage of this life Misty had given me.
Willow deserved that version of me just as much as I did. I never should have given up on us so easily, without even chasing after her to talk about it. If the ending to my book was the only thing standing between us, then screw my book. I wanted her more than any fancy ending she could ever write for me.
