Page 75 of Pulled By the Tail
A familiar cover with two young Tal children caught her eye:The Lost Princes. This time, however, she could understand the tagline under the title which read, Talmar politics and the aristocracy. It looked interesting.
“This is garbage,” Talen said, plucking the book from her hand.
“Hey, you don’t get to tell me what to read. Maybe I like hot garbage.” The book just became a thousand percent more interesting because he disliked it. “I’m not leaving here without it.”
He gave a weary sigh. “It is gossip and speculation and holds little academic merit.”
“Stop. You’re selling it too hard,” she said, her tone sarcastic. She drank in the sight of him, such a massive man holding what seemed to be nothing more than a scrap of paper in his large hands. Even though he professed to despise the book, he held it with care. Even books of mostly gossip and little academic merit deserved respect, and she loved him for that. “You’re such a book nerd.”
“More sweet words of affection? Have mercy, my heart, for my ego cannot take the strain.”
He smiled down at her, the book between them, with warm affection in his eyes. All the reasons for rejecting his offer of marriage—the kit, coercion, future regret—fell away. She didn’t care. Those reasons were petty and this feeling between them was big. Important.
She licked her bottom lip. “Talen, I need to tell you something.”
“Yes.” He leaned down, the book-free hand cradling the back of her neck.
“I can’t wait to read this.” She plucked the book from his grip and danced away, snickering. He gave chase as she slipped around a corner, slowing to let him catch her. His arms wrapped around her, holding her tight, and this was where she belonged.
“Exciting news,” the clerk, a Corravian male, said, interrupting. “I finally sifted through all the damaged books you brought me, and most of them were beyond saving.”
“I wouldn’t call that exciting news,” Talen said, leaning on the counter.
“Oh, you’d be wrong. One of the books was thought lost.” The clerk took down a flat box from the shelf behind the counter. Inside the box sat a book badly swollen from water damage. “It is damaged, but you’re looking at a very rare copy ofThe Descendent of the Eclipse.”
“Is it notable?”
“The author was well known at the time but generally considered a hack.” The clerk removed the book and laid it on the counter. He gently opened the front cover. “This was published just before the Crisis and had not yet been distributed to the general public. The books were stored in warehouses until the release date, but the Crisis happened. From time to time, one will turn up.”
“Are there no digital copies?” Georgia asked. Talen’s obsession with physical books remained beyond her understanding. The words of the story interested her more than the book itself.
“Of course.” The clerk made a scoffing noise, clearly thinking little of digitized works.
“Is the condition a problem?” Talen asked.
“It’s not ideal, but it shouldn’t matter. A serious collector will want it, no matter the condition. I’d suggest not rebinding. The original cover may fetch a higher price. That is, if you were interested in selling.” He licked his lips, clearly wanting Talen to sell the book.
“I’m not sure. It belongs with the house,” Talen said. They could use the money, no doubt, but even Georgia knew not to appear too eager.
“I’ve already had buyers express an interest.”
“It is not a decision I can make on my own.”
The clerk nodded. “I was able to locate the book you want. One moment.” He disappeared into the back.
Georgia leaned against the counter, mirroring Talen’s posture. “You’re going to sell the book?”
“I don’t have a choice,” he said in a near whisper. “I’d sell the entire contents of the library if I thought it’d buy us another month in the house.”
“Wow.” He loved that library, even with the mostly bare shelves.
“Found your order.” The clerk returned with a stock of seven books. She recognized the series immediately. “Apparently these are quite popular. Never heard of them, myself.”
Georgia grabbed the top book, a blue cover she had stared at for hours when she was young. “They’re in English.”
“Is that a problem? I could get you a Tal translation but it’s not available in Corravian, unfortunately,” the clerk said.
“English is perfect,” Talen said. He opened the closest volume, flipping through the pages. “I wanted our kit to read your favorite story in the original language.”
