I giggled, the smell of smoke, ash, and sweat prevalent on my skin. “A shower and food would be nice, and I’d love to join you.”
Tiny astral sprites skittered past my legs, arms full of scrolls and books as they rushed to return them to their home or bring them to whomever requested them. Damien snickered, and I turned my gaze to him.
“What’s so funny?”
His eyes drifted over me, a crooked grin tugging at the corner of his lips. “You’re just cute when you’re around books. You get this look in your eyes,” he said.
I cocked an eyebrow, now curious about what he meant. Did I have a funny look on my face? I suddenly became very concerned, my cheeks and ears growing warm.
“Have you heard anything about the arrangements for my parents?” I asked. It felt random, but I’d been eager to know if he’d gotten any word. Monday would be the perfect time to try to... I inhaled deeply, dreading what I knew I needed to do.
He released an uneasy breath. “I have. I landed jobs for them. The company offers a few options for housing, so they won’t need to look. Everything is pretty much ready for you, but...”
His voice trailed off. I tilted my head to look at him as he came to a stop. “I just want you to be sure of this,mea luna.”
My gaze slipped from his, a weak smile tugging at my lips. “I don’t really have an option. I need to know they’ll be safe from the darklings. I can’t focus knowing they’re in danger.”
“Good evening,” Salwa greeted from a nearby table. I hadn’t even noticed her and James, too absorbed in our conversation to pay attention.
“Hey Salwa,” I said with a warm smile, pushing back the dread, knowing that in just two days’ time my parents wouldn’t know I existed.
James’ coppery brows rose, and he pulled his gaze from the book he’d been preoccupied with. “Oh, hey, Cas. Didnae see ye come in.”
“How’s it coming?” Damien asked as he stopped at the table’s edge, eyes scanning the mess of books they were working through. There were countless stacks of tomes and scrolls, the papers worn and aged.
“No luck on the creature you described,” Salwa answered. “We’ve been searching through any bestiary the sprites can find. I don’t know how many we have, and I know we don’t have information on every beast across the twelve kingdoms, so there’s a chance it might not be here.” A couple of sprites approached, stretching onto their little hocks to place a few more books on the table. “I’ve got every sprite searching for any text that might have any information. This is what they’ve found so far.”
Twelve kingdoms? I parted my lips to ask, but a tiny hand grasped my finger and tugged at my side. I dropped my gaze to the tiny astral sprite, trying to get my attention. Starlight danced across its black form, its glowing, white, orb-like eyes shining up at me. It was so small, barely reaching halfway up my thigh.
I turned, kneeling to its level. “Can I help you?”
It reached for the thick book tucked against its side, and my brows rose as it held it out to me. The book was almost as big as its torso; I couldn’t understand how these creatures could carry them around.
“For me?” I asked, curious as to what exactly it was giving me. Did the little librarian know we were here to help Salwa and James?
The sprite nodded, eyes beaming, and for a moment, it looked as if the constellations and starlight that danced across its face formed a smile. I took the thick book, the weight catching me off guard. Goodness, the librarians made them look light. It probably weighed at least fifteen pounds.
“Thank you,” I said with a smile.
The creature bowed its head before skittering off.
Salwa chuckled. “They’ve been in an uproar since you first came.”
I tilted my head. “Why?”
“They know who you are,” Damien answered with a knowing smile.
I frowned. I’d never been here before the meeting with The Council. How could they know me?
“As Elena and Lucia, you were always in here with the librarians in your spare time. You’ve always loved reading, and you’d visit the librarians when you could,” Damien said, pulling out a seat before offering it to me. “You talked with them. I don’t know how you did, but you somehow could. You understood them. They’ve always been very fond of you.”
I remembered how stunned one of the sprites had been when I’d first come to this place, how it had frozen when it first saw me. Movement caught my eye from a nearby bookcase, and I looked up to find a few peering at me from around it. I smiled, giving them a light wave, and they tensed, as if they’d been caught. Another sprite chittered at them, squeaking what seemed to be some sort of remark to get back to work since little sprites scattered, running off to their tasks. I giggled. I loved the little creatures, and I found myself wanting to spend more time here.
Damien smiled as he watched them run off before he glanced at Salwa. “Any books you haven’t started? I’ll get to work.”
I set the thick tome I’d been given on the table and eased into the cushioned chair. As if on cue, a floating lantern lowered until it hovered just above me, illuminating the pages.
“Here,” Salwa said, handing Damien a thick, leather-bound book. It looked ancient, the leather worn, the pages no longer a crisp white, almost tanned.
