Page 53 of Found in Obscurity
“Apologies,” he said, not sounding the least bit sincere, his eyes twinkling. “It didn’t occur to me that you might not have known. But now you do! So all is well!”
“No, all is not well,” Lorin said. “He can’t shift back to human.”
“Oh?” That got The Owner’s attention finally, and he looked down at Kit, who was practically vibrating out of his fur next to their feet. “At all?”
“He’s managed a few times, but only for a few seconds, and I don’t think any of those were voluntary,” Lorin said. “He looked just as confused as I was when it happened. And he couldn’t stop himself from shifting back into his fox form. He wanted to let me know he was a shifter but couldn’t hold a shift to do that.”
The Owner fell silent at that, a frown etched onto his forehead.
“That is rather unusual,” he murmured, and Lorin wondered how often he’d ever said that. “Unfortunately, I cannot delay my departure. However, I will look into the Magic Shop’s resources and send over the things I feel might be helpful to you.”
“Soon?” Lorin asked.
“As soon as I physically can. But in the meantime, this town has a very well-stocked public library. I can assure you that you’ll find at least something there to get you started.”
“The library?”
“Words are power, young witch. Take the advice. Go see what they have to offer. It should give you enough to get started until I can do my part.”
With that, he packed the last of his things and just…vanished into thin air right in front of Lorin. The building where the shop had been housed remained intact, but empty, no traces of the bustling magical business to be seen.
Not even a speck of dust remained as Lorin found himself completely alone in the middle of the narrow street.
He looked down at Kit, who huffed up at him, rubbing his head against Lorin’s ankle before hopping back into the basket.
He stared at Lorin expectantly, front paws braced at the edge of the basket.
Lorin looked back into those amber eyes, realizing just how human they looked. Now that he knew what was behind them, he could tell Kit was so much more than a mischievous fox.
“To the library?” Lorin asked, and Kit yipped at him, scratching the basket as he wiggled.
Lorin straddled the bike and turned it around before pushing off and heading toward the library. He had no idea how it had never occurred to him to go there in the first place. It was just a testament to how bent out of shape he was about all of the changes to his life. He hoped it was still in the same spot, because he had no patience to look for it.
Luck was on his side, at least for this, because just two blocks away, he saw the old, ornate building casting its shadow onto the empty street in front of it. Snow was piled up at its corners and there were bike stands by the entrance.
Lorin secured his bike and made his way inside, Kit hot on his heels.
The place hadn’t changed a single bit—not the looks and not the feeling it gave Lorin whenever he stepped inside. It was still gorgeous, with marble and gold trimmings everywhere. It was still large enough for your steps to echo but made comfortable enough with the plush carpets in the middle of the hallways. And it still felt like the most magical, safe, comforting place ever.
The foyer was separated from the main library area with double wooden doors, currently held wide open by two beautifully carved brass hooks on each side. Lorin walked inside, returning polite greetings from the few people passing by and watching Kit as he did his very best to avoid interacting with any familiar that even dared to look his way. The larger ones like cats and dogs paid very little mind to his attempts at posturing.
His fox, apparently, was not the friendliest animal. Lorin chuckled when Kit batted a paw at a sparrow familiar, scurrying away before the poor bird could recover enough to try and retaliate. He pressed himself close to Lorin and stayed glued to his side as they approached the large front desk.
There was a young-looking woman working behind it, with big, round glasses making her eyes look huge and a curly bob framing her small face. She was all smiles when they approached, and Lorin found himself feeling instantly at ease, partly because she clearly didn’t know who he was, as there was zero curiosity or question in her expression when she looked at him.
“Hello. How can I help you today?”
“Hi, um…” Lorin leaned against the wooden surface. “Do I need a membership card to look for some books?”
“If you plan on reading them in here, then no,” she said. “But if you’d like to check something out, then yes, you will need one.”
Lorin mulled it over for a second before deciding that as much as he loved the library, he’d still rather do his research back home than out in the open where everyone could see.
“Okay, I’d like to join then,” he said, and she beamed at him as if the information was the best she’d had the privilege of hearing in a long while.
“Excellent,” she said. “I’ll need you to fill out this form for me, so we can confirm you have your address here in Oak’s Hollow. Membership is free in that case.”
She handed him a sheet of paper and a pen, and Lorin set to filling out his personal information. He handed the filled form back to her and it was over before he could even blink.