Page 19 of Must Love Libraries and Libations (Moonshine Hollow #2)

ERASMUS

W ith the bookwyrms fed and quiet, and after a thorough inspection of the library basement—no sign of the witch’s spell remaining—I returned to the quiet of my chamber.

In my small room, I noticed her scent lingering on my clothes.

The sweet smell of freesia and blueberry muffins mingled with the perfume of wine and… and words spoken in haste.

I sighed heavily.

It didn’t matter now. I had broken whatever had started to form between us. Probably, irrevocably. The hurt in her voice… I had done that. She wasn’t too loud, or bright, or anything else.

She was perfect.

I had panicked.

But it didn’t matter anymore. Now, I just needed to focus on my work. I had to. Because if I didn’t, if I let myself really feel my self-inflicted wound, it would be too much to bear.

Collecting my things, I returned to my study and started settling in. Stevenson perched on the corner of my desk, his arms crossed on his chest. He gave me a hard look.

“I have work to do,” I told him, taking out the enchanted box that contained the witch’s codex.

He puffed a ball of smoke at me, occluding my vision.

Waving it away, I gave him a hard look. “I know what you’re doing. I need to finish with the codex so nothing like that happens again.”

Stevenson rolled his eyes, gave an exasperated sigh, and then floated off.

I recited the enchantment to open the box safely, pulled out the codex, and turned to the final pages.

“Almost got through it without you meddling. We will be done with this today, Witch Eyreaway,” I said, then got to work.

Engrossed in my work, the hours passed by in moments.

I paused only to stretch, rubbing the back of my neck, and trying not to notice the lingering scent of her on my clothes.

Removing my spectacles, I closed my eyes and rubbed them.

Visions of her face, her cheeks flushed rosy with excitement, danced through my mind.

How soft, how sweet, full of life. A half-elf, with whom I could live a long, full life…

No.

I had ruined it.

Pulling my glasses back on, I sat at the table once more. But my vision strayed off into the distance.

I had ruined it.

Why?

There was a soft sound as Harriet, one of the older bookwyrms, appeared, a steaming cup of tea balanced in her clawed hands. She set the cup on my side table, then paused to nuzzle my chin.

“Thank you, Harriet. You always know.”

She trilled softly at me then departed.

Outside my study door, I heard people and noise. There was more happening outside than usual. No doubt, they were preparing for the party.

Let them.

It’s nothing to me.

But at the mere thought, my heart twinged.

I turned back to my work. The end of the codex was full of complex spells, works of magic that were confusing at best, next to impossible for most, but I had learned the witch’s ways.

There were sections about transfiguration, rooting magic, memory spells, and more.

Focusing, I wove my book magic around the words, locking the spells in place.

But as I did so, the spells shifted on the page, struggling to escape.

Why? Why these spells? Why did they resist more than the others had?

Frowning, I pulled from deeper within myself, finally pinning the spells in place.

They throbbed, fading and weakened by my spell work.

After centuries, the codex had been neutralized.

I sat back and stared in awe.

It was done.

I was done.

My bottom lip trembled with an emotion I didn’t understand. My heart beat hard in my chest.

It was done.

Over.

I had completed my assignment in Moonshine Hollow. One hundred eleven, plus four hundred years later, I was done.

My hands shook.

I lifted the manuscript and locked it into its box.

My life’s work.

Done.

Feeling oddly numb, I returned to my desk, where I finished off the now ice-cold tea Harriet had brought me.

How long ago had she come? Pulling out a scrap of paper, I wrote a note to the council.

My work was complete. The grimoire was neutralized.

Trying to calm my thudding heart, the sound of it pounding in my temples, I went to the enchanted message box hanging on my wall and slipped the message inside.

The box glowed green for a moment, then faded. Message sent.

Feeling unsteady, I turned and went to my bedroom and lay down on my small cot.

Closing my eyes, I remembered every moment with Primrose.

How perfect she was, and how I had felt in her arms, with her kisses on my neck, her touch.

I replayed every conversation. She had been so infuriating, insistent, but also gentle and patient.

She had seen something in me that no one else ever had. My mind spun like a storm.

For a fleeting moment, I’d had something rare, special.

And I…

I had ruin?—

I jumped when the ancient message box sparked.

Surprised, I rose to retrieve the reply message from the council.

I began to read at once but found myself sinking into my seat as I digested the words.

Dear Master Erasmus,

The council sends you their deepest gratitude and congratulations on your marvelous achievement. Your efforts have made our whole world safer. Your advanced skill and decades of dedication are to be commended and honored. We will dispatch an envoy to collect the codex.

It is our greatest honor to extend the offer of a new assignment to you.

After your many years in the quaint town of Moonshine Hollow, we know you will be eager for more challenging assignments.

Therefore, we present to you the offer to take the prestigious position of Master of Libraries in Golden Spires in the lands of the Bright Sidhe.

They have asked for a librarian whose skill is without compare.

There is no one better suited to the task.

They need someone at once, so please inform us of your decision at your earliest convenience.

Sincere Regards,

Archimedes Regulus

Master Librarian

I stared at the note, reading it again, and again, and again. It was everything I could have dreamed of, an honor with no equal. I could not have asked for more.

And yet…

From his sleeping spot on the lounge, Melville trilled at me, a curious tone in his voice.

I turned to the bookwyrm, whose blue eyes were rheumy with age. “We have grown old together in this place,” I told him, remembering when he was once as young and mischievous as Stevenson.

Melville tipped his head, eyeing me. With a soft trill, he closed his eyes and slept once more.

My heart twisted.

Clutching the note, I closed my eyes and remembered the feel of her body pressed against mine, her soft hair, her sweet smell.

I opened my eyes once more and rose.

For once in my life, I had truly important work to do…and no time to waste.