Page 7 of Must Love Libraries and Libations (Moonshine Hollow #2)

ERASMUS

W hen the last of the librarians left for the night, I was glad. The day had been…disruptive. Disruptive to my routine, my patterns, and my work. I’d hardly made a dent in the witch’s codex the rest of the day.

And, for reasons I could not fathom, I could not shake Miss Windsong from my mind.

Her scolding had agitated me.

No one had spoken to me like that in… Well, I couldn’t remember the last time. The nerve of that party planner. I had important work to do here.

Shaking my head, I surveyed the library.

A few enchanted candles burned softly, and the scarlet-colored blossoms on the Wyrmwood Tree had come to life, their ruby-red petals glowing in the moonlight.

The tree was night-blooming only, and the library was never open at night.

The view belonged to me and the bookwyrms, who were now scurrying about the library and shooting me expectant glances.

Stevenson, in particular, glowered at me from the feeding platform atop the tree. I could feel his reproachful glance.

“I’m coming,” I told him. “Stop being impatient.”

He huffed at me in annoyance.

I made my way into the storage room and prepared two buckets, one filled with fruits, the other with nuts, then returned to the main room. I shook out my wings. Giving them a wag, I flew up to the landing platform near the top of the tree.

At once, the bookwyrms gathered.

As always, Zora gave my leg a friendly head rub in thanks before she went to eat. Edith, the littlest of the bookwyrms, scampered up my body, circling my neck and nuzzling my chin and clicking to me in thanks.

“Go on now,” I told her, giving her a gentle pat, “before Stevenson eats everything.”

Stevenson, who was already dangling a cherry above his mouth, gave me a reproachful glare.

Edith bounded off, joining the rest of the pack.

I chuckled at their antics then turned and looked out the tall window at the back of the library.

On the grounds behind the library was a stone-lined veranda that looked over the reflecting pool at the back.

Fireflies bobbed across the landscape, playfully shooting small balls of fire at one another as they danced.

The moonlight reflected on the pond. Night-blooming moon lilies shimmered opalescent under the silvery glow.

The library was beautiful at night.

And yet… Miss Windsong’s voice found me once more.

But this time, it was her reprimand that echoed through my mind.

Had I been too hard on Elder Theodonna?

I frowned.

Really, who was anyone to judge me ? There were so few of us who had been here since the very beginning, when the town was in its infancy.

So few of us remembered those years when there were but a few small cottages and lots of forest. No one here even remembered Witch Eyreaway anymore, and I was still contending with her mischievous ways.

My problems were more than five hundred years old.

Their problems were…

Simple.

Unimportant.

What had I overheard them debating, how to move the work tables in the library to make room for a buffet?

A buffet?

Ridiculous.

But the half-elf’s words still lingered. The elders were representatives of the town. They kept things in order and were to be respected.

And I had been…

Annoyed, my pointed tail flicked from side to side.

I brushed off my hands, then flew up through the magical barrier in the roof that allowed the tree to grow in the sunlight but kept out rain and pests.

I lifted above the library then made my way to the edge of the roof where I perched for a moment, looking down at the town below.

The citizens of Moonshine Hollow made their way up and down the streets unaware of my presence.

The flower fairies that had come out to tend the night-blooming flowers paid me no mind as they zipped along, golden dust following in their wake.

I caught the sound of music coming from the various taverns across the village, and I could smell the bread and meats cooking at the local eateries, the scents of garlic and herbs perfuming the air.

Beyond that, I caught the earthy scent of the river and the bloomberries ripening in the fields.

Moonshine Hollow had been in its infancy when I was first sent to the village. The library had been little more than a cart. What was the one-hundred-eleventh birthday of this building in comparison to the grand scheme of things?

I sighed.

Perhaps it didn’t mean much to me, but it meant something to the people of the town.

With a wag of my wings, I alighted to the street below. Making my way through the streets, I heard the buckles of my boots clicking as I walked. The fashion of my boots was nearly as old as the library itself. With a little upkeep, they had lasted me a long time. I had no need of new fashions.

Grumbling as I went, I made my way down the winding paths of Moonshine Hollow until I found myself at the door of Elder Theodonna.

Her small cottage sat on a quiet side street not far from the river. Colorful lanterns hung from her picket fence. I groaned as I approached her bright-yellow door. A wreath of cheerful, enchanted pansies greeted me with a chorus of hellos.

Even her house was too loud.

This was ridiculous.

I didn’t owe anyone anything.

And yet, that annoying half-elf’s cutting words were seared in my mind.

And if I admitted the truth, I had felt ashamed. Miss Windsong had awoken a part of me I had long buried. I felt…embarrassed over my behavior. How had that hazel-eyed girl managed to worm so deeply under my skin?

Steadying myself, I knocked then waited.

Every second I stood there, my heart began to beat harder in my chest. With a leap, I could fly away before anyone even saw me. This was ridiculous. What was I even doing there?

I was still debating fleeing when a woman in a fluffy bathrobe, her hair covered in a scarf, opened the door. The sweet scent of fresh-baked bread and soup—pumpkin, perhaps—drifted from within her home. My stomach growled, reminding me I had not yet eaten today.

Elder Theodonna blinked twice when she saw me. “Master Erasmus?”

“Elder Theodonna,” I replied, bowing deeply.

“I… Is there something I can do for you?”

“I came to apologize for my behavior earlier today.”

The elder stared at me, confused. “You have?”

“Yes. I acted…rudely. I am sorry.”

She studied me a moment, then her expression softened. “You are forgiven.”

“Thank you,” I replied, then nodded to her. “Good evening.” I stepped back and looked upward, making sure I had a clear departure, but the elder stepped forward.

“Erasmus, we all know the library is important to you. It’s your home.

But it is important to the community as well.

We all honor your work, our dear bookwyrms, and the books housed in the walls of that magnificent structure.

The library has fed the minds of our young people for years.

I hope you can find a way to allow us to honor the contributions of the library and its inhabitants. Please, talk to Primrose. Be…flexible.”

I inclined my head to her. Much to my embarrassment, my stomach growled once more, this time, rather loudly.

Elder Theodonna gave me a warm smile. “May I invite you in for something to eat, Master Erasmus? Something tells me you’ve forgotten dinner.”

If it were possible to die of embarrassment, I would have keeled over right there. Instead, I managed to say, “Thank you for your kind offer. I have things I must attend to.”

“Oh, all right,” she said, but her expression told me she was not convinced. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, Elder. But thank you for the kind offer. Good night.”

“Good night.”

With a flap of my wings, I lifted into the air and took flight once more.

As I flew back to the library, the elder’s words sat heavy on my heart.

To honor the library was noble. The library was a resource for the town.

She wasn’t wrong. The library deserved recognition, but did that recognition have to be so…

loud? So much noise was potentially dangerous, especially with the witch’s codex nearing completion.

No.

It wasn’t possible.

I honored Miss Windsong’s efforts, but no matter how charming the girl was, there was no way it could be done.

My answer was no. And when Miss Windsong returned, I would tell her that.

Because, certainly, she would return to exchange barbs with me once more.

She was headstrong and determined. I could see it in her eyes.

I alighted once more on the roof of the library. My stomach growled again. I reached into my coat pocket, pulling out the hunk of bread I had wrapped up and stored there. I took a bite, chewing the now-stale piece. It was still edible…just. Tomorrow, I would try to remember to buy something to eat.

Tomorrow…

Surely, Miss Windsong would be back tomorrow.

She was not one to lose a battle so easily. No doubt, she would come to spar with me again. I smiled when I thought of it, the angry glimmer in her eye, her reddened cheeks, the way her quick breath made her chest rise and fall.

There would be no party, but she was wrong about me. I was not some angry brute who went about insulting elders. I had apologized. It was below me to be rude.

But there would be no party.

And that was the end of that.

No matter how charming Miss Windsong could be.