Witches & Words

by Elle Adams

  “It’s also screaming bloody murder,” said Aunt Adelaide. “And it’ll scare off our patrons.”

  Estelle walked down the row of shelves. “I’ll get her to put it in an empty room with a silencing spell on it before anyone else comes in.”

  “Good plan.” I went with her to accost Aunt Candace, who descended the staircase with the book held in a firm grip. She wore thick gloves up to her elbows, which was probably the only reason she still had all her fingers.

  “I’m not taking it back upstairs,” she said. “That’s twice it’s wrecked the Magical Creatures Division. Half the books jumped off their shelves when it started squawking.”

  “Cass is going to be thrilled, if she’s up there.” Estelle beckoned her aunt to follow her towards the back of the ground floor. “Quick, get it into an empty room before anyone else comes in and hears it.”

  “Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” said Aunt Candace, stepping off the stairs. The book rustled its pages, but she held them clamped shut as she carried the book through into an empty classroom at the back of the ground floor.

  “I suppose this will do.” She held the book at arm’s length as it tried to snap at her. “Don’t you look at me like that, you’re lucky I haven’t recycled you.”

  Estelle pulled out her Biblio-Witch Inventory and tapped a word. At once, the door closed on Aunt Candace and the noise quietened. “That’ll hold it for a while. If she expects to get answers when it’s wailing like that, she’ll be disappointed.”

  “That seems to be its default state.” There must be another way to find out what information the book contained. The obvious source of knowledge on the library’s contents was the Forbidden Room, but I hadn’t seen Sylvester since that morning, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he took the rest of the day off in protest at the noise.

  “I’d lock the door, but Aunt Candace would just unlock it again.” Estelle tutted. “I’m impressed you lasted more than a minute in the same room as that thing.”

  “Me too, believe me.” Rubbing my temples, I walked with Estelle back to the front desk. The library was just closing for lunch, so I volunteered to buy something from Zee’s bakery while Estelle and Aunt Adelaide resumed searching the archives. Getting out into the fresh air improved my mood considerably, and I returned from the bakery to find Sylvester sitting on the front desk.

  “There you are.” I put down the bag of sandwiches. “I need to ask a question.”

  “You’re not supposed to ask me directly,” the owl said. “You know where the Book of Questions is. If you insist on asking me a question, use the book.”

  “Why?” I said. “It’d save time if you just told me.”

  “You—” He broke off as a furious scream echoed from the back of the ground floor. Oh, no. Estelle’s spell had run out already?

  “What is that ghastly noise?” Sylvester launched into flight, trying unsuccessfully to fly with one wing over his ears.

  “That’s what I wanted to ask the room about,” I said. “That book won’t talk to any of us or even let us look inside it without throwing a screaming fit.”

  “What book is that?” He flew through the stacks. Resigned, I abandoned my bag of sandwiches on the front desk and followed him in the direction of the noise.

  At the back of the ground floor, the classroom door lay open. Inside, Aunt Candace stood on the desk, using her wand to bounce the book off the floor, over and over again.

  “Aunt Candace, everyone in the library can hear that racket,” I said to her.

  She didn’t turn around. “I’ll break you, book, and find your secrets. You’ll see if I don’t.”

  Sylvester swooped into the room and flew above the bouncing book. “You’re an ugly little specimen, aren’t you?”

  The book stopped screaming for an instant. “What are you?”

  “That’s a highly personal question.” The owl flew in another circle, its claws narrowly missing the bouncing book. “You’re just a sentience spell, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, it is,” said Aunt Candace. “One with a right pair of lungs on it, metaphorically speaking.”

  “What language is on the cover?” I asked Sylvester, but the book’s indignant shouts drowned out my words. The owl’s hooting added to the overall noise, making it impossible to make myself heard. Of course letting Sylvester near the book was a disaster waiting to happen.

  “Rory, I think we should leave Aunt Candace and Sylvester to it,” Estelle said in my ear. “Also, there’s someone at the front desk.”

  “I give it two minutes before they run away.” Shaking my head, I left the classroom behind and walked to the front desk.

  Beside the door, Blair and Nathan stood with their ears covered and their faces screwed up against the racket coming from the back.

  “Is this a bad time?” asked Blair.

  “Don’t worry,” I said, in a failed attempt at nonchalance. “We’re dealing with a book.”

  Screaming rang through the lobby, accompanied by full-volume hooting from the owl.

  “Do the books normally scream like that?” Blair asked.

  “Sometimes.” It sounded like Sylvester had decided to turn it into a competition as to who could make the loudest noise.

  “MIAOW.” The fluffy black cat from earlier sat at Blair’s feet, a disgruntled expression on his face.

  “Maybe we should have left him at home.” Blair took a step forward, her eyes widening at the sight of the towering shelves. “Wow. This place really is as big as it looks on the outside.”

  Her unfeigned awe sounded familiar. Did she grow up in the normal world, like me? Okay, the library was jaw-dropping even by the standards of the magical world, but there was something about her unrestrained shock and delight at the sight of the library which reminded me of my first time here.

  “I can show you around later,” I said. “After the book’s calmed down. Want me to show you around town, since you’re new here?”

  It’d be a good opportunity to speak to Blair about Mr Spencer, if nothing else, and anything that got us away from the screaming book was a bonus.

  Blair dragged her gaze from the bookshelves. “Okay, give me the tour.”

  “I’ll handle Sylvester,” Estelle said from behind me.

  “Thanks so much.” I snagged a sandwich from the bag on the desk and led the way out of the library. “When did you two arrive, then?”

  “Yesterday morning,” said Nathan. “We didn’t do much except check into the hotel, and most places were closed. Same today.”

  “Some places are open.” I led them through the town square, pointing out the highlights like Zee’s bakery and the familiar shop. Blair eyed everything in an awestruck manner that made me suspect this was her first time visiting a town like ours, though she must live in a magical community to know of our existence.

  “We’ve already seen the main part of town, but it’s much quieter today,” Nathan commented as we passed the clock tower on the way to the seafront.

  “Yeah, the whole town comes out to celebrate the new year,” I said. “I only moved here just over a month ago, so I’m fairly new to this, too.”

  “You did?” said Blair. “So… you’re from another magical town.”

  I turned to Blair. “You’re a normal. I mean, from the normal world. Aren’t you?”

  “Am I that obvious?” She smiled. “I’m a witch, but I grew up in a family of normals.”

  “I did, too,” I said. “My dad married a normal and moved away from the library before I was born, so I didn’t find out it existed until my aunts got in touch after he passed away. How about you?”

  “I was adopted,” said Blair. “My foster parents had no idea about the magical world. I didn’t either until I wandered into it by accident. Have you heard of Fairy Falls?”

  “No, but I’ve only lived here for a couple of months,” I said. “I don’t know about any of the other magical cities and towns. What made you decide to come here on holiday? The library?”<
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  “One of the reasons,” said Nathan. “We both wanted to pick somewhere on the coast, despite the weather.”

  “Always a gamble this time of year,” I said. “So you’re… a wizard?”

  That didn’t seem right. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but the label didn’t quite fit Nathan. He seemed comfortable enough here that he didn’t strike me as a normal, either, but I didn’t pick up on any paranormal vibes from him.

  “No, I’m a security guard,” he said. “Blair and I wanted to come to the library earlier, but we got held up at the hotel.”

  Now’s my cue.

  “Edwin didn’t give you too much of a hard time?” I said. “He’s the police chief. Generally a nice guy, but I doubt he wanted to start the year with a tragic death.” Or a screaming book, for that matter.

  “Oh, the elf policeman,” said Blair. “No, he just asked us all a few questions. Those trolls he works with looked mean, but they weren’t as rough as the police in Fairy Falls.”

  “Who runs the police there?” I asked.

  “Gargoyles,” said Nathan. “They’re not friendly.”

  “I’ve never met one,” I admitted. “Edwin questioned all the guests? Were there any he seemed to suspect more than others?”

  “You mean Mr Blake?” said Blair. “The guy who argued with Mr Spencer before he died? His interview was longer than the rest of ours, but I don’t know what they asked him. There was also old Mr Dreyer, the man who said he was a collector. He looked super uncomfortable after they interviewed him.”

  The collector guy. Hmm.

  “Why are you asking?” she said. “Curiosity?”

  “Pretty much.” I weighed the odds. She and Nathan didn’t strike me as likely to be involved with whatever Mr Spencer had been mixed up in, and Blair’s skill might be an asset if we were to get answers out of the book. She might even be able to learn more from the guests without causing suspicion, which was always a bonus. “The book Mr Spencer returned to the library is the one we’re having trouble with. It’s the type of book targeted by collectors and thieves, so there’s a small chance it might be connected to his death, since he was the last person to hold it. Don’t tell anyone I said that, though.”

  “Really?” Interest stirred in her expression. “Why, is it dangerous?”

  Only to the eardrums of anyone who gets too close. “Possibly. Mr Spencer called the library right before he died, trying to tell me something about the book. That’s why I was at the hotel.”

  Blair’s eyes rounded. “Really?”

  “Can you tell if anyone is lying?” I asked. “No exceptions?”

  She blinked. “Yeah. Anyone living, anyway.”

  Hmm. Would a sentient book count as ‘living’? One way to find out.

  6

  Luck was with us. A blissful silence greeted us upon our return to the library, where once again, Blair stopped to admire the storeys of towering shelves, layered like a wedding cake. I grinned. I’d worn the same expression when I’d first encountered the library, too.

  “Miaow,” said Sky. He looked unimpressed, but then again, he was a cat.

  “I have to head outside and make a phone call,” said Nathan. “You can find what you’re looking for, right, Blair?”

  “Sure.” She waved him off. “He gets a lot of people hassling him, even when he’s supposed to be on holiday. Anyway, I want to see more of this place.”

  “Is your cat okay with birds?” I asked.

  “Uh, it depends,” she said. “Why?”

  “My familiar is a crow,” I explained. “I thought you might like to meet him.”

  “Ooh, I’ve never met a crow familiar before,” said Blair. “Sky is generally fine with other witches’ familiars. He tends to ignore them, even other cats.”

  “Okay.” I snapped my fingers. “Jet, we need you.”

  The little crow flew down to land on my shoulder.

  “Hello, partner,” said Jet.

  Blair jumped. “He talks?”

  “I used a communicating spell that got a bit out of hand,” I explained. “I thought only my family could understand him.”

  “Huh.” She frowned. “Well, I heard him loud and clear.”

  Weird. The spell I’d used wasn’t supposed to be applied long-term, so perhaps it came with side effects. Jet had been hurt when I’d suggested removing the spell, though, and I liked having a familiar I could really talk to. One who wasn’t Sylvester.

  Sky gave a brief look at my familiar, then looked away, indifferent, as Jet continued to perch on my shoulder.

  “I’ll give you the tour, anyway,” I said. “Does Sky want to come with us, or would he rather do his own thing?”

  “Miaow,” said Sky. I didn’t need to be able to speak cat to understand he meant, I’ll do as I wish.

  “All right, then.” I circled the desk. “The archives are back here, and over there is the Reading Corner.”

  I took Blair around the highlights of the ground floor, pointing out the main areas of interest. Blair’s awed expression hadn’t faded in the slightest by the time we reached the front desk again.

  “You said you wanted to see something in particular?” I asked. “Fair warning, it’d take you all day to show you every corner of the place, so if there’s one section you really want to see, I should take you there first.”

  Blair hesitated. “Uh… I’m looking for anything you have on fairies.”

  “Fairies,” I repeated. “That’s a new one for me, but if it’s magical, we’ve got it covered.”

  I picked up the paper on the front desk which listed all the library’s main sections and ran a fingertip down the list. I knew most of the basics, but fairies wouldn’t be located within the same area as magical creatures. They’d be more likely to be in the ‘magical beings’ division, I imagined. “Third floor. Lead the way, Jet.”

  The little crow flew ahead towards the stairs, while Blair followed with her head tilted back to admire the curving balconies and staircases.

  “Watch out for the missing steps,” I told her. “It’s probably better to keep your eyes on your feet while you’re climbing. Sometimes the stairs move.”

  “Oh, neat,” said Blair. “They’re just like the staircases at Hogwarts, then?”

  “Kind of,” I said. “Some more than others. In the Dimensional Studies section, everything moves, including the shelves.”

  “Awesome.”

  “Not when you’re trying to put a book back into place.” I climbed ahead of her, one eye on the steps beneath my feet. “We need to climb all the way up to the third floor. No detours, or else we’ll be here all week.”

  “And I thought the campus library was confusing,” Blair remarked. “How do you remember the way? Is there a map?”

  “Not exactly.” I reached the first floor and continued to the next set of stairs. “Time and space can get a little hazy here. There are places that move around, and there’s the invisible corridor…”

  “Can you show me that one?” she said. “I mean… not show me. You know what I mean.”

  “I would if I could, but nobody knows where it is,” I admitted. “My grandma’s the person who created the place, and she died without leaving a map, so we have to make do with what we have.”

  “Then every day must be a new adventure, right?”

  “You bet.” Okay, maybe I was showing off a little, but how many chances would I get to give someone from the normal world a tour of the library? Even most witches and wizards from outside the town didn’t react with the same level of awe as Blair did.

  We reached the Magical Beings Division after only two wrong turnings, neither of which involved falling through the floor or running into another talkative book. To my relief, the door marked FAIRIES stood near the front, without any of the obvious warning signs.

  I pushed the door open and found what appeared to be a cross between a forest and an underground cave. The oak bookshelves curved along with the walls as though they’d
grown out of the cave itself, while roots spread beneath our feet and vines and plants sprouted between the shelves. This is pretty cool.

  Jet amused himself flying around the forested cave while the two of us checked out the books on the shelves, most of which were written in languages that presumably belonged to the fairies. I'd spent so long immersed in the witches’ world that I often forgot there were countless paranormals who didn't live in the same places as humans did.

  “Found what you were looking for?” I asked Blair, after about ten minutes of browsing the shelves. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not fluent in fairy languages.”

  She shook her head. “No. It was kind of a long shot, but thanks anyway. Fairies are stingy about sharing information with humans.”

  “Want to head back downstairs?” I asked. “I can show you a few more highlights on the way.”

  I decided to skip over the vampire in the basement, having had about enough of vampires for one day, but almost everything I showed her received the same awed reaction.

  “I can’t believe you get to work here,” she said, when we returned to the front desk. “I think I’d never leave.”

  “I’m often tempted not to,” I admitted. “What do you do for a living, then?”

  “I work for a paranormal recruitment firm at home in Fairy Falls,” she said. “We help employers find the perfect employees.”

  “Oh, you mean like graduate job recruitment, except…”

  “For paranormals,” she finished. “So we handle grumpy wizards who can’t keep an apprentice, and people looking for specialised staff like unicorn handlers.”

  “Unicorns?” I said. “I haven’t seen one of those yet. Though I wouldn’t mention it in front of my cousin, Cass. She has a habit of finding rare magical animals and bringing them into the library when my aunts aren’t looking. If you saw someone wading into the sea last night, that was her.”

  “Ah,” said Blair. “Yeah, there’s never a dull moment in the magical world. I only have a few days off from work over the holidays, but Nathan and I decided to get out of town for a bit. I’m glad we did.”