Scepters & Scrolls: A Cozy Fantasy by S.R. Meadows

Author:S.R. Meadows [Meadows, S.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Protheka Publishing
Published: 2023-04-27T16:00:00+00:00

17

SANEV

No. I can’t. I mean. He’s… a Prince. And I’m a… librarian. And he’s very… handsome.

Sanev couldn’t move. It was as if someone had nailed his feet to the floor and was daring him to move while too many thoughts flew around his head. Wonders and hopes, wants and refusals. Shivers of all kinds.

All he could do was stare as Hamon sat on the edge of the small bed, pulled off one boot, and yawned. Hamon finally glanced up at the librarian as he dropped his second boot onto the floor with a dull thud.

Sanev flinched.

“Are you all right?” A frown line appeared between Hamon’s eyes.

Uncertain how to answer that, Sanev decided the best course of action was to simply not look at Hamon at all. He let his gaze wander around the cottage—the flickering fire, the equui munching on their hay, the abandoned insufficient meal.

“I apologize.”

Sanev whipped his head back around and met Hamon’s gray eyes, seeing his frown. “For what? You didn’t make the carriage go off the road or… any of this.”

“Yes, but I did accuse you of plotting against me. Which is ridiculous since I’m the one who kidnapped you.” He smiled crookedly. “If you’re a spy sent from the south, you’re not a very good one.”

Sanev straightened. “I beg your pardon.”

Hamon’s eyebrows lifted in surprise.

“I mean,” Sanev hurriedly added. “I could be a good spy if I wanted to be. But I’m not. A spy, that is. I’m just a librarian who is in a bit over his head.” He sighed and dropped back into the chair that was still sitting in front of the fire. “Not even a librarian. A librarian’s assistant.”

Hamon nodded thoughtfully. “And now you’ve abandoned your library, thanks to me.”

Sanev waved a hand. “Oh, that’s okay. I can go back anytime.”

Hamon’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees despite the fire. “You what?”

I didn’t mean to say that. But now that I’ve jumped in the river, I suppose I must swim.

Sanev sighed. “I portal back to the library every morning and every evening. To open and close. And, you know, check on things. Sometimes I grab a cup of tea with a friend while B'Nahb thinks I’m in town.”

“Wait. No.” Hamon shook his head. “You can’t do that. I have your seal.”

“The seal, the wand, it’s just a symbol of office. I was born with portal magic, so I can come and go whenever I want.” Sanev watched the fire dance. “Well. Wherever there’s a book or a library, at least.”

“What about the moonstone? I thought you needed that?”

“It helps when I’m practicing magic. But to portal?” Ruven had told him their ability was tied to some ancient magic that few were proficient in. An ancient magic that had been warded in the books and the building built by the first librarians. But Sanev didn’t feel like getting into all that, especially when he didn’t feel as though he truly understood it himself. “All I need is the decision and destination.

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