Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Beatrice hugged a pink bookwyrm as she made her way to Head Librarian Marco’s table, tucked deep within the tangle of roots beneath the Great Tree.
When she rounded the last tall root, she discovered that Benedict had beaten her to the head librarian’s table. As he waited, he tapped the two slim volumes he held against his leg.
Behind the table, Head Librarian Marco looked up at her approach. He stood, smoothed a hand over his long white beard, and smiled. “Beatrice, there you are. Good. All ready for the readings tomorrow?”
Swallowing, Beatrice forced herself to set the bookwyrm down and put on a professional smile. “Yes, of course.”
She and Benedict had picked out a perfectly acceptable folk tale and practiced the reading together over the past few days, in between searching the tales for anything about the mate bond and helping Library patrons.
In the last week, the rush of patrons hadn’t slowed. If anything, the numbers had increased, thanks to the arrival of the Faerie Market.
Head Librarian Marco reached into a pocket of his librarian coat and pulled out two more coats, both of them in green.
“I’m giving both of you a temporary promotion to assistant librarian while you are performing in the Market.
Those in the Market will be less likely to take advantage of you if they think you are assistant librarians rather than apprentice librarians.
Consider it part of your assessment for making the position permanent in a few weeks. ”
Beatrice reached for the smaller of the two green coats, her heart pounding harder. That green coat was a big deal, even if it was only for half a day. Could she prove to the Library and Head Librarian Marco that she deserved to wear a green coat permanently?
If Benedict felt the same things she did, he didn’t show it as he took the other green coat, tucking the two books into a pocket.
“Between your readings, please linger in the Market’s square in case anyone has any questions.” Head Librarian Marco glanced between them. “Represent the Court of Knowledge and the Great Library with all dignity and compassion.”
Beatrice bit her tongue before she said something about how she was more than willing to do so. It was Benedict’s ability to do the same that she doubted, despite his strange change of heart lately.
Benedict gave a smooth, courtly bow. “Of course, we will strive to do so.”
Head Librarian Marco nodded and waved his dismissal. “Get some rest tonight. You both will have a long day tomorrow.”
A day which would be made all the longer because she’d been assigned to work with Benedict. She couldn’t seem to get away from him at the moment.
Beatrice hugged her arms over her stomach while she waited in front of Munch and Brigid’s House for her brother-in-law to finish kissing her sister.
Not that she minded that they were in love, and she rather liked having nieces and, hopefully someday, nephews.
But witnessing the kissing got a little uncomfortable.
Another reason to snag the assistant librarian position and get her own place. More privacy for her and for her siblings.
She ran her fingers over the green librarian coat she wore. She looked rather good in green. If only she didn’t have to give the coat back after the time in the Market.
Finally, Beatrice heard low voices, and she dared peek at the whisper of boots on the stone threshold.
Munch turned away from Brigid, adjusting his bow on his back. His grin still held that faintly moon-eyed vagueness as he faced Beatrice. “Ready to head for the Market?”
“Yep.” Beatrice waved to Brigid before her sister closed the door of the House. Beatrice shot a look at Munch before lowering her voice. “Are you on certain business while at the Market?”
Even with no one around, she didn’t dare say Primrose aloud while on a public street.
One never knew when a pixie might be hiding in the flowers or a sprite among the foliage.
Only in their private Houses, in the king’s personal study, or a few designated places in the Library could they speak about the Primrose openly.
“Yes.” Munch set out at a brisk walk down the street, his long stride eating up the distance so that Beatrice had to trot to keep up. He slowed and glanced at her. “But don’t worry. I’ll stay nearby in case you need me. This is more a…scouting trip, if you know what I mean.”
Beatrice nodded. Munch would patrol the Market, looking for humans who needed rescue.
He and Brigid might set out to rescue a few while they were here in the Market.
For others, he’d find out where they were headed, and he and Brigid would arrange for someone else in the Primrose League to handle the actual rescue.
By this point, Brigid had members of the Primrose League scattered throughout the Fae Realm, and the network was continually growing.
Beatrice and Munch strolled farther into the village, joining the main road that meandered from the castle outward.
Unlike her peaceful walk over a week ago, the village now bustled with fae of all shapes and kinds, from blue- or green-skinned sprites to the towering dryads with leaves trailing from their hair.
Many of them meandered in the direction of the broad, grassy area between the village and the edge of the Tanglewood where the Faerie Market now sprawled in a chaos of tents and booths.
This Faerie Market filled the meadow nearly all the way to the edge of the forest, the largest Market Beatrice had ever seen camped within the Court of Knowledge.
Only small borders of grass provided some separation to delineate the boundaries of Market and village.
Raucous music and a cacophony of voices rent the air of what was usually a peaceful glade.
“There you are.” Benedict’s voice had her halting and turning, despite herself. He jogged up to them, falling into step on her open side with a smirk.
Munch shot Benedict a searching, distrustful look, but his nod and his tone were welcoming. “Benedict.”
“Mungoe.” With that grin, it was hard to tell if Benedict had used Munch’s full name out of respect or because he was mocking him.
Beatrice tried to tell herself that Benedict didn’t look dashing in the green assistant librarian coat. Surely she wasn’t noticing the way his golden hair fell around his face nor the dancing light to his clear blue eyes.
As she, Munch, and Benedict stepped into the bounds of the Market, the very air seemed to change, becoming charged and rousing, the floral scent replaced with the smells of spices and foods and bodies packed into a small space.
Some of the fae wore elaborate silks and tunics, a show of their noble status. Others had leather and armor with swords, daggers, axes, and all sorts of other weapons strapped to their persons. Still more were draped in oddities, such as flower petals or the gossamer threads of spider silk.
Stranger than the fae were the items at the various booths and tents. One booth had shriveled heads that moved and talked. Another had dolls that moved about on their own. Eyeballs in jars watched the passersby while glass butterflies fluttered around glass flowers.
Almost involuntarily, she edged closer to Munch as the crowds of fae pressed around them.
Even Benedict seemed to guard her other side, preventing her from being jostled by the surrounding fae.
She didn’t want to get separated from them and find herself lost in this crowd.
While she had some protection as a human bound to a fae court, she was still more vulnerable than Benedict since she was a human.
Munch, too, was human, but his bow and his iron-tipped arrows provided him with plenty of protection.
Eventually, they worked their way toward the main square set within the higgledy-piggledy, meandering paths that formed the Faerie Market.
Because of course the fae wouldn’t set up their market with neat rows of booths, wagons, and tents.
No, they couldn’t have made it more chaotically maze-like if they’d tried.
The square was carved out of the packed booths, complete with a small stage and logs set before it in haphazard rows as seating.
Already, a raucous crowd of fae had taken seats on the benches, hooting and hollering at the two fae on stage.
One was juggling knives, but the other appeared to be juggling severed heads.
Munch swept a glance over the crowd before he turned to Beatrice. “Will you be all right if I leave you here?”
“Of course.” Beatrice kept her chin high. She wasn’t going to flinch before the gruesome sight on stage nor the boisterously bloodthirsty audience.
“I will protect her.”
Beatrice turned and gaped at Benedict. Surely she hadn’t just heard those words exit his mouth. Coming from a fae, that was very nearly a vow. One he wouldn’t break.
Munch held Benedict’s gaze, his hand dropping to his quiver at his side in a gesture that was too deliberate to be anything but a statement of what he would do if Benedict failed. “See that you do.”
Benedict held Munch’s gaze unflinchingly before he gave a slight nod.
With one last glance at Beatrice, Munch turned and disappeared into the crowd with the silent grace of a trained forester who had grown up stalking prey in the wilds of the Greenwood.
Leaving Beatrice alone with only Benedict for protection.
She swallowed and peeked up at him. Strange that she should feel almost safe, standing there with him. Years ago, he had been her greatest tormentor here in the Fae Realm. The two of them couldn’t be in the same room together without a war breaking out between them.
Now he was the one charged with her protection.
He tilted his head toward the stage before he held out a hand to her. “We should hold hands so we aren’t separated.”