Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Several hours later, Beatrice stood with most of her family in the large crowd gathered at the base of the Great Tree in the Library’s atrium.
While she still had the glamour necklaces stuffed in her pocket, she now wore a filmy blue dress that floated in soft layers around her.
The gray librarian coat rested comfortably on her shoulders.
Would this be the last evening she wore it?
Munch and Brigid weren’t there, of course. They were too busy cuddling their baby girl and recovering.
A baby girl from two human parents such as them born in the Fae Realm on Midsummer Day. She was going to be quite the terror when she grew up, that was certain.
The rest of Beatrice’s family, except for Basil’s and Meg’s children who were with Buddy, gathered around her.
Basil and Meg stood clasping hands and occasionally exchanging whispers too low for anyone to hear.
Basil had a slightly green-gray look about him, his movements jittery, as he waited to hear who the next head librarian would be.
Viola and Sebastian with their spouses Favian and Olivia had come from their island in order to attend this announcement.
Favian had his arm wrapped around Viola’s shoulders, holding her close in their newlywedded bliss, while Sebastian rested a hand on Olivia’s lower back.
Olivia’s dress hid any bump from her early pregnancy, but she kept smoothing her hand over her waist, her smile glowing.
Only Beatrice still stood alone. She flexed the fingers that had so recently held Benedict’s and swept a searching look over the crowd until she found him, his golden-blond head standing out.
He stood even more alone than she did, as he didn’t even have any family with him. He had his hands in his pockets, his shoulders slumped beneath his gray librarian coat.
The sight was enough to make her hope that he received the promotion to assistant librarian.
She would still have a home with Basil and Meg once today was over.
He had nowhere to go. Where would he even sleep tonight, now that King Theseus had ended the ruse that he was being held prisoner as a traitor?
As they had a month ago, King Theseus and Head Librarian Marco climbed onto the tallest root rising above the Library floor, though Queen Hippolyta wasn’t with them this time.
For this Midsummer, King Theseus wore a royal blue jacket edged in gold embroidery, his crown on his head.
He swept a glance over the crowd that matched the firmer line of his jaw.
“Before Head Librarian Marco makes his announcements, I must make all of you aware of some concerning things that have occurred in the Court. A month ago, King Oberon returned the remaining prisoners to us. Unbeknownst to us—and we believe unbeknownst to him—Claudius had replaced four of those prisoners with his own followers under strong, impenetrable glamours.”
A murmur swept through the gathering, with many people shifting away from the places in the crowd where Benedict, Demetrius, Domitius, and Nick Bottom stood. Beatrice couldn’t see where the swordmaiden they’d rescued currently was. Likely on swordmaiden business with Queen Hippolyta.
“This morning, the Wild Fae Primrose rescued the real members of our Court while my queen and I apprehended the imposters.” King Theseus remained poised, his voice carrying even over the murmuring.
“Be assured that those standing with you now are truly them, and please forgive any misconduct they might have committed in the past month, as that was done by the imposters.”
Demetrius wrapped an arm around his wife, and Helena leaned into him, hugging him about the waist as she beamed at him, her eyes teary despite her smile. The members of Nick Bottom’s acting troupe slapped him on the back as they clustered around him.
“In revealing the imposters, we also exposed traitors who had betrayed the Court of Knowledge to Claudius.” King Theseus motioned with his hand.
The doors to the Hall of Anywhere Doors opened, and Queen Hippolyta strode through, followed by a formation of her swordmaidens.
In the middle of the swordmaidens, Lord Jonlius, his wife, and Borachio were marched forward.
Despite being prisoners, they still wore the finery of fae nobles, and they held their heads high, as if daring anyone to scorn them for their actions.
Another murmur, louder this time, rumbled through the gathered fae nobles, librarians, and various other members of the Court of Knowledge.
As the crowd parted for her, Queen Hippolyta led the way to the base of the Tree. While she climbed up onto the root to join her husband, the other swordmaidens forced their prisoners to kneel.
“Lord Jonlius and his son Borachio openly conspired with Claudius, both in the capture of members of our Court during the war and in the swapping of the imposters for those same members at the end of the war.” King Theseus’s words rang with a hard finality.
“Lady Jonlius knew of their treason and condoned it, even if she did not as actively participate.”
A shiver of magic trembled through the Library, sending prickles over Beatrice’s skin. The Library and the Court were preparing to sever all ties to the traitors at the word of their king.
King Theseus drew in a deep breath, and all the building power of the Court coalesced around him.
“Hugo Jonlius, you and all of your descendants are hereby stripped of your title and all rights and privileges of nobility that accompany it. You and your family are banished from the Court of Knowledge on pain of death should you return and banned from all use of the Anywhere Doors for the rest of your lives. You will be escorted from here directly to the border with the Court of Revels. May you find mercy there since you will find no more mercy here.”
As the swordmaidens hauled the three prisoners back to their feet, Lord Jonlius resisted for a moment, a curl twisting his mouth. “What about Benedict? He, too, is a member of my family. He should be banished with the rest of us.”
Beatrice clenched her fist. Even now, Benedict’s father tried to get revenge on him by dragging him into banishment with them.
King Theseus met Lord Jonlius’s sneer with a steady look of his own.
“I myself heard you declare that Benedict is no longer your son. Thus, he is not a member of your family and will not join you in banishment.” Raising his voice, King Theseus lifted his gaze, as if dismissing Lord Jonlius entirely.
“Apprentice Librarian Benedict was instrumental in revealing the traitors, allowing himself to be thought a traitor in order to lull them into giving themselves away. All of you present bear witness to my declaration that Benedict is a loyal and heroic member of the Court of Knowledge and bears no guilt or blame for the actions of his former family.”
When Beatrice’s gaze found Benedict in the crowd once again, he was standing straighter, his shoulders no longer slumped, and his head held high. At least everyone would know that he hadn’t truly been arrested for treason.
The former lord and lady continued to make vain protests as they were led away, though Borachio just went along in a sullen silence. Something like a sigh of relief swept the room when the double doors shut behind them.
King Theseus’s gaze gentled. “Benedict. Unfortunately, I cannot grant you the title recently held by your father. Doing so would honor one of his descendants, and despite his anger, he would still find satisfaction in that.”
“I understand, Your Majesty.” Benedict bowed toward the king. “I have no wish to hold that title or any title. All I wish to do is serve the Great Library.”
“As you shall, my boy. As you shall.” Head Librarian Marco stepped forward, exchanged a nod with King Theseus, and smiled at the crowd. “Now that the unpleasantness is over, it’s time for my announcements.”
Beatrice caught her breath, a twisting filling her chest. This was it.
Not that she would get the soon-to-be-opening assistant librarian position.
While a part of her couldn’t help but hope, she would be all right without it.
She had her family, and this past month had taught her just how precious family was.
Near her, Basil rocked back on his heels. Meg held his hand in both of hers, looking up at him and murmuring something too low for Beatrice to hear.
“The recent surge in patrons has proved that the Fae Realm is hungry for what the Court of Knowledge provides.” Head Librarian Marco swept a beaming smile over the crowd.
“More, having an Assistant Head Librarian working alongside me during the training period will provide additional opportunities for the Library to expand our offerings. We will need more librarians than ever to work in the Library, search out more knowledge both here in the Fae Realm and even in the Human Realm, and establish additional outpost libraries.”
More librarians than ever sounded promising.
Beatrice bounced on her toes. They’d certainly needed far more hands in the past month.
All of them had been working at a pace that wasn’t sustainable, and she remembered all too well what it was like to work until she dropped back on their dying farm in the Human Realm.
Head Librarian Marco drew a pair of spectacles from his pocket, perched them on his nose, and produced a piece of paper. “Due to this, the following applicants have been approved as apprentice librarians.” He then proceeded to read off a bunch of names.
Beatrice only half-listened, as she didn’t know anyone who had been hoping to become an apprentice librarian.
Finally, Head Librarian Marco finished with the apprentices. After a pause, as if to let that settle in, he continued, “The following have been promoted to the position of assistant librarian: Benedict, Rosaline, Beatrice…”
He spoke a few more names, but Beatrice couldn’t hear past the buzzing in her ears.
He’d said her name. Hers and Benedict’s. And Rosaline’s, who was also long overdue for the promotion.
Viola squealed and gave Beatrice a hug. Sebastian nodded to her, grinning. Basil and Meg shot her smiles, but Basil still seemed in too much agony of waiting to do more than that.
Even as her family embraced her, Beatrice’s gaze found Benedict’s through the crowd. He mouthed something at her, though she couldn’t understand what he was trying to tell her. But his smile and nod seemed congratulatory.
She gave him a smile and nod in return, though those gestures didn’t seem nearly enough. Not when she really wanted to rush over there to give him a hug.
Or better yet, a kiss.
Would he even want to kiss her again? He’d kissed her that morning, but there had been extenuating circumstances. He’d pushed her away only a few days ago.
Her stomach dropped. It was Midsummer Night. They had no more time for kissing. They had to break the fated mate bond that night.
Did she still want that? But if they didn’t break it, then any choice they had would be taken away.
Beatrice didn’t even hear the names of those who were promoted to master librarian, lost in her family’s celebrations and her whirling thoughts.
“And now, the moment we have all been waiting for.” Head Librarian Marco rested his hand on the bark of the Great Tree behind him. “The Great Library will choose the next head librarian.”
All around them, the Library darkened, the shadows growing deeper and the last rays of the setting sun blocked by the spreading leaves overhead.
A swirl of faerie lights whisked away from the shelves, dancing and fluttering over the crowd.
Then one of the massive limbs that spread over the Library’s ceiling moved.
Gasps filled the room, and Beatrice couldn’t be sure one of them hadn’t been hers.
She’d never seen one of those tree branches move.
Yes, smaller branches detached from the shelves all the time.
But the Tree itself never moved more than a small shiver or rustle here and there.
A skittering sound filled the space, and library bookwyrms in the hundreds clustered on the Tree’s roots, the nearest shelves, and slithered between the feet of the crowd. The large, frilled heads of several of the great wyrms who guarded the Library towers loomed over parts of the crowd.
The branch lowered, the faerie lights swirling around it. A hush settled over the space, as if even the Library itself held its breath. The limb reached down, down, down, growing so close to where Beatrice stood that she took an involuntary step back.
Then with an almost gentle touch, the very tip of the branch settled on Basil’s shoulder. The faerie lights danced in a circle around him, marking him out for the whole crowd to see.
Basil’s jaw fell open, even as Meg hugged him so fiercely there was no way he could breathe past that embrace.
At the base of the Great Tree, Head Librarian Marco smiled, his eyes twinkling in the faerie lights as if he’d expected this outcome all along. “The Library has chosen well. Master Librarian Basil, please step forward.”
It took a slight push from Meg for Basil to stumble his way forward as the crowd parted.
“I’m so happy for him.” Meg swiped at her face, her fingers shaking slightly. “He’s wanted this so badly, even if he’d never say it.”
Beatrice stepped forward and wrapped Meg in a one-armed hug. “Of course the Library chose him. No one loves the Great Library more than Basil.”
Viola and Sebastian also joined their hug, and for a moment, they just stood there. How far they’d all come in the past eight years since that first Midsummer Night when Basil and Meg had taken them here to live. Basil had been newly promoted to master librarian, and none of them could read.
Now all of them except for Beatrice were married. Basil was going to be the next head librarian. Beatrice had four of the cutest nieces ever.
Her gaze found Benedict in the crowd yet again. Now she just needed to figure out her own future. She might have become an assistant librarian as she’d wished, but that felt rather hollow, knowing she was going to have to pledge her hatred for Benedict if she wanted to break the mate bond.
It was what she wanted, right? Despite that kiss. Despite all they’d shared. She wanted a choice. She wanted time. She wanted…
She wasn’t sure what she wanted anymore.