Chapter 10 #2
I took my first tentative sip, and the flavor flooded my tastebuds with an intensity that surprised me.
The rich, dark fruits I had smelled, cherries, plums, and sweet berries, exploded on my tongue.
The sweetness was balanced by something deeper and earthier, with a faint hint of spice that tingled like a whisper of heat.
The wine made me feel alive in a way I had never known before, a liquid embodiment of pleasure and desire.
It slid down my throat, warming me from the inside out, and a wave of profound relaxation and euphoria followed.
My inhibitions melted away, replaced by a confident, daring energy I had never known.
Whatever was in this wine, it had me completely in its thrall, and I did not mind one bit.
I had not been offered any wine since I arrived here, and now I found myself mildly upset that I was only just discovering, thanks to my new best friend the library, that the Fae made incredible wine. I could not decide if it was a drink or a drug. Probably both.
All my cares seemed to peel away one layer at a time.
I decided the floor was more comfortable than the wooden desk chair, so I sat with my back against the desk.
I flipped off Titus’s candles beside me with my middle finger.
They were probably not even his, but whatever. He was a jerk and still deserved it.
I refilled my glass and skimmed another book, The Anatomy of the High Fae. Why did he want me to read this? Curious, I flipped through the pages. Blah, blah, blah. The Fae were a superior species in every way. Taller. Smarter. More traditionally beautiful. On and on.
Just then, I heard Calpurnia trot toward me. “Lady Delilah, I’ve brought your lunch, oh my!” She dropped the platter.
I stood up, or rather made an extremely poor attempt at it, and promptly fell to my side like a fainting goat. The image of it in my mind made me laugh hysterically on the floor. The look on her face was equal parts worry and amusement.
“Who gave you Faerie wine, Lady Delilah? That is not going to affect you the same way it does us, love,” she said, trying to suppress her laughter.
“The library, and I think it’s affecting me just fine. Come sit.” I rubbed my palm against the floor beside me, doing my best to stop laughing.
She snapped her fingers, and the mess from the dropped tray disappeared. A new one appeared neatly on my desk. Then she sat down beside me.
“Library, can my friend please have a glass? And we could use another bottle,” I asked.
Right before our eyes, the requested items appeared on the floor in front of us. I grabbed them and poured Calpurnia a full glass. She hesitated.
“Come on, the boss is out of town. Let’s have some fun.” I winked at her.
She rolled her eyes, then caved, and we clinked glasses. “Lady Delilah,” she began.
I interrupted her. “Please, don’t call me lady. I get enough of that from Aurelius. My friends call me Lila.”
She smiled widely at the request, recognizing that in a roundabout way, I was calling her my friend.
“As you wish, Lila,” she replied sweetly with a giggle.
“The Library is enchanted. It has been for so long that I think it has taken on its own personality. No one actually staffs it. The enchantment was meant to keep it tidy and organized, but I think it has evolved over the centuries to be protective of its information. I am curious though. What did the High Lord want you to read?”
I handed her the anatomy book I was holding. It had randomly flipped open to a picture of a naked male. I focused my blurry vision on the page, burst into laughter, and said plainly, “Fae dongs.”
She blushed, then burst out laughing with a snort. I could not help laughing along with her as she nearly spit out her wine. We laughed uncontrollably until tears streamed down our faces.
We sat together eating off the tray she had brought, gossiping and talking about our lives. I told her about Jared, how we met, and the funny things he used to say. And what a dad joke was. After our laughter had died down, I asked,
“Did you, or any other staff, set up these candles?”
“It wasn’t me, but I can’t speak for any other staff,” she replied, her words slightly slurred.
Why did it bug me so much? Why did I feel like I needed to know?
I downed my last gulp of Faerie wine and attempted to stand, accidentally kicking the empty bottles and sending them rolling away.
Calpurnia helped me up. I could tell she felt the effects of the Faerie wine, but not nearly to the extent that I did.
I glanced at the tall stack of books on my desk and felt instantly annoyed at how heavy they would be to carry all the way back to my room.
“Ugh, I wish I didn’t have to carry these books,” I said in frustration.
One by one, each book floated into the air and up toward my room. We looked at each other and cracked up laughing again. I had not expected my vocal frustration to result in actual action, but I was very pleased by it.
In unison, we shouted, “Thank you, Library!” and laughed again.
She helped me up, and I slung my arm around her shoulder. We were only steps away from exiting the library when I asked her to stop for a moment. In a whisper, I asked the library to send a bottle to my room.
Calpurnia did not seem pleased, but she allowed it. She reminded me that I had training tomorrow and that being hungover would not be pleasant. She was right. It just felt so welcoming to be careless and happy. I could not remember the last time I had laughed so hard.