Chapter 7 - Demon Lord #2
No, no, no. This was not happening. Had the library heard me joking about her stepping inside my book? I hadn’t been serious! It was too dangerous, too unpredictable.
I clenched my hands. “We need to leave. Now.”
“No way.” She shook her head as her gaze swept across the barren room. “Not until you tell me what just happened. We were in the library and then poof, we’re...where are we exactly?”
If I told her, she’d probably get excited and refuse to leave, but this magic was a big unknown. Had a human ever gone inside a book before? How would it affect her?
“This isn’t part of the library.” Willow ran her fingers over the cold stone slab against the far side of the room, frowning. “Is this...a bed? Who would sleep on something so uncomfortable?”
“Me.” I sighed. There was no way she’d let this go without an explanation. “We’re in my room. In my castle.”
Her eyes widened. “Wait, we’re inside your book? I didn’t know you could do that! Why didn’t you say something?”
“I can’t do that.” And even if I could, I wouldn’t have. “It’s got to be the library trying out new magic. Misty’s the one who brought us out of our books, so it makes sense that it would be involved with you coming inside.”
“That is so cool.” Her excitement faded a bit as she studied the rest of the sparse gray room. “But is this really where you live? It feels so harsh and uncomfortable. The books always had such vivid descriptions, but this just...”
Her voice trailed off like she didn’t want to insult me.
“Looks like the author didn’t give a damn,” I finished for her. “The castle might be detailed on the outside, but the inside is pretty bleak.”
That felt like a metaphor for my entire life. The outside looked good, but the inside was a blank canvas.
Willow crossed her arms, staring intensely at the bed. “That just isn’t right. Not even a Demon Lord should live like this, so it’s a good thing I’m here.” She grinned, her eyes lighting up. “Ohhh, we should get some really cozy blankets, maybe a few pillows, really make this place comfortable.”
“It’s fine, let’s just get out of here.”
“Really? You don’t want even one pillow?” She sank onto the hard excuse for a bed. “I don’t think you know what you’re missing. This is not what a bed should feel like. It should be so comfortable that you can barely force yourself out of it in the morning.”
Something about her being on my bed, stone slab that it was, felt strange. She didn’t belong here.
“If I agree to get a blanket, will you leave?” I asked. “For your safety.”
“You think I’m not safe here? I’m in the Demon Lord’s castle, literally in your bed.” The corners of her lips quirked up. “Who in this entire book would dare harm me here?”
She dropped her bag at the edge of the bed and then leaned back on her hands to watch me.
Seeing her belongings in my room felt like she was claiming it, making herself at home in my world.
And I couldn’t decide if I should throw the bag out the window or stand in front of it so she’d stay a little longer…
I swallowed hard. This was not how the story went, and it wouldn’t help us finish the book at all.
“We’re leaving.” I grabbed her arm, ignoring her laughing protests as I willed us out of my book.
The golden light came back, reaching down for me like it always did, transporting me out of my book and back into the safety of the Misty Mountain Library. I let out a breath, happy to have that whole mess behind us.
Except, where my hand used to be gripping her arm, I just felt empty air.
Willow wasn’t there.
My stomach dropped as the glowing light around my book dimmed without releasing her. Was she stuck inside the book?
“Misty!” I shouted, marching toward the book tree as shadows snapped and whirled around me. “How could you let her inside but not let her back out?”
The branches of the tree swayed, giving me no answers at all.
“Bring her back. Now.” My voice thundered in the quiet library, causing a few patrons to back away quickly. “I was just kidding about her going inside the book, you know that right?”
The tree bark groaned quietly as Misty continued to ignore me, but a trickle of pride washed through our connection.
The library was pretty happy with itself, which probably meant it didn’t know she was stuck.
It really thought it was helping us, helping her finish my story.
Which was sweet and kind, but oh so very wrong.
“Misty, Willow can’t get out. You need to bring her back.”
The leaves on the book tree trembled as our bond went cold in a way I’d never felt before.
“What’s wrong?” I gently laid my palm against the tree’s bark, but a pit was already settling in my stomach. Do you not know how to get her out?”
Our bond warmed a bit, and I could sense the rightness of that.
The library had been infused with wild magic, bringing us out of our books without even truly knowing how or why at first. The wild magic had taken over and drawn on what the library wanted most, so if the same thing was happening now, it might really not know what to do.
I sucked in an unsteady breath. I couldn’t be upset with the library for not knowing how its wild magic worked, but I had to fix this. It was my fault for making that offhand comment. My fault she was stuck.
“Let me talk to Nyssa.” I patted the great book tree in what I hoped was a reassuring way. “We’ll figure this out. Together.”
That’s what the overly optimistic librarian had ground into me over the past few months, that we were better together than alone.
Hopefully that still held true. The tree’s leaves stopped shaking and its branches seemed to perk up.
It trusted Nyssa as its librarian so I’d have to trust her too.
She wouldn’t want news to get out that the books could suddenly lock patrons inside them after all.
Nyssa was already on her way to me by the time I started looking for her, hands on her hips and a deep frown on her face. “What did you do now? A few patrons said you were shrouding the tree in darkness or something.”
“Accidentally, but there’s more important things to worry about.”
“Look, I know you’re a Demon Lord, but you’ve gotta try and work on your people skills.” She paused, staring at me. “Wait, what bigger things?”
“Willow is stuck inside a book.”
Nyssa tilted her head and then started laughing. “Good one. What will you think of next? That people are hopping inside books like a cool vacation?”
I waited for her to stop laughing, trying to resist the urge to use my shadows to drag her over to the table of books. There was no way to prove Willow was inside. It wasn’t like there would be a picture of her screaming face on the first page, hands pounding the paper.
Would there?
“Just fix it!” I snapped. “The book tree’s magic is out of control again.”
“Wait, you’re serious? And you left her in there alone?” Nyssa gasped, shoving me toward my book. “Get back in there and take care of her, you ridiculous demon! I’ll contact Oren and we’ll figure something out. Check in again tomorrow if you haven’t found a way out yet.”
My book started glowing, as if welcoming me inside, but there was one more thing I needed to do. I grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled a note to Willow’s Gran, letting her know that Willow was safe and sound but we’d be working on the book for a while.
“Give this to the apothecary for me.” I forced the note into her hands. “Don’t forget.”
“You’re nicer than you look, but hurry up.” Nyssa nudged me again. “She’s probably terrified.”
I nodded, diving back into my book as quickly as I could. Unfortunately, Willow wasn’t there either. Or at least, she wasn’t where I’d left her. In her place on my bed was a note of her own that read: Gone exploring, don’t wait up.
The paper crumbled beneath my fingers as I clenched my fists. Why hadn’t she just waited for me? I was barely gone fifteen minutes!
My pulse thundered in my ears as I searched empty castle room after empty castle room. After every room had been thoroughly searched, there was only one option left.
Willow had gone outside. Even I’d never done that before...
Outside was where the story of the book took place.
My character had never been part of that, I was always locked away in my castle doing evil schemey things in the background.
If I tried to step outside, I’d risk not living up to people’s expectations.
No matter how hard I tried to be terrifying and full of darkness, I seemed to fall short at every turn.
Fans swooned over me, children adored me, and dragons cuddled me.
Not exactly the monster everyone thought I’d be.
But Willow needed me right now, so I’d just have to glower and push through this.
I took a deep breath and pushed the doors to my castle open for the very first time since I’d woken up in the library. I’d find Willow, drag her back, and then return her to the library where she belonged.