Chapter 21 - Willow
Willow
The hero seemed even more excited about writing this book than I was.
We’d spent the past few days holed up in the library chatting and having a wonderful time as he explained his life and all his plans to me.
Armed with that knowledge, I even managed to get a few chapters written which felt like a huge success.
I still didn’t know what the big plot twist was, but at least I finally had something on the page that was readable.
Everything felt better with words on the page.
Thorne and Dain relaxed in the corner, a silent but steady presence day after day.
They still didn’t seem to fully trust the hero, but at least they were finally chill enough to take naps, read, or stare into the fire instead of at us non-stop.
That had been a very awkward first day. The hero was a very animated reader though, so it was hard to stay serious with him around.
He cheered when he got to the good parts of his book, cried when something sad happened, and sometimes even jumped up like he was going to join the battle when there was a fight.
It was all so ridiculous, exactly like the hero I’d grown up reading about. Having him right here in front of me made nailing his personality even easier and the words were flowing with ease at this point.
Or they would be, if Inkheart didn’t keep leaping off the page to taunt the hero’s holy sword every twenty minutes. The pen swirled across its notebook, writing in even fancier script than usual as it mocked Dawnbreaker, the Eternal.
The pen is mighter than the sword, I’m sorry, but it’s a fact!
“And yet, you basically just write fanfiction shipping everyone you see together.” Golden light shimmered down the blade as the metal vibrated, casting magic that turned the vibrations into words that we could all hear.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice you writing about my hero with that distasteful Demon Lord.
As if that would ever happen.” The sword quivered, then stood straighter.
“Oh, you misspelled mightier too. At least insult me accurately.”
Inkheart’s feather bristled. Some of the most well-written stories are fanfiction! You think you’re so cool, all glowy and forged by the gods. But everyone knows the hero does all the work, right Sunny?
“My name is Dawnbreaker, you insufferable excuse for a pen.” The sword glowed brighter, as if trying to cleanse Inkheart of evil.
“Calm down, both of you.” I put my hands between them to stave off the inevitable bickering match.
“Don’t you think this argument has gone on long enough?
You’re both mighty in your own way.” I nudged Inkheart onto the page we’d been working on.
“Back to writing the actual story, okay?” The sword shimmered beautifully, as if it had won something here, so I shifted it to the other side of the hero’s chair.
“And you, go back to...guarding the hero or whatever it is you do.”
Inkheart huffed but continued writing where we’d left off on chapter 4.
I took a deep breath, ready to move on to chapter 5, when I realized the hero hadn’t reacted at all to that whole exchange.
Usually he was the first to chastise his sword for being confrontational, but this time he’d just sat there, book forgotten by his side as he squeezed his eyes shut in pain.
“Another headache?” I asked softly. “You’ve been getting those more and more lately.”
Dawnbreaker lurched around to stare at the hero. “Have you fallen ill?”
“I’m fine. My medication just doesn’t seem to be helping as much as usual.” He rubbed a hand over his face, holding it there like he was blocking out the light. “Maybe I need a stronger dose. I should head back to the capital and check in with the healers.”
“Or maybe get some sleep and see if it gets better?” I asked hopefully. I wasn’t ready for him to leave yet, but I also didn’t want him to be in pain. “I could always make you something for it too if you want. I’m an apothecary, so it’s my job.”
He peeked at me between his fingers. “Really? You’d do that?”
“Of course. You’ve already done so much for me.” I studied him for clues as to what was really ailing him, knowing that the book alluded to a mysterious illness he’d had since he was a child. Nothing stood out besides his headaches though. “What’s your medication for? Migraines?”
“They’re just a symptom.” He sighed, slipping deeper into the plush chair. “I’ve actually got miasma sickness.”
Dawnbreaker vibrated. “Apparently he inhaled too much miasma as a baby and can’t tolerate it anymore. Maybe that’s why it’s worse. This land is full of it.”
“Miasma sickness?” I hadn’t seen that mentioned anywhere in the books, not a trace of it. “What’s—”
“It doesn’t exist.” Thorne’s voice startled me. He’d been so quiet, I’d almost forgotten he was there. “Miasma is just a cruel word humans use for our magic. Demonic magic is beautiful and pure, the very essence of our world, it would never sicken a child.”
The hero shrugged. “Well, I have it, so it must be real. That’s all I can tell you.”
Shadows whipped around Thorne and Dain like a storm cloud.
“Whoa now.” I held my hands up, feeling like all I did lately was break up fights.
“I’m sure he’s not trying to insult you.
He’s just answering my question. If they told him it’s miasma sickness, and you say that doesn’t exist, then that’s another clue.
” I stared at Thorne, willing him to understand.
“This is a good thing. Every clue helps me unravel this story.”
His jaw clenched, but he nodded. “Fine.”
Things got a bit tense after that as I asked the hero for all his symptoms. The sword provided a few the hero missed, but they seemed to be all over the place and vague.
No wonder it had taken the healers a while to cure him because in my world, these didn’t add up to anything specific.
It was like his body was fighting itself, but not in any way I’d seen before.
Thorne was getting more and more irritated every time the hero blamed miasma.
“Okay.” I clapped my hands together to get everyone’s attention. “I think this would go a lot better if we could all start acting like more of a team. I can’t think straight with all this tension.”
They all averted their gazes like children being yelled at by a teacher. Even the holy sword tilted to the side so I couldn’t see it properly.
I sighed, turning to Thorne. “Please? For me?”
His gaze softened and he was about to say something, but then his eyes glazed over like he was lost in his thoughts.
He looked up at the ceiling, his jaw clenched even tighter than before.
It was like he heard something that we didn’t, something that bothered him far more than the hero and his ailment.
“Is everything okay?” I rested my hand on his arm.
His gaze jerked back to me. “Sorry, but I need to leave for a bit. I’m going to go check on your Gran and see if she needs help at the shop.”
“Wait… now?” I shook my head, holding onto his sleeve tighter. “That doesn’t make any sense. What just happened?”
He leaned closer, whispering in my ear. “The library is calling to me. Misty needs help with something.”
Ohhh, so that’s what that look was. He must have been communicating with the Misty Mountain Library somehow. I’d have to ask him more about it later, but for now, I pulled away and made a shooing motion with my hands.
“Well hurry up then, Gran needs her assistant! And bring me back some of her scones too.”
A small smile tugged at his lips. “Always giving me orders. I kind of enjoy it.”
“Wait...” The hero’s eyes widened. “You’re telling me the Demon Lord is an elderly woman’s assistant? The surprises never end in this town.”
“It’s almost like you know nothing about demons.
” Thorne shot him another dark look. “Before you attack us again, maybe you should figure out who we really are. Helping the elderly, creating beautiful works of art, and growing plants that can heal the masses are just a few things that demons do. It wouldn’t be a surprise if you had ever tried talking to us instead of fighting us. ”
I winced. He had a point, but with the hero in pain and Misty calling to Thorne, it didn’t feel like the right time to make it. “Please, go help Gran. I’ll take care of things here.”
He caught my gaze and held it for long enough that heat rose to my cheeks, but he eventually nodded. On his way out of the room, he turned to Dain. “Watch out for that hero. Don’t let him hurt anyone. And continue taking care of Willow too.”
“Yes, sir.” Dain saluted him, standing tall and proud. “You can count on me.”
He glanced back at me one more time before sweeping out of the room and taking his shadows with him.
The air seemed to lighten, and the hero released a deep breath.
I hated how much conflict there was between them when it felt like they could be best friends if they’d grown up in different circumstances.
The story had forced them to be enemies, and I still wasn’t sure why. What was the point of all this?
Wondering about that had done nothing but make my head spin, so it was time I focused on something I could fix: the hero’s headache.
“Okay, let’s head over to the apothecary gardens and gather ingredients.” I held my hand out to help him up with a smile. “I’ll banish that headache in no time and then we can get back to work in the morning after you’ve had some rest.”
“Sounds—”
“Like a terrible idea,” Dain said. “The hero can’t roam our village unattended.”
“So, attend him?” I shrugged. “It’ll be fine. We’ll just make him wear a hood and nobody will notice he’s a human, let alone the hero.”
Dain raised an eyebrow. “Is that like how nobody noticed you were a human? Because that only took a few moments.”
“Yeah, and you stabbed me, remember? So I think you owe me one.” I tapped my cheek, which had fully healed by now, but Dain looked horrified.
I waved him off with a smile and walked into the hallway.
“We’re going with or without you, so if you want to keep your word to the Demon Lord, then you’ll have to come with us. ”
The hero followed me without hesitation.
Dain’s sigh was so loud it would have impressed Thorne if he were here.
Hopefully everything was okay with the library.
Maybe it had finally found a way to take me out of the book or something.
My shoulders tightened, oddly hoping that wasn’t the case.
I was finally getting real answers, so this would be the worst time to leave.
At some point, living inside this book had started to feel normal. The only things I really missed were Gran and the shop...
I took a deep breath, handing the hero a cloak to hide his face. Dain pulled the hood down so far that I doubted the hero would even be able to see where he was going. I shook my head as we stepped outside, our ragtag group ready to take on this stealth mission together.