Chapter 72
A FRUSTRATING DAY ALL AROUND AND SOMETHING FAR MORE INTERESTING THAN A BOOK
Millie spent the rest of the morning of her first day in Pierpont seated in the sand with her toes in the surf, gazing out to sea.
She’d found a thread of a path through the beach roses that led to a sheltered cove.
The luggage she left in the shadow of the library, taking only her reticule and the bottle of tonic with her.
It was carbonated ginger beer, mixed with anise and other spices, and sweet enough to mellow the harshness of the herbs.
It did wonders for settling her stomach and clearing her thoughts of that infatuation haze that had manifested after meeting Renaldo.
It did not do wonders, however, for her spinning thoughts, and those were vicious things.
She had seasickness. And not just a passing bout—it was violent and vengeful, rising whenever she even thought about setting foot upon a boat, and Millie hated that she couldn’t control this mutiny.
All her plans, all that training—this was devastating.
But perhaps there was hope to be had in this tonic. She truly felt wonderful after its consumption, despite the lingering bitter aftertaste. She would try again. There was no other path forward.
Inside the library, which was well-lit from all the tall arching windows yet blissfully cool, little bookwyrms fluttered about on feathered wings returning books to their appropriate slots in the myriad shelves.
There were at least another half dozen Komodo assistants meandering about, each as impossibly handsome and alluring as Renaldo.
Their assistant led them up a gilded spiral staircase to the second floor. “This is where we house everything related to dragon-specific illnesses and diseases. I could narrow the search if you could give me a list of your symptoms.”
“It, um, has to do with m—his—scales.”
Renaldo swept a scrutinizing gaze over the Mini Red’s body and found nothing amiss. “This way.”
The Komodo brought them to a table framed with plush chairs and bade them sit while he retrieved the appropriate books.
He returned with a sizable stack but carried them with enviable ease.
“I took the liberty of collecting a few more that cover a wider range of skin- and hide-related ailments, just to be thorough.”
“Thanks,” the little dragon said enthusiastically.
“You’re most welcome.” Renaldo’s smile was small but sincere. “Should you require anything else, Master Dirk, simply speak my name and I shall appear.”
“Actually, I have a question.”
“Name it.”
“My Designated Sorcerer is cursed—”
The sneering curl to Renaldo’s lip revealed he wasn’t surprised in the least that someone had cursed Bradley.
“—are there any dragon sages in residence who could help him?”
“Sage Arasimi won’t be returning until the full moon, five days hence.”
Dirk gnawed on his bottom lip. When he and Millie had first schemed up this idea, they hadn’t planned on a five-day trip from the tower, seven if you included travel. “Well, would there be a book in here that could help him in the meantime?”
“That will take some research on my part, Master Dirk, which I will delve into post haste.” He bowed and turned away.
“Could we trouble you for some water first?” Bradley asked.
Renaldo kept walking as if he hadn’t heard Bradley’s question and disappeared.
“Rude, that one,” the apprentice muttered.
“They probably just don’t want the books to get wet.” Dirk took the topmost book off the stack and shoved the next towards Bradley. “Now you’re my research assistant. Let’s go.”
When the library closed at sunset, Renaldo returned to collect them. It was the first time since the morning they’d seen horn or golden-hued skin of him.
“No luck with a book on curses?” Bradley asked flatly.
Renaldo’s smile was pure oil. “This is a dragon library, sir. It will take more than a day of searching through the index to find if we have anything on human curses.” The Komodo was much more pleasant to Dirk. “And you, Master Dirk, any success on your friend’s diagnosis?”
“Not yet, but we didn’t get through everything today. Can we come back tomorrow?”
“Of course. We’re open every day, even the feast days.” He opened the door for them and selected another bottle from the basket. “And please give this tonic to your female companion with my warmest regards.”
I most definitely won’t, Bradley thought as he plucked the amber bottle from Renaldo’s hand. Eyes narrowing, he spun a small circle on the sandy path. “Where is she?”
Renaldo pointed westward to a figure sitting on the beach nearest the eastern pier.
“She spent most of the morning in our little cove before transporting your possessions to the beach. There, she has alternated between kayaking and vomiting, canoeing and vomiting, paddleboarding and vomiting, and napping when her body shut down from the strain, all afternoon.”
“Oh, poor Millie,” Dirk murmured.
“Seems you were more interested in watching her than looking for that book,” Bradley accused.
“She is far more interesting than any book,” Renaldo agreed. “A pleasant evening, Master Dirk.”
He flipped the sign on the door and shut it behind him, shuttling the lock into place.