signingbooks Episode Two Hundred and Thirty-Seven: Personal Collection
Episode Two Hundred and Thirty-Seven: Personal Collection
With the Cat sleeping, the living room felt rather empty. My laptop rested on the dining room table with a few books and papers scattered around it. Indigo hadn’t cleaned up after herself before her unexpected trip.Lorestone rested next to it. Then, noticing my attention, he sprang from the coffee table in front of me, along with the book from the dragons.
“Lady Sable, this book, so much knowledge,” said Lorestone as softly as possible.
The Cat didn’t even stir.
I eased him off my lap and put him next to me on the couch, hoping he would recover quickly from the use of his magic.
“It does,” I replied carefully. “Have you finished the books I asked you about?”
Lorestone took a moment to reply. “I did. It took me longer than I would have liked to accomplish the task. The books, while in a common tongue, were structured in a way that added additional meaning across multiple stories.”
“You mean, a story was hidden inside the story?” I asked, tapping my fingers on my thighs.
“Yes, Lady,” He let his voice trail off, almost like he wanted me to ask more questions.
“Let’s start with the actual story, then you can give me your ideas on the hidden inner story,” I said. I leaned forward on the couch, and my mouth suddenly felt dry. I reached out and grabbed my mug, which remained warm, with a little hot chocolate left.
“The Three Fates and the Loom of Fate…” the stone began.
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“It’s a simple story, one that speaks of the fates tending to the cloth and reflecting the will of the tree. They are part of a greater whole of beings that help tend to the tree itself. Much like Travelers, Seers and Wanderers… plus those with touches of fate magic. A good story to remind beings that we all have a place in the universe.”
Unlawfully taken from NovelFire, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
I nodded my head slowly. The story reminded me of legends on my own world about the gods and the fates. “But, that isn’t the only story you found?”
“No, it isn’t,” If a stone could swallow, Lorestone would have. “The other is a warning that when the Fates step away, there is trouble if people aren’t listening to the whispers from the Tree. Sections of the cloth can go dark, where worlds fall and die. That is why the Fates exist, not to meddle in everyday life, but to protect the leaves and branches of the Tree, along with all of us in turn.”
“Anything about Threadfinders?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“No, my Lady.” He paused, again doing whatever a stone did when it took a breath. “I could keep searching through the other tomes in here, but this is your personal library.”
The number of books that Indigo had included inside, along with the ones that Lady Twilight had added, were more than someone could read in one lifetime. Though, maybe that wasn’t true, given how time sometimes passed weirdly in the shop.
“What would you like to learn about?” I asked Lorestone. The question slipped out, making me smile. Lorestone deserved to have a break from whatever books Indigo kept playing for him, plus using him to read all of her course work.
“Me?” His question hung in the air.
“Yes!” I said with a chuckle.
“I want to serve you, my Lady,” he said. The sentence came out in his normal tone, but I swear it felt fake. Or maybe I read into him having a personality too much.
“Lorestone, what I want is for you to learn something you enjoy.” Indigo had said that he was only a rock with magic, while the Cat had tried to explain to her how humans were weird. This could be one of those moments.
“I don’t know what that would be.” Nothing changed about the granite, but something caused me to pause.
I reached out with my magic. Not my fate magic, but my stone magic. The dragon magic inside the rock answered, rising up almost in an image of a stack of books. Then the rock magic behind it shimmered. Stability, strength, and communication. A guardian of knowledge.
I pushed some of my own magic toward that last thought as it crossed my mind. Lorestone was a guardian of knowledge. The one who watched over the books, who made sure they did not get lost to history. A living record.
“What about gaps in your knowledge, things you want to expand on?” I tried to ask the question of desire in a different way.
Again, no change. Magically or otherwise.
But after a few moments, he spoke. “I have little knowledge on flowers.”
“Betty, do you have books on flowers, or growing flowers, maybe some poetry…” I asked out loud.
A stack of ten books appeared on the coffee table next to Lorestone.
I set my magical book on top, which was all that I needed to do to start the copying process. To my surprise, it blew through the first book and it started on the next in less than a minute.
With a smile, I spoke, “Lorestone, how about you read these flower books from my collection?”
“That will fill the gaps, my Lady.”
At least he wouldn’t be bored with Indigo gone, and would get a brief break from basic school work.
I leaned back on the couch, and studied the Cat. His fur didn’t look much better. Whenever he used his magic, his dark fur grew dull. Even with the sleep, there was no real improvement so far.
We couldn’t open up without some support from him, unless the customers had problems I could solve on my own.
An idea came to mind. One that caused my mouth to water and my stomach growl.
With a bright smile, I stood and hurried out to the landing then down the steps. By the time I stood in front of the register, I’d convinced myself this was a good idea.
I scrolled to the place that had delivered the magical food. All I needed to find was a meal that healed magical depletion.
I scrolled through the menu and wanted to get several things, such as roasted behemoth with spring bread and a tangy sauce. It provided motivation to complete tasks, and gave a boost to endurance.
Next was a fried roll stuffed with spicy herbs, meats and cheeses. It kept one full longer than normal, and provided a boost to mana generation.
That sounded like what the Cat needed. I ignored the price tag and added two of them to the cart. Before I could talk myself out of it, I added the behemoth sandwich as well. Plus a fruit filled custard that helped with emotional upset and boosted charisma for dessert.
I couldn’t resist. A literal custard that made you feel better about yourself.
My finger hovered over the order button for a moment, and then I hit submit.
The price to help the Cat feel better was worth it. Plus, room and board was covered as part of my agreement. It was in the contract. The Cat couldn’t argue too much about it, right?