Page 95 of Lady Knight and the Thief

The long, narrow walkways through shelves of books that seemed to go on for an age had wholly captivated his imagination.

Here, within the bounds of the walls that were lined with books from baseboard to the ceiling high above his head, Torren could read about grand adventures from the Fair Folk years past.He could entrench himself in the histories of the Wyld Hunt and the Kings of the ages.

More than that, Torren could lose himself in books where the hero always triumphed over the evils in their world. No matter how the day went, Torren could turn the page, and his favorite characters would save the day and live to tell the tale.

Unfortunately, when Torren inherited the throne of the Wylds after his grandfather's passing, his time in the vast libraries became devoted to research, planning, and subterfuge. There was far less time left for tales of heroes of old.

While in the gardens earlier, he, Cypress, and Rhene had finalized the plan to infiltrate the Keep. Now there was nothing to do but wait for their invitation to be forged and supplies to be readied.

Packing for an excursion was always the worst part in Torren’s opinion, so he was glad for the help of Small Folks, who loved that sort of thing.

And because the planning was all but complete, Torren was happy to bring Cypress into the depths of the Libraries today. Their destination was perhaps one of the more dull aisles within the shelves, but it was better than his usual selections.

The worst part of ruling was the never-ending planning and approval ofeverything. He wasn’t the sole ruler of the Wylds, as his council was appointed by popular vote and could restrict Torren’s power if need be, but the griffin’s share of the day-to-day work was placed upon Torren’s shoulders.

“This way, Lass,” Torren said as he gently wrapped his fingers around her wrist and guided her down an aisle between the bookshelves.

“How many books are in here, do you think?” she asked.

Cypress's dark hair fell over a bare shoulder. She remained barefoot, just as she had been in the gardens. The line of her bare leg drew Torren’s attention with every sway of her hips.

"Millions. I don't know the current count, but there are millions of books housed in the libraries of A’aravos Paravale," Torren replied.

When he let her wrist slip from his grasp, Torren could have sworn he felt her shiver.

“Millions,”Cypress gushed, and tilted her head back to look at the ceiling.

“Surely you’ve been to the libraries at the Keep, Lass?” Torren said, bemused at her expression of wonder.

“Do not even try to convince me you think the human Keep is anything like… well, this,” she said, and waved her hand around.

“Still, they’re just books.” Torren shrugged.

“A book is not just a book, Thief,” Cypress said.

The look she sent his way through her lashes made Torren’s heart thud loudly in his ears.

“No? Tell me what a book is then, Lass, if you’re so clever.”

“Books are magical things. Yes, they are parchment, ink, thread, and leather casings, but that is not all they are.

Torren let himself smile, wondering if Cade and Caelith knew exactly what a prize they had under their noses. He had to admit it himself. The Lass had completely captivated him in those mismatched green and brown eyes of hers.

“That was a test of some kind, wasn’t it?” Cypress asked, and the look across her beautiful face spoke of mild annoyance.

“Everything is a test, isn’t it?” Torren retorted.

She let out a noise somewhere between a snort and a laugh. Finally, though, they had arrived at the stack he was searching for. Torren came to a stop at the end of the aisle with a small marker hanging on the end of the shelf that read ‘Noble Houses of Faerie’.

Cypress scoffed. “Sure, I suppose. This is what you wanted to show me?”

Torren nodded. “I wanted to show you what we have on Eobbaara while we’re here. You know, in case everything goes to shit.”

Cypress whacked him in the stomach with the back of her hand.

“Oof-”

“Don’t say that.”