SWNOVELS Chapter Forty one.
I was surrounded by books. Tons of books! I watched in awe as my guardians scurried off to the bookshelves to check out the books.
" Whoa! The art of fire!" Aoife squealed in delight.
" Canis lupus." I heard Cole mumble.
" Metus magic for dummies?, Well that's oddly specific." Carmen chuckled.
" What are we going to do with all these books? We can't just leave them here." Cole asked and I pursed my lips.
" I don't know."
" It's not like we can teleport them with us…" Ian's voice trailed off as he saw the look Carmen and I had exchanged.
" Cole, go get Seb and the other magicians outside. We're gonna need all the help we can get."
***
Cole's POV.
The instant our feet touched the ground, Iris and the magicians fell to the ground, unconscious. I picked her up and set her on one of the gurneys the school had provided.
" They found it." Malika whispered as she stared at the domineering shelves that had been teleported with us.
Mr T who would usually be seething in anger at Iris's habit of bringing something along with her as a souvenir, was speechless.
The Colossal Library had that effect on people.
Helpers came out of the school to help in moving the books to the library but Malika stopped them.
" Do not touch anything. These books are extremely vital and too fragile to be carried around. We will transport them with magic."
The helpers nodded and scurried off. Malika moved closer to Iris and stroked her hair.
" You did it. Sophia, you are more powerful than you give yourself credit for." She whispered and I cracked a small smile.
" Shirley?" She called.
" Yes Malika?"
" Go get the other magicians. We need to move this books ASAP."
" Yes Malika."
***
" Hey." I greeted as my girlfriend opened her eyes groggily.
" Uhhh." She groaned quietly.
" Are you okay?! Do you need anything?"
" Water." She rasped.
I took a bottle of water from the fridge in the room then I helped her sit up. I put a straw in bottle and guided the straw to her mouth.
" Is it enough?"
She nodded.
" I hate magic."
" No you don't."
" No I don't. I just hate how weak I feel each time I use a lot of it."
I brushed her hair back gently as she traced patterns onto the back of my palm.
" I'm the Elysian, I can't pass out each time I use my powers."
" You'll get used to it eventually." I said and she sighed.
" What am I gonna do Cole? The war…it's close and the guardians…you're not even ready yet."
" Everything will be fine Iris. We'll figure it out."
" But we don't have much time."
" Everything will be fine. We'll find something in those books. I'm sure of it."
" I hope so."
" Just know that whatever decisions you make, I'll stand by you. No matter what, I'll always be here for you."
" I know. Thank you."
I kissed her forehead and sat by her in silence as she pondered over different things.
***
Iris's POV.
I snuck out of the clinic and walked straight to the library. I tried as much as possible to blend in with the books. I didn't want to be seen. If I was seen here, I would no doubt be sent back to the clinic.
I trudged along the many bookshelves breathing heavily but as quietly as possible. I was drained and extremely tired but I didn't have time to waste.
I finally found what I was looking for. Malika works fast, that's for sure. A new section of the library had created solely for the books from the Colossal Library. It was out of bounds to all students and was being guarded by a spell.
Luckily, I knew how to reverse it. I entered the section and took a deep breath. The smell of ancient paper flooded my nostrils and I cracked a small smile. I ran my hand along the spine of the books looking around for anything that might be interesting.
As I walked forward, something called to me and I had to turn back. I pulled out the small leather bound book, or rather a journal. It had extremely fragile pages that pointed to how old the book was. The journal let out a slight hum as I undid the clasps and I shivered.
Strange.
My lips parted in shock as I opened it.
No w-
I heard footsteps and quickly picked another book placing it over the journal.
" I figured it would be you Sophia." Malika said and I gave her a sheepish smile.
" You should be resting."
" I know but I can't. Not with everything happening." I sighed and she threw me a sympathetic smile.
" Malika how do you do it?" I whispered.
" How do you lead all those people without constantly worrying? How do you not feel tired everytime you use your powers?"
" And who told you I don't worry?" She challenged and I shrugged.
" I always worry. Just because I don't show it doesn't mean I don't. I know my responsibilities can never measure up to yours but I can give you some tips on how to cope with them."
" I would love that. Thank you."
" You're welcome. And as for the other question, it's inevitable. You'll always be drained after using a significant amount of magic. But the better you get, the less it affects you."
" Okay."
" Get some rest Sophia, you have more than earned it."
" Okay."
" Are you taking that with you?"
" Huh?"
" The book. Are you taking it along with you, to the clinic?"
I looked down at the book I was holding a medium sized hardcover. It was bigger than the journal so it hid the journal from Malika's view perfectly.
" Uhm, yeah."
" Okay. Just don't stress yourself."
" I won't, I promise."
***Bonjou!🤗,
So I was supposed to publish this yesterday but I forgot. I'm sorry please don't kill me. Well, I wish y'all a belated Merry Christmas.
Thanks for sticking with this book, I love y'all.
Bittersweet or semisweet choclate?
Stay safe 😷.
Bye!!