by Joshua Roots
Then we turned a corner and soft blue light exploded in my vision. I squinted, blinking back tears as my pupils struggled to adjust to the sudden influx of illumination. Blue-white blobs filled my vision and, for a moment, I saw Minotaurs in the bright shapes. Those faded quickly, becoming nothing but an afterthought when I finally beheld the sight before me.
Pip took a step forward, spinning with arms wide to face us.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Caverns of Knowledge.”
I’d heard legends of the great Bookworm library and the multitudes of historical tomes, but nothing could have prepared me for the real thing. Rows upon rows of books, most older than civilization as we knew it, were stacked neatly on shelves that stretched up the stone walls and extended far into the distance. Between the shelves, sconces burned with unnatural blue light, illuminating the enormous library. Dozens of small desks, each with a tiny chair, bottle of ink and quill were sprinkled throughout the cavernous room. Next to every set of writing materials was a tiny, powerful computer.
Even more impressive were the hundreds of Bookworms who screeched to a halt to stare at us.
I gazed around the room in awe. “Whoa.”
Pip smiled. “Yeah, it’s pretty awesome.” He waved to his kin. “It’s okay, gang. These are the folks I was telling you about.”
The Bookworms all gave us wary glances before zipping around the library once more with their unnatural speed.
Quinn walked to the nearest shelf. “How many volumes are there?”
“Millions upon millions,” Trixie replied.
“Wow.”
Pip shrugged. “We are the keepers of history, ya know? There’s been quite a lot of it.”
I stared at the long racks of books. “Yeah, I’d say so.”
“Like I said earlier,” Pip continued, leading us into the library proper, “the stone walls are great for protecting the books from most physical damage, but it’s the blue flames that really make this ideal. In addition to being a near-limitless supply of light, the magic contained within them wards off moisture. As you can see, it’s done wonders for our tomes. Which are now being moved to our vaults located deeper inside the caverns,” he added.
Quinn walked to the nearest desk and tapped the tiny computer. “I’ll be honest, this isn’t something I expected to see here.”
“Just because other paranormals are slow to modernize doesn’t mean we are. We have a pretty sweet database that catalogs every book in here. Took years for us to put it together, but man, what a time-saver.”
Steve cleared his throat. “Guys, this is a conversation for another time. Grab the crap you need and let’s book it out of here.”
“Pun intended?” Pip asked.
Steve just glowered at him.
The imp backed away. “Okay, sheesh.” Then to his kin, “Trixie, Carl, you’re with me.”
“Hey, Pip?” I asked.
“Yeah, boss.”
“Chat up your kin and find out what they know about the attack.”
“You got it.” The trio vanished into the library like tiny green blurs.
“Marcus, look at this.” Quinn gently lifted a tome off one of the shelves and handed it to me. It was in perfect condition. There wasn’t a single speck of dust on the cover and the spine was completely devoid of cracks. Opening it, the pages were soft and thick yet silky to the touch.
The writing and images inside were nothing short of breathtaking. Long, sweeping lines spoke of an artist more than an author, while the drawings were nearly lifelike. I couldn’t read a single word of the bizarre text, but the contents were so stunning just to behold that I was compelled to keep flipping the pages.
“These are amazing,” Quinn whispered, gently turning the pages of another book. “I’d heard how talented Bookworms are, but to hold one of their creations and feel the care that went into it...words fail me. Steve, check it out.”
He shook his head. “Sorry, books aren’t my thing.”
“You read all the time,” she countered.
“I prefer romance novels to boring old history texts, thank you. But more importantly, I don’t like what’s going on outside.”
I tore my gaze away from my own tome. “Nothing is going on.”
“Exactly. We didn’t meet a single ounce of resistance. There should at least have been a few patrols or guards near the compound. I’m going to go check things out.”
“I’ll go with you,” I said, putting my book back, but Steve held up a hand.
“Dude, I love that you have my six, but I got this. Trust me, I can move faster and quieter than you.”
“But the caverns—”
“Aren’t much of a challenge now that I know how to get in here. I’ll be back before you know it.”
I looked at my watch. “You have ten minutes. After that, I’m gathering the Bookworms and we’re coming to get you.”
He winked. “Deal.” Then he was gone.
With the Bookworms busy transferring their works to a safer place and Steve doing recon, Quinn and I were left to our own devices. Being completely surrounded by books, many of which no human had ever set eyes on, was a mesmerizing feeling. Quinn, on the other hand, seemed uncomfortable.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, I just hate that we can’t be useful right now.”
“They’ll ask if they need help.” I swallowed, suddenly very aware of how alone we were. “Maybe we can finally talk instead.”
“Oh?”
“Here, sit.” I pulled her to one of the desks. She wedged into the seat, her knees bumping against the underside of the small table. I rubbed my hands on my jeans, then put them in my pockets.
She smiled awkwardly. “This is getting weird, babe.”
I leaned back against another desk and wiped my face. “Sorry, I’m just not good at this sort of thing.”
Her eyebrows pinched together. “What sort of thing.”
“You know, heavy talks.”
She peered at me. “I see.”
Dammit, the room was stifling. I unzipped my coat. “It’s just, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking recently. About us. The future. You know, where we are, where we’re going. That sort of stuff.”
“Okay,” she said cautiously.
“So, we’ve had some good times. And some bad times. And some really, really good times.”
Her frown deepened. “Marcus, what the hell is this all about?”
I scratched the scar on my neck. “I’m just trying to communicate with you here. I haven’t done so good a job of it in the past and you deserve better than that. Hell, you deserve better than the half-assed relationship I’ve given you. I know, we only put a title on ‘us’ a few months ago, but I think we both agree that it was just that, a title. Right?”
She nodded slowly. Relief flooded into me.
“Good. Because I want you to be happy. Both of us to be happy. I keep wanting to discuss where we’re going, but it never seems to be the right time or we get interrupted. But not talking about it isn’t right and won’t make either of us, uh, happy.” I offered an embarrassed smile. “Sorry. I’m rambling. I’m just nervous.”
Quinn’s face turned to stone. “Marcus, are you breaking up with me?”
Ice stabbed at my heart. “Of course not! I’m trying to propose.”
The words were out there before I knew what had happened.
She sucked in a breath, blinking rapidly.
Aw hell.
I sank against the desk. “Dammit, this isn’t how I intended for this to go down.”
She watched me, her face completely unreadable. “How did you intend for it to, ahem, go down?”
“I dunno,” I said, exasperated. “It’s not like I had a plan or anything. Hel
l, I don’t even have a ring. But I wanted it to be something romantic and memorable. Not, you know, this.” I waved a hand at the large, chilly cavern.
She smiled sweetly. “You proposed in the greatest library in the universe while we’re at war with the Minotaurs. I’d say that’s pretty damn romantic and memorable.”
I gazed at my boots. “I suppose.”
“Did you mean it?”
I looked up. She was smiling. My heart thumped wildly.
“Yeah.”
“So, you love me.”
My breath quickened. “I love the crap out of you, Quinn. I really do. Life doesn’t suck when we’re together and I want more of that. More us. Officially and forever.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Huh.”
My innards twisted. “That’s it? I pour my heart out like a rambling idiot and that’s your response?”
Her lips curled up. “Well, you did propose without a ring. Whatever will our parents say?”
Dread poured into my veins. “Oh hell, Quinn. I should have asked your dad first.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but with him still on the run with his zombie pal, I’m not sure that’s doable.”
“Doesn’t matter. My family is old school. Like, old-old school. Shifters are supposed to ask the parents for permission to marry their kids. I should at least have made an attempt, even if it was futile.”
She wiggled out of her seat, then pressed herself into my arms. “I’m sure he would have given you his blessing. But you don’t need it. You need mine and you have it. Isn’t that enough?”
“Yeah.” I squeezed her. Then I froze. “Wait, is that a yes?”
She smiled. “Of course it’s a yes, you doofus. And, for the record, I love you as well. You’re not the best at hiding your emotions, so I figured you felt the same. But it’s really good to hear you say it.”
My heart went from pounding in terror to thundering with joy. “Holy cow, Quinn. We’re engaged.”
“Yes, we are.”
I grinned like an idiot. “Mrs. Quinn Shifter. Has a nice ring to it. ‘Course, so does Mr. Marcus Fawkes. I mean, I love my family name and all, but I’d change it for you if you wanted to keep yours. Or we can hyphenate because Shifter-Fawkes sounds pretty badass.”
“Marcus.”
“Yeah?”
She gripped my chin. “Shut up and kiss your future bride.”
I willingly obliged.
“Get a room, you two,” Pip called. We separated lips but didn’t bother letting go. The imp frowned at us. “You two are unusually cozy. I miss something?”
Quinn smiled. “We’re engaged.”
The imp’s tiny mouth hit the floor. “Holy smokes, that’s fantastic. Congrats! When’s the wedding? Spring is always a winner. So is fall. Trees are prettier in the fall, but it can get really cold if you’re too late in the season. Depending on where you have it, summers can be rough, but destination weddings help keep the guest list low.”
“Pip,” I said.
“Have you picked a color palette? Is there a theme? How about Star Trek? Or you could do Steampunk. That’s a great genre and I can wear my cosplay outfit. You’ll love it. Took months to make, but it’s the real deal. Working brass goggles that light up and everything.”
Quinn rolled her eyes. “That’s nice, but—”
He bounced up and down. “Oh, and spend the money on the photographer, but not the cake. Or the napkins. Folks are gonna wipe their mouths with those things, so do you really want ‘Quinn and Marcus forever’ smeared with icing? Besides, no one frames a napkin, right?”
“Pip!” I snapped.
“Yeah, boss?”
“Chill.”
His face fell.
Quinn thumped me on the arm. “What my fiancé means is that we’ve been engaged for thirty seconds. Give us a little time to enjoy the moment first.”
He grinned sheepishly. “Okay, but keep in mind that you’re already behind the curve for venues. Those things go quick.”
“Thank you, Pip. And don’t worry, we’ll make sure to pick your brain for advice when we do start planning.”
I blanched. “We will?”
He beamed. “You need hugs. Lots of hugs.” He threw himself at our waists, gripping us with his tiny blue-stained talons. “Oh, this is so exciting.”
Trixie and Carl appeared, jumping into the love-fest when Pip told them the news.
“Guys,” I said after a moment. “We still have a mission. Any luck with finding us some spell books to defeat the Minotaurs? Or getting info from your folks?”
The Bookworms backed away. “There’s not much to tell regarding the aftermath of the attack. At the first sign of trouble, everyone dispersed except for the head librarian and his senior staff. They began securing our stuff and have been here ever since.”
“They didn’t check to see what was happening outside?”
Pip shook his head. “Not part of the protocol. Protecting our information is the highest priority.”
Crap.
“What about a tome of Minotaur magic?”
Pip grinned sheepishly. “Actually, there’s a slight problem there as well. Seems my people are really efficient. They’ve already removed a large portion and I don’t have the clearance to access what’s been locked away. I’ll see what I can find, but right now things are pretty threadbare when it comes to Minotaurs.”
“Something with the title, ‘Defeating Minotaurs for Morons’ would be preferable, but at this point, I’ll take anything I can get my hands on.”
“You got it,” and he disappeared in a poof of green. He returned a moment later with several tomes. “Here you go. Not sure if these will be useful, but it’s a start. Give me a minute to talk with a head librarian. It’s a long shot, but maybe they’ll allow me into the vaults.”
I chuckled. “Thanks.” But he was already gone.
“What’s so funny?” Quinn asked as I skimmed the first tome. Nothing jumped out, so I set it aside.
“Just, déjà vu. Pip bringing me stacks of old texts, me wondering how to save the world.”
She smiled, then joined me as I flipped through the next tome in line. Most of the books were useless or in the Minotaur-Minoan-Linear-A-gibberish mash-up language that I couldn’t understand.
Halfway through the stack was a tome that was surprisingly heavy for how thin it was. The cover was elegant and the pages fresh. So, too, the artwork that almost teemed with life. The Latin, however, was very clear.
I ran my fingers over the familiar picture on the first page. “Huh.”
“What’s that?” Quinn asked.
“The Legend of Ariadne. Makha gave me a version of this. It’s a glimpse into the early days of the Minotaurs. Pretty decent read, too.”
Quinn lifted the book from my hands. “Tell me about this, Future Husband.”
I grinned, liking the sound of that. “Most tales about the Minotaur refer to him as a feral creature who could only be satisfied by human flesh. King Minos used that to his advantage, putting him in the center of the Labyrinth, and feeding the creature the youth of his enemies. Ariadne betrayed her father by giving Theseus a way to navigate the great maze. He killed the Minotaur, escaped with Ariadne, then abandoned her before sailing home.”
She scrunched her lips. “Theseus was an ass.”
I chuckled. “He was, but that’s a completely different story. This one, however, goes on to say that after she was left for dead, Ariadne went back to Crete, entered the maze herself, and rescued the grievously wounded Minotaur. Not only did she somehow get him out of the maze, but nursed him back to health, fell in love and bore him children. Thus creating the Asterios line of which Steve is a descendant.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “Impressive, but how does t
his story help us?”
I frowned. “Honestly, I’m not sure. There are hints that Ariadne was Skilled. Makha certainly believes it to be the case.”
“Does that mean the Minotaurs are as well?”
Well, holy horse patties.
“That would certainly give one explanation for how they were able to take down the paranormal barriers. But since Skill is recessive, there’s no guarantee that any of Ariadne’s descendants picked it up. And even if they did, it’s become a very subtle or limited power. Every fight I witnessed or participated in was full-on hand-to-hand combat. No Skill, no special weapons, nothing but bloody, brutal death.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “We don’t have the time to inch forward. We need leaps and bounds. There has to be something in this library that will give us a huge leg up on Makha.”
Quinn wrapped me in a hug once again. “We’ll figure this out, babe.”
Her presence, pressed tightly to me, melted away the tension. This woman, this powerful, gorgeous creature who made me laugh and let me cry, had just agreed to be my wife. The Minotaurs might be able to crush armies and destroy barriers, but they couldn’t penetrate this kind of magic.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Steve growled, emerging from the shadows. “I was gone for five minutes. You two are like rabbits.”
Quinn lit up like a candle. “We have good news.”
He looked at me. “You asked her, didn’t you?”
I nodded.
“About time.” Then to Quinn. “You actually said yes?”
“Of course.”
“Marcus has to live with himself, but you’re choosing to do it. Makes me wonder about you, lady.”
“Steve,” she chided.
“Fine. Congrats to you both. Took you long enough, dude.”
I smirked. “I know, but it’s worth it.”
“I bet.” He grew serious. “Sorry to rain on your parade, but this feel-good session is about to come to an end.”
