Ash and Fire

Chapter 12

Soba: This is not edited and I don't care. It'll get that in its actual editing stage.

It was before dawn when Asher left and with nothing but anxiety coursing through her, she had paced the room before she got out of it. The kids were her first stop before they had to go about their day. Tharbek had told them he would be busy with the jobs he had lined up there, which left her with nothing to do once again.

She let her feet subconsciously lead her to the library. It felt relieving as the smell of worn pages and wood flooded her senses once she stepped through the threshold.

If there was one thing she couldn't get past was the authenticity of the ink on paper or the huge doors that opened into the extraordinary building.

Since Asher had told her fairies were myths in that world, she became intrigued to know if any of their fantasies differed from the ones she knew. If she ever had a chance, it was then. The need to ignore her problems for a day won and with that thought, she had wandered until she found the section she needed.

A few books had caught her eyes, placing them in a pile amongst her arms before making her way to a table nearby, and settling into the cushioned chair. She wished they had big swindle chairs she could curl up in, a cup of hot tea to drink while she read, yet it was an impossible feat since they strictly restricted all of that and it would have been better if she had a place to relax completely with it.

Book after book, the stories were interesting, though nothing went further than that.

It semi disappointed her that there were few differences and nothing overly new in the creatures they made up-or didn't. They could have been based on a religion or sightings they had centuries ago that still held some truth, but died off.

She was disappointed that she didn't find anything more about fairies, other than small descriptions in some stories that didn't center around them. At that point, she would have taken a Pegasus or a unicorn to be real.

Closing the thin book, she let out a sigh, glancing around the desolate area where few children sat reading from books thicker than she'd ever read at that age.

The flutter of pages being turned, hard covers scrapping against the shelves as they were put back, and the scratching of chairs as people either got up or sat down was like the slow music one listened to relax to. She needed something to occupy her mind when Asher had to leave and wouldn't return for a while.

Lydia left after finishing the few books she had taken out and put them back. The room was still empty after she got back. Nothing was out of place to indicate Asher had come back and she realized how much time she really spent with him and how whole he made her feel with everything that happened.

A knock at the door startled her, Maria's muffled voice coming through, releasing the breath she involuntarily held in.

"Come in."

Maria glances around the room, a subtle look at the bathroom door that was still open and she slowly walked into the room.

"Is it just you tonight, Lydia? I would have thought Asher would be back by now."

It was odd to be in the room with the crystal lights lit, darkness encasing the city outside the window, without him there with her. She had stayed out late, hoping he'd be back by the time she returned, alas, it didn't turn out that way and it worried her.

"I'm not sure when he'll be back. You can prepare just one meal, I'd hate for it to be cold by the time he gets back. Anything simple will do since it's late. Thank you, Maria."

"I understand. I'll send it to the cooks right away. It's always my pleasure, Lydia," Maria replied, giving her a forlorn smile, taking her departure.

Taking a seat at the table, she rested her chin in the palm of her hand, letting a sigh escape as the silence encased the room.