the books of hidden worlds

chapter thirteen: Elias

      
        In the Arcana siblings' library, Elias wandered around, his eyes taking in the sight of books floating around him, their pages turning on their own. As he walked, he accidentally bumped into Evander, who seemed just as engrossed in his surroundings.

“Oops, sorry, I didn’t see you there,” Evander apologized, gathering up the books he had dropped.

"Let me help," Elias offered, crouching down to pick up the fallen volumes.

"Thanks," he said, "What are you doing here at this hour?"

"I just couldn’t sleep," I replied, handing back the books.

"Well, you’re in luck. How much do you know about wizard spells?" he asked, smiling faintly.

"Not much, just the basics," I admitted.

"Perfect. I’ll teach you a few things. By the way, have you seen Salem and Lucan?" I asked, gesturing to the far end of the room he said.

"They’re over there," he said, pointing in the direction Evander indicated. Then, curiosity got the better of him. "Hey, just wondering, why don’t you look much like Salem?"

he chuckled. "You noticed that, huh? Well, I’m not his biological brother. My father found him in the woods before I was born and brought him home. I came along three years later."

"Ah, I see," I said, nodding. "That explains a lot. I noticed that Salem has a particular way of looking at my brother Alden."

He laughed. "You’re not wrong. I’ve caught him staring at Alden too. There’s definitely something there."

"Mind if I call you Evan?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Hmm, no one’s ever called me that before, but sure. You can call me Evan. After all, we’re cousins," he said with a grin.

"Cousins, huh? Well, I guess that makes sense. I don’t really have close friends," I said, half-joking.

"What about the Grey brothers and the Draycotts? Aren’t they your friends?" he asked.

"Not really. We’re not that close," I replied, then quickly shifted the conversation again. "By the way, does Salem know he’s adopted?"

"I’m not sure, but I think he suspects," he said, his expression thoughtful. "Anyway, before I teach you any spells, I’ve got a story for you—about three friends: a soldier, a poet, and a king."

Elias raised an eyebrow. "Isn’t that a song?"

"No, it’s a story my father told me when I was a kid," Evander corrected, laughing.

"Sorry, I thought you were talking about ‘Soldier, Poet, King’ by The Oh Hellos," Elias said, smiling sheepishly.

Evander laughed again. "Wait, how do you even know about that song? You’re a witch!"

"Yeah, but I also know some stuff about Muggle music," I amitted.

"Do you know Harry Potter and Newt Scamander too?" I asked, teasing.

"Of course! Newt’s my favorite character," he said with a grin.

Elias shook his head, laughing. "Well, half-wizard or not, it seems like we’ve got a lot in common." Evander said

Before they could continue, Lucan’s voice rang out from across the room. "Van, where are you?"

"We’re over here!" Evander called back.

"‘We’? Who’s with you?" Lucan asked, sounding puzzled.

"I don’t know, but let’s go find out," Salem said, walking calmly while Lucan hurried ahead. "Slow down, Lu! You’re walking too fast."