The Unwanted Wendigo [ManxMan]

Chapter Fourteen: The Secret of the Book

~Chapter Fourteen: The Secret of the Book~

True to his word, the swimming lesson does not end until I know how to do a breaststroke. That does not mean I can do it well, though, or that I even like it, as it is actually probably the worst of the techniques that he showed me. I am not even sure why he insisted on me learning it, as it is not like he did not show me four others that were far easier, but I did - reluctantly - learn it, even if I was definitely doing it wrong by only using one arm while the other held my mask.

Following the lesson, we dry off, and then Felix guides Valentin and me to the library that contains the book he wants me to read. I imagine he probably could have just told me the title so I could find the book myself, but he was oddly evasive when I asked. Instead, he just suggested that he help me locate it. When we actually arrive, though, I have a pretty good idea of why.

Unlike the other palace libraries that I have seen, which are all neatly-ordered and aesthetically pleasing, this one was apparently rearranged by a bull who failed to find a china shop. There are books and papers everywhere - all over the floors, left in unorganized heaps on shelves, stacked up on tables. There is a very obvious path that one is supposed to walk on, as there is a clear trail of where the books aren't, but there are papers all over the floor, making it impossible to see the actual ground except through little rips in some papers.

Somewhere deep in my chest, my inner book lover dies a little, and I have to strangle a sound of utter dismay at the sight of it all. Instead, I very carefully follow Felix into the room, making sure to keep my steps light and to avoid standing on the papers for too long so my bare feet do not stick to anything. "Did the librarian die or something?" I ask, gingerly shaking free a sheet of paper when it ends up sticking to my toes despite my best efforts.

"No, but she is a bit eccentric," Felix replies vaguely. "She manages all the libraries and keeps them all in pristine condition, but this one is...special to her."

If this is special, what's she do with the things she hates?

"My father calls this," Felix cuts himself off with a dark look before correcting, "called this her playground. And so long as she doesn't actually destroy important literature or documents, we generally leave her to her devices in this one."

"She won't mind that we're in here?" I ask, because the last thing I want is to be chased around the castle by the creator of this mess. Only a truly heartless person could be this cruel to books.

Felix shakes his head. "Even if you change the order of all the books, she won't care. In her eyes, it's just an excuse to find a new order for things."

"Right," I mutter, eyeing a precariously stacked pile of books as we pass it and it starts swaying threateningly.

Felix peruses the books on the shelves for a few minutes, glancing over titles before he huffs and speedwalks five rows over, leaving flapping papers and swaying book piles in his wake as Valentin and I follow much more carefully. "This should be it," the prince declares, searching the shelves. "Even in the chaos, she has a very clear order for things, and it's currently alphabetized by the number of letters in the title."

Humming softly, I decide that I would have liked her if she had not butchered this library. Anyone who can understand the usefulness of organized chaos must be interesting, after all, but this one might just be a little too interesting.

Well, can't be too interesting, but maybe a bit too cruel.

Felix, who was bent over while looking at the books on the bottom shelf, suddenly straightens up, holding a thick book with a dark red cover. "This is what I would like you to read," he says, but he does not immediately hand it over to me. Instead, he looks down at it for a moment before reluctantly holding it out for me to take. "I know it is a big book, but please read it all."