Patty’s occasional sniffling interrupted the usual quiet of the Guild’s afternoon period.
Daryl went off on his first hunt that Hazm’s party expected to keep them out overnight, and his best friend had put on a brave face as he left.
So Evalyn and Lineah let her cry as she worked and pretended not to hear.
True to her promise, Patty returned to work as an assistant with renewed vigor. Though she couldn’t hide her emotions like Evalyn. Her agitation was plain as day as she bundled goods that were ordered to be delivered.
The door to the Guild opened and the three inside looked up as Callum walked in with a dark-skinned man by his side. Callum waved and Patty set aside her packages and headed for the exit.
“Wait a moment, Patty,” Lineah called. “You can stay.”
The girl turned around and looked about the room. Evalyn nodded in agreement and Patty’s shoulders relaxed. She welcomed Callum and his companion and offered them refreshments.
“Strong coffee and milk foam,” the dark man responded in a smooth voice. “With honey.”
“Just black coffee, Patty dear,” Callum added.
Patty nodded and hurried upstairs to the balcony floor above them where the Guild had its own small bar.
When she returned the adults had finished exchanging pleasantries. She set black coffee in front of Callum and the foamy coffee in front of their mysterious visitor.
Her eyes lingered on him as he examined her handiwork and took an appreciative sip. His eyes closed and he smiled.
“Excellent,” he said. Patty smiled.
“You don’t mind if we cut straight to the chase do you?” Callum asked after a sip of his own coffee.
Lineah leaned against her desk with her arms crossed and waited.
“Patty, Eve told me you have quite a lot of talent that would benefit the Library.”
Callum had barely finished the sentence when Patty nearly dropped the tray in her hands. She caught it, but her cheeks flushed bright red.
“You!?” She squeaked. She looked at Evalyn and Lineah. “Seriously? The bookseller?”
Lineah chuckled. Callum grinned.
“Me!” He said. “Kind of. I’m one of the administrators for the West March. The Librarians in this region report to me. And this-” He gestured to the man next to him. “Is one of my Librarians.”
The man rose from his seat and offered his hand.
“Vincent,” he offered. Patty took his hand and he raised her fingers like he might kiss them, but they never made it near his lips before he let her go.
“It’s a pleasure.”
“Oh, um… of course.” Patty replied as her blush crept to her ears.
Vincent’s eyes looked Patty up and down then he returned to his seat.
“Callum, I believe that you believe the Secretary… But…” He scratched the stubble on his chin with an expression that said he clearly did not wish to offend anyone. Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
The blush in Patty’s face faded as she frowned.
Makes sense…
Other than making “excellent” coffee, she hadn’t done much but clumsily drop the drink tray.
“Unassuming talent is perfect for a Librarian though, wouldn’t you say?” Callum replied.
Vincent sighed and sipped his coffee.
“Patty, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Will you forgive me if I propose a test?” He stared at her over the rim of his mug. “It’s quite simple.”
Patty set the tray on the table rather forcefully and placed her hands on her hips. She hadn’t even decided if she wanted to join the Librarians or not, but in the moment she would admit to not being a fan.
Still… she was never one to back down when challenged.
“Go ahead.”
Vincent set down his mug.
“Tell me three facts about myself.”
His suggestion stunned Patty and it showed. He leaned back in his seat and waited.
The Guild assistant stared wide eyed as her mind raced. On its face it sounded like an impossible test as they had literally just met. For a moment, even Evalyn thought the suggestion would be too much for Patty. But the girl squared her shoulders and took a moment to collect her thoughts with her eyes closed.
When she opened them she raised a finger in Vincent’s direction.
“You are Cirvan,” she declared.
Vincent smiled. “Correct. Explain.”
“Your skin is a bit dark for you to be Rothnian but common in Cirva. Though there was the possibility that you are half. You have a good Rothnian accent but you put a Cirvanti “Ch” sound in your name when you introduced yourself. And-“ Patty pointed to his beverage.
“You assumed I wouldn’t know what you wanted if you asked for ‘Black Honey Milk’ which is popular in Cirva but only recently came into fashion in Rothnia. And even then, it’s most popular in the East March.”
“Ha!” Vincent’s entire demeanor lit up in an instant. He went from calm and collected to almost giddy with excitement.
She had been watching him closely from the moment he entered, and not simply from the moment she was asked to be observant.
Patty held up a second finger. “You have a Gift, and it’s not combat oriented.”
Vincent’s expression tried to return to neutral. Patty nodded at her own statement.
“If you had a combat Gift, you wouldn’t really need all this enchanted jewelry.”
Vincent indeed possessed a great deal of jewelry on his person. He wore several necklaces and bracelets on each wrist. Each finger was adorned with a ring and each ear had multiple piercings as well. There were gems clipped to the many locks on his head as well. Follow the newest chapters on novelping(.)com.
“Humans who use magic cannot use it silently. In addition, it’s harder for people with gifts to also use magic. Therefore, you have a treasure trove of enchanted jewelry to cast magic quickly and quietly.”
Vincent remained quiet for a moment before he allowed himself to smile.
“Correct again. I am a healer. One more fact about me is all you need.”
Patty’s eyes swept over Vincent once more but the Librarian remained still and neutral to give nothing away. Recognition passed over Patty’s face anyway.
“Ah. You’re married.” She gestured to her own ring finger. “This one isn’t enchanted. It’s just a simple wedding band.”
A loud laugh escaped Vincent as he threw back his head.
“Correct! Excellent! Incroyale!” He nudged Callum. “I like this one!”
A tension eased in the room that had been silently building. He got to his feet and stepped up to Patty with his hand out for a proper handshake.
“I heard about your trial from Callum who heard about it from Eve. Please forgive me for doubting you. We don’t have an age restriction like the Guild, but younger people can be… difficult to train. Sometimes they simply have a flash of genius that doesn’t last.”
“I can’t tell if you’re insulting me or not,” Patty said. “So maybe my flash of genius has passed already.”
She grabbed his hand and shook it as he chuckled.
“It would be a pleasure to train you if you wish to join the Librarians.”
“Is it alright if I ask a question this time?” she asked.
Vincent nodded.
“As a Librarian, can you refuse to work with the Godwins?”
A shadow passed over Callum’s face. Vincent glanced from Callum to Evalyn. Patty’s brow furrowed as his eyes darted around before his expression set into a neutral mask as he looked back at her.
“Not always,” he said.
Patty pulled her hand away.
“Then… I must refuse.” She bowed slightly to Vincent and Callum. “Thank you for offering me a position.”
Callum shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.
“Sometimes things happen to change our perspectives, so just know that the offer will stand if your change your mind,” he said. “You can’t work for both the Guild and the Library, but if you decide to join us later you can start training with Vincent right away.”
He turned his attention to Evalyn.
“Now that that’s settled, I have an offer for you as well.”