Chapter 22: Cornered
Unfortunately, Lysander wasn't at the library. It wasn't entirely unexpected, but it was the first place I thought to look. Feeling a bit disappointed, I dropped by the library's front desk and returned a few scrolls. The spellbooks fell into the basket with a thump, startling Thron, who was busy transcribing a work behind the counter.
"What seems to be the problem? Was that third-circle spell not to your liking?"
"Ah, no, it was fine. I already learned it, so I'm just returning it."
He stared at me for a second, then placed down his quill and sat back. "You already learned it? But it's been barely two days."
"It was an easy one, called Reflection. The runes are pretty straightforward, so it didn't take much to memorize." I quickly regretted saying as much. One thing I learned was to avoid drawing attention. A slave wasn't supposed to be threatening, after all.
"Even so," he said, shaking his head, "Two days is probably a new record or something. Care to show me?"
I hesitated but decided against it. "I'd rather not. I'm looking for an elderly man named Lysander. Do you know where I can find him?" I didn't hold much hope. There were likely thousands of visits every week, and even the head librarian would have a hard time keeping track.
"Lysander? Of course I know where to find him! Might as well ask where the king lives," Thron huffed.
"Oh, sorry. Is he someone important?"