Chapter 29. Book Exchange
Having eliminated Sorden as a good starting point, Rhys headed toward the library, his second idea. It was a good place to start. It wasn’t like Az would leave the library and tell anyone that he’d asked about potions, and Az had shown no inclination toward aggression toward Rhys, even if Rhys told him his techniques; Az was just too lazy to bother. Asking Az for potion books in the library wouldn’t keep him from being able to visit Sorden later, and besides, he could use the books to figure out what he specifically needed to ask Sorden, and that way avoid giving away too many hints as to what he was doing, but still get the knowledge he needed.
Braziers full of smoldering fragrant herbs hung from the buildings in town. Others simply hung bundles of herbs over their hearth. Rhys raised his brows. Wonder what that’s all about? It reminded him of the strange decorations in the woods, somehow, but much less extreme. He sniffed. There was a slightly strange smell on the air, but it wasn’t that bad.
Then again, I do live in a garbage pit. He was used to bad smells. Maybe it was worse than he could tell, because he’d gone nose-blind to bad smells. Shrugging, he headed to the library.
The library was still the same as ever. No herbs hung over its mantle. He stepped into the cool, quiet interior. The smell of old books and slowly decaying leather reigned supreme, as usual. The entire space hung in dusty silence, save for the quiet echoing tap of his shoes.
He turned the corner to Az’s desk, only to find it empty. Books still piled over the desk, and the chair stood ajar behind it, as if its occupant had only just stood up. Rhys frowned and looked around. “Az?”
Soft paws landed on his shoulder. A light weight settled onto him. In a scathing tone, Az murmured, “I see you’ve returned. Did you read the novels I so kindly leant you this time?”
“I did! I did, this time. Do you want your books back? I took good care of them.”
“I do.” Az hopped off Rhys’ shoulder and padded a few steps away, then transformed back to human. He held out his hand.
Rhys pulled the books out of his storage ring and passed them over. “I really enjoyed the one about the coward who’s determined to play dead to survive.”
“Oh? There’s eight books in that series. I can give you the sequels,” Az replied. He stacked the books under one arm and headed out toward the shelves.
“Wait, wait. Do you have any books about potionmaking?”
Az gave him a deadpan stare. He lifted his head, taking in the thousands of books all around them, then slowly lowered his eyes back to Rhys.