Chapter Twenty-Three
"Where's the book?" Alex asked aloud again. He scanned the table for the enchanted object. Alex dropped down on his hands and knees to look underneath the table and at the rest of the floor.
"Heh?" The alchemist raised an eyebrow.
"The book! The one I brought in with me. Where is it!"
"Oh, calm down, I'm sure it's here somewhere. It's a book; it can't just walk away."
"I'm not so sure," Alex muttered as he ran back out into the main library, lantern in hand. Morgana had enchanted the book, after all. For all Alex knew, Morgana had summoned it back to herself.
"I know I brought it in with me. I got to retrace my steps. I started in this aisle…oh, no." Alex groaned at the mess before him. He had pulled out nearly every book and hadn't put any of them back. The books were strewn across the aisle floor. Alex began to frantically look at them, praying it would be the one with Melody inside.
Alex could hear voices and footsteps approaching him, along with the faint glow of a lantern. He could guess it was the king and his uncle, wanting to check on his progress.
There's no need to raise any alarm just yet, Alex reasoned to himself. I'm sure I'll find it soon if I can search for just a little bit longer.
The book he currently held in his hands was a little bit bigger than Mr. Andersen's, but the cover was black. In the dim lighting, it was a perfect decoy.
"Well, we didn't learn anything useful to our particular conundrum," Uncle Archimedes said as he and the king entered the aisle. "But, Alex, did you know that humans have written entire books about kelp? I would love to read them. I wonder if the authors have discovered any useful properties we might have overlooked. Or, if the uses are the same whether on land or sea. Or, different depending on the environment. But, what about you, dear boy. Any luck?"
"Uh…" Alex clutched the book closer to his body to hide the cover. "No. Not really."
"The best thing to do now is get a good night's rest. We can start fresh tomorrow." King Eric said. "If you don't mind, I'll take the book back. I'm sure Ariel will want to guard it personally." The king extended his hand to take back the enchanted item.
The one that was currently missing.
"Uh…well, um…I'm not done here yet."
"But the sun has long since set. You can't get much done by candlelight."
"But I'm not sleepy." That part was definitely true. "And…I really want to follow up on a theory. And…uh, it's really not that dark. Merfolk have heightened vision in the dark." That part was somewhat true. Under normal circumstances, merfolk could see better in the dark than regular humans. But under Saleen's spell, that sense had been dulled.
"Do you really need the book for it?" King Eric asked.
"Yes. I definitely need the book. I want to check out the magic section. And maybe the book will glow, or something, if I'm on to something. So, I need it with me."
"All right. And, Alex, thank you for all your help. I really appreciate it." The king put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. But all Alex could do was force a gulp.
"Any time."
As soon as the king and his uncle left, Alex returned to searching through the strewn books. By lanternlight he made his way back to the alchemist's alcove. The room was now dark and vacant; the alchemist must have turned in for the night as well. Alex searched the room again, all in vain.
The enchanted book was unaccounted for.
Alex found himself walking out onto the patio again, gazing up at the stars. He couldn't find the one he had wished on; each star seemed to shine the same amount now.
Did I wish the book away?
"Reul Ghorm? Did you put her somewhere? Did you free her? Please, I need help. My friend needs help."
The stars twinkled quietly in response.
Alex began to feel his eyes spring up with tears again. This time, it came from shame.
Shame of upsetting Melody during the festival. Shame of not being there in time to protect her from Morgana.
And shame of failing her right now.
The boy walked back to the library, wiping his eyes dry. He couldn't face King Eric or Queen Ariel and tell them how he lost Melody. Not tonight.
Alex found the section about magic. Thankfully, it was a small area that only covered two shelves. Alex began to grab books with useful titles with a renewed determination. With any luck, Alex would find a locator spell that would lead him to the book.
And, possibly, Melody's freedom.