There were flats and terraces and even small courtyard gardens, where people were reading or whispering, bent over books. In the centre of town, there was a giant glass dome, where one could view the night sky, and beside this was a giant clock – shaped like a book, of course – which struck one as they flew over it.
As they descended, they saw that many of the people who lived in the enormous bookish town were hurrying to and fro, some wearing long periwinkle-blue robes. Everywhere Willow looked was a riot of colour and paper and magic. It smelt of dust, memory and something that felt like promise.
She and her friends landed in a small field not far away, in a patch of long silver grass that blew back from the force as Feathering found purchase.
Sprig flew down and changed back into a boy for the first time since their capture by the forest people.
‘Have you been here before?’ Willow asked him as they headed towards the town. The paths in Library were wide – wide enough even for a dragon.
‘Once, long ago,’ he said.
She nodded. ‘Are they all librarians here?’
‘Yes, everyone who’s born here. It’s one of the biggest magical settlements in Starfell.’
‘Really?’ she said in surprise. He nodded.
Feathering looked around. ‘That’s a lot of books. What happens when it rains?’
‘There’s some sort of protection on the books, so they don’t really get wet. Some kind of old magic,’ Sprig explained.
‘Wow. Can anyone take a book?’ Willow asked in awe. At home, there was really just the one bookcase, and she’d read all of those books twice. There was the travelling library, of course, but it was a bit sad as far as libraries were concerned. It only came to Grinfog after it had already been to the big towns of Grinlemmon and Lael, and it always seemed to have the same pile of books – the ones nobody wanted – for her to choose from.
‘Yes,’ replied Sprig, ‘though you do have to leave a little card and use the special code they assign you.’
Essential was surprised. ‘Even when everyone here is a librarian?’
From within the hairy bag there was snort. ‘Especiallys cos they’re all lib-brains.’
When Willow had thought of a place called Library, she’d imagined that it would be very quiet, and that the people would be timid, but this didn’t seem to be the case. There was a lot of running and laughter. Boys and girls went by on broomsticks, racing about, their bags full to bursting with books.
In fact, two young girls riding tandem on a rather long broomstick with twin seats flew overhead, and they heard the red-haired one say, ‘Oh, it’s a cloud dragon – see the distinctive feathers, as opposed to scales? Blue, which means it’s likely to be male, though green or red has been known. Thought to be extinct, but has been spotted with offspring as near as Grinfog, of all places, recently.’
The other girl nodded. ‘I read that paper too. Ferocity level?’
‘Low, unless provoked, then rather high. Well, if Marlespoon’s early diaries are to be trusted,’ said the redhead.
Her friend nodded again. ‘Best to cross-reference with the works of Sybil the Sensible?’
‘I agree. Shall we?’
Nodding, they flew on.
‘Well, I say,’ said Feathering, rather taken aback. ‘They could just have asked me!’
Willow looked at Essential and the two stifled a giggle.
Sprig nodded. ‘You’d think that, but then you aren’t a book, so it’s doubtful they would trust your word.’
Feathering snorted at that.
‘I’m surprised that they didn’t scream when they saw Feathering,’ said Willow. ‘I mean, when we went to the Midnight Market, it was pandemonium, remember?’
Feathering nodded. He looked like he might have preferred that in retrospect. ‘Respectful,’ he said with a tinkly sort of laugh.
Willow and Essential shared another grin.
‘Nothing surprises them here – they’ve read it all. See those ones?’ said Sprig, pointing to a group of men and women who were wearing the long blue robes Willow had spotted earlier. ‘They’re the Secret Keepers.’
‘Secret Keepers?’ said Willow in surprise. ‘Are they different to the other librarians?’
‘Well, some say they’re the rebels,’ came a voice from behind. ‘The ones who go against the grain, who have dangerous ideas about things like commas … and where we should really stick ’em!’
Willow turned. Behind them stood a youngish woman, dressed in a periwinkle-blue robe that skimmed the ground. She had very long pale hair and enormous, twinkly brown eyes. There was something of a smile about her lips. She laughed. ‘I almost got thrown out for my ideas about that at the last council meeting actually.’
Willow couldn’t help liking her immediately. ‘You’re one of them,’ she guessed. ‘A Secret Keeper?’
‘Yes. Pleased to meet you,’ said the woman. She held out a rather ink-stained hand, then tried to rub the ink away – but only made it worse by spreading it to her other hand too. ‘Sorry,’ she said, ‘been scribing all morning. I am Copernica Darling, Secret Keeper and part-time Library guide.’
‘I’m Willow, and this is Feathering, Essential and Os—’
‘Shhh,’ said a voice from the bag. ‘I told yew, no.’
Willow cleared her throat and introduced Sprig instead.
‘Pleased to meet you,’ said Copernica. ‘I’ve never met a cloud dragon before … or any other kind of dragon to be honest.’
‘There aren’t that many of us left really. I was the last of my kind for half a millennium till I met my mate, Thundera. We keep to ourselves mostly,’ said Feathering.
‘Oh,’ said Copernica, blinking. ‘Right, well, if that’s the case, all I can say is they have a bit of a funny habit of –’ she cleared her throat – ‘sort of keeping unusual creatures for observation around here … you know, if they manage to catch them. It’s one of those things we have conflicting ideas about. Personally, I don’t think it’s a good idea to make powerful creatures violently mad. But I was outvoted on that. Again. So, just a friendly warning …’ She laughed awkwardly. ‘Maybe stay away from the section near the back there, where the library wizards congregate.’ She pointed up ahead, then turned her dark eyes back to Feathering and said warmly, ‘Not that I think they’d be able to hold you, of course – without a fight anyway.’
‘I should hope not,’ said Feathering, who seemed to approve of her respectful comments.
From within the bag there was a low harrumph. ‘They tried to documents me as the last kobold! I could ’ave fought ’em off too … ’Tis not my fault they put this stuff on me so I couldn’t EXPLODE, else I would ’ave … Carbuncled lib-brains. Staying ’ere ’ad nuffink ter do wiff the cake …’
‘Cake?’ whispered Essential.
‘Nuffink ter do wiff it,’ repeated Oswin.
Willow was beginning to suspect it had everything to do with it. Cake usually did with Oswin.
Copernica stared at the bag with wide eyes, then opened her mouth.