NOVEL FROG Chapter Thirty-One
Episode Thirty-One
The Book Dragon stayed on my shoulder as I moved over to the children's section of the shop. It was a small area where the floor had a fluffy carpet and a beanbag chair. The shelves were low and covered in mostly picture books. Yet, on the highest shelf there was a section of chapter books. Some about real-world events, other's bedtime stories and places to escape to.
The Book Dragon jerked and chirped next to my ear as she launched off my shoulder and glided toward the bean bag. She landed softly on it, but dashed excitedly toward the book on the bean bag itself. It hadn't been there before when I’d thought about coming over here to read to the dragon before dinner.
Dark blue cloth covered the book, which had thick pages. Indigo jumped up and down on top of it with her head flicking to me. She chirped twice, which was our signal for yes. A single low chirp was for no.
"Okay, we'll read from that one, just let me sit down in the beanbag," I said.
She dashed off the chair to give me room, and I picked up the book as I sat down. It was heavier than it looked. Once my butt was firmly planted, Indigo climbed up my leg and to my shoulder to look at it from my point of view.
I flipped open the first page and in gold letters shimmered the title. "Primer for the Beings of the Tree," I said reading aloud. "What's the tree?" I asked aloud, not expecting a response.
Indigo bobbed her head with a confused look. So I kept going. The table of contents made it look like a guide to the different beings someone might run into in various places. The first entry was for humans, which made me want to giggle.
"Humans are one of the most numerous species of the Tree. They inhabit various planets and places, springing up in the most random locations. They come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. Some even have access to magic. The most important thing to know about humans is that many other species can breed with them. Sometimes, this is the only model of reproduction a race has. This has led some universes to work hard to protect the humans in their midst."
I jerked back, blinking as what I’d just read registered. Humans had kids with other species, and had to be protected in certain parts of the universe? I didn't know how I felt about that, but I stored it away in the back of my mind.
Indigo chirped a few times with a question, but I could only guess what it was.
"Yeah, I'm human, but on my world we don't have magic. It's a pretty boring place. I didn't know magic was real until I got this job with the Cat."
The next section in the book listed the different humans you might come across.
"Some humans don't have magic - that's like my world," I added before continuing. "Other humans have magical abilities and might be witches, wizards or have elemental powers. It all depends on the world they are born on, and how magical it is. Approach humans with care. The non-magical ones don't have long life spans, but ones with magic live longer."
Indigo nudged me under the chin, rubbing her head.
"Awww, don't worry. I'm not going to die soon. I'm young for being a human. Like, even in my non-magical world, I had another 60 or 70 years." My voice stayed soft as I tried to calm her down, and wondered how long Book Dragons lived. Was she going to be small for the next fifty years?
"How about we see if we can find more information about Book Dragons?" I flipped back to the table of contents to see what other beings were in the book.
#
They found the book, which was good. I hadn't been sure they would head in that direction, but I hoped they would. It would help Sable, and the little Book Dragon, learn more about the worlds, and themselves. The book was special; it only showed species that someone had come across before. Here, it was tied to Sable. I should have given the book to her before now, but I hadn't been sure she'd stay. The last shopkeeper hadn't even been given a chance to look at the book.
But Sable was different. That spark of magic glowed inside her, like an ember. Now and then it brightened, expanding. Especially after she used the magic inherent to the shop. I snorted when she mentioned she didn't have magic. Still, she hadn't figured it out yet. Her brother had a spark as well, and while her world was mostly magic free there were places where those who had magic gathered. Plus, the portals to other places. Those were on all the worlds in the great Tree, and she had no idea.
That made me nervous.
I pulled away from the railing on the balcony and headed toward a door, my size. I stepped through and into a much larger room. Bookshelves lined the walls, with gaps for arched doors with various symbols etched into them. A giant wooden table stood in the center of the room. I jumped up and landed carefully on the surface, making sure to not rattle the bowl in the center of the table. The wooden bowl glowed, with power running through the carvings of vines, leaves and trees covering the outside of it. The rim wasn't high, just low enough for me to peek over the edge into the still water inside.
"Show me what I have of Book Dragons," I whispered, the quiet words rolling off my tongue. The spines of different books around the room glowed as their words floated across the surface of the water. I touched my nose to the edge and let the knowledge flow through me.
The Book Dragon had entered with the man searching for the Book that was imprisoned within the shop. It had taken all that Sable was to get that book in a safe room. What did he want that book for, and what did he want with the dragon?
A thought touched the edge of my mind, something so horrendous I jerked back. My eyes widened, and I hissed at nothing in front of me. What little power I had left flickered around the room. Righteous anger inside me roared to be let free. To blaze through the worlds until I found that creature in red. Until I burned him into nothingness.
Then it flickered out.
My mouth gaped open as my chest burned, trying to get enough air into my tiny lungs. My whole body shuddered, and a glow caught my attention. The book, the bane of my existence, softly glowed golden, and I ignored it.
My tail flickered in annoyance as I moved toward the door I'd entered.
#
"Well, there’s an entry in here for Book Dragons..." I mumbled and flicked through the pages. Most were blank, they didn't even have headers on them. One section had information about Trolls, and I recognized the drawing. It was of the tribe that we'd sold the spears to. I kept going, even passing a page on winged beings, and finally stopped on Book Dragons.
"Alright, let's see if the other books we found are right." My eyes skimmed the page before going back to the top. "Alright, here we go. Book Dragons are a subspecies of Dragons, but don't let them fool you. They are still living and breathing dragons, creatures that can ignore the Fates and control magic in ways that others cannot. The only beings so independent, capricious, and powerful, are the Fey Lords. And like the Fey Lords, Dragons have their own code that is only truly understood by their own kind."
"If you ever find yourself in front of a full grown dragon of any type, be respectful and honest." That was good information to know. "What makes Book Dragons so special is that they love and crave knowledge. In fact, they need it to grow. Book Dragons require a steady diet of new knowledge to age. They love trading books, true stories and memories."
Indigo nodded as I spoke, her eyes tracing the words on the page. I wasn't sure if she could read them yet.
"Book Dragons speak many languages, and most often hoard enormous libraries and trade information. Bards tend to be their favorite type of person. Not much is known about the breeding and hatchlings of Book Dragons. They keep their little ones close, raising them with the knowledge in their hordes until they reach adolescence and seek to build a hoard of their own."
Indigo chirped sadly.
"Don't worry, Indigo, we'll find your people. You weren't tossed away. Someone is out there looking for you, and we'll keep you safe and sound until we can find them."
Indigo chirped again, but I didn’t know what she was saying.
"Tell her we both will," said the Cat. His voice carried down from above, and I glanced up. His green eyes stared at me from between two of the banisters. "Keep her safe."