A second story, p.19
A Second Story, page 19
He reached up to pull his hair into a half-hearted ponytail and headed off into Arrowmount to pull himself and the shop together.
A few hours later, he returned with new decor items that he had sourced throughout Arrowmount for the backroom. He paraded a few chairs behind him with magic, their shapes bobbing a top the cobbles, garnering quite a few stares, he made his way back toward the shop like a solemn, determined parade of one.
37
Bright Cherry Pie
Arileas
Diana popped her head into the backroom as Ari fluffed the last pillow, startling him out of a reverie.
“She’s ready.”
He followed her from the room only to stop in his tracks the second he laid eyes on the piece of furniture that the Alderidges had brought in.
It was, in a word, exquisite.
“Skies,” he swore faintly, moving toward it in a slight trance. The scent of freshly cut wood, lacquer, and stain lingered in the air of the bookshop as Dorian took a rag to the top, shining it up.
The honey-toned wooden desk fit perfectly in the middle room of the shop. Intricate flower details on the front curled around a wide, flat space centered in the middle of the desk, blank like the face of the moon. In behind, Diana had designed a set of matching wood shelves for inventory and any orders customers place within the shop. Shelving ran almost edge to edge of the wall, leaving enough space on either side for someone to walk past.
“We left it blank for the name of the shop,” said Diana, motioning to the space on the front. “I wasn’t sure whether you wanted to keep it as Arrowmount Books, since the sign is gone outside.”
“Neither Finn nor I —” he choked on Finn’s name, heat burning at the back of his throat like acid. He shook his head and cleared his throat, running a hand along the surface of the desk. “We hadn’t decided on a name yet, but when it happens, you’ll be the first we call. We do need a sign, after all.”
Diana showed Ari compartments and shelving they had built into the desk, including a secured built-in metal safe hidden away inside it, behind a clever door.
“You both are geniuses,” he said, slightly at a loss for words. “It’s perfect.”
Dorian clapped him amiably on the shoulder. “No problem at all.”
When they left, Ari spun slowly on his heel, taking in the shop.
The rich green walls around him soothed his soul as he took in all the brand-new shelving. Every bit of wood saturated the shop in the exact honey-warm tone that Ari loved and reminded him of every cozy corner of every bookstore he had ever walked into. With sunshine pouring in through the now clean windows and Sophie basking in the middle of the floor, eyes squinted closed, Ari felt as though he was exactly where he was supposed to be.
It was done. Every little thing that he had worried about, everything that kept him up at night wearing a path in the wooden floors, was complete. And it was all absolutely perfect, from the shelves and the books atop them, to the back room that no longer had a partial wall caved in and swollen from water damage.
Ari let out a long sigh, a knot of tension unwinding between his shoulder blades. A soft, aching happiness settled in his heart. He did a round of the shop once, twice, then, on the third time through, he finally came to a stop at the closed sliding door to his and Finn’s bedroom. When the apartment upstairs was complete, he wasn’t entirely sure what they would do with this extra room. Probably turn it into storage, or perhaps a room exclusively for sitting and reading with a few tables for those who wished to enjoy some of May’s wares inside as they browsed or read.
Finn should be here, he thought, turning once more to the shop itself. And Sage. They had put just as much work into this space as Ari had, and deserved to revel in the perfection before he opened the door to the public.
His feet took him out of the shop then, toward May’s. The sky was bright and the day hot, humidity clinging to the air like tension. A few townsfolk waved to him as he passed, smiling kindly at the man who now owned the bookshop on Fetterly Place.
He found Chervil seated outside at a table, a newspaper folded part way in one hand and a fizzing purple drink in the other. The old tiefling looked over the edge of his spectacles at Ari, eyebrows raising.
“You’re out and about today, Arileas! How’re things?”
“I — well.” Ari cleared his throat and shrugged, a soft laugh escaping his lips. “I don’t know. And that’s okay, I guess. But I do know one thing. The shop is ready.”
Chervil’s eyes sparkled as his face cracked into a smile.
“I would love if you and May could come and see it,” continued Ari, turning to peer inside the cafe for May. She walked out in that moment, bringing Chervil a slice of bright red cherry pie. “If you have a minute to spare, of course.”
“I have as many minutes as you need,” she said, reaching out a soft hand to pat his arm, sending a wave of warmth to Ari’s chest. “What is it?”
“He says the shop is ready,” said Chervil gruffly as he pushed himself out of his chair. “Leave that tasty pie right here on the table, I’ll be back. And we’ll need another slice or two, since we’ll be celebrating with Arileas here when we return.”
“Sounds like a plan.” May ducked inside and waved at the lone patron — Ari was unsurprised to see Calian seated within — and threw the apron around her waist over a chair nearby. “I’ll be right back; do you mind holding down the fort?”
Calian answered with a pleasant nod. “I’ll keep everything under control.”
Ari led the two of them back to the bookshop, feeling like he was riding on a large wave in the ocean, not knowing what was coming next.
He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, before he pulled open the double doors of the bookshop and stepped inside, gesturing to a variety of arcane lights he had stationed around the shop. They bathed the shop interior in a soft, cozy yellow glow that matched the sunshine streaming through the now sparkling clean front windows.
Both Chervil and May gasped, their soft intakes of breath swelling Ari’s pride up like a balloon.
“Oh, Ari,” breathed May, taking his hand. The tiny plants that always curled out of her pocket and around her clothing started to grow. Flowers bloomed along a long vine that was curled around her hair, pops of purple appearing along the gold strands, as her eyes watered.
The image of the flowers inspired Ari then. “May, would you mind helping me out with a few plants for the shop? It feels like we need to fill everything out a little bit more, and not with just books.”
“I would be more than happy to,” she answered, her eyes sparkling. She squeezed his hand once before letting go, looking around the shop.
Ari stayed by the window to scratch Sophie’s head as Chervil and May walked the shop, taking it in inch by inch. Sophie the cat purred happily leaning into his hand. An aching absence hummed inside of him, as though he could feel the ghost of Finn standing next to him wrapping an arm around Ari’s waist and pulling him in.
Gods, I hope he’s okay.
38
Emeralds the Size of Mangos
Finnean
Adrenaline and pain coursed through Finn as he lent down to Sage, helping her to her feet. The wound along his ribs throbbed painfully, and he gritted his teeth to stop gasping in pain. Sage was covered head to toe in rubble and grime from the fight, but thankfully, she was unharmed.
Her eyes sparkled with light as she laughed and threw her arms around him, saying something in his ear that he couldn’t quite catch through the pounding in his ears. She let him go and rushed off toward the others, throwing her hands up in celebration. Tiny flowers burst into the air from the tips of her fingers, showering Laera and Drift in a mirage of petals.
All around him, the party cheered, filling the now dead fey beast’s layer with noise, sound ricocheting off of the high stone walls of the cavern.
The beast itself lay dead in the corner, its massive corpse filling up the space. It was the most obscenely wondrous creature Finn had ever come across. Both its head and stomach were a dusty purple, but the rest of its body down to its misshapen hind legs and long serpentine tail was a rich midnight blue. Two incredibly massive tusks the size of Finn grew from the snarled snout, which had proven incredibly dangerous in the fight. One had been chipped on the side, sharp as a blade’s edge.
With one hand pressed against his ribs to staunch the blood from a particularly lucky dodge of his — if he hadn’t dodged at that moment, he would have been bisected in half, eerily making the events of a year ago flash through his mind — Finn sank down amidst a mound of treasure. He watched as Zantar and Khu began to sort through a pile of jewels, a glow of joy on their faces that Finn himself once knew.
Finn could only scrape together pure relief that he was alive and a deep unending want to be back with Ari. All of this journey, he kept looking over his shoulder, expecting to see Ari’s beautiful face framed with his glorious white hair, rocking side to side on his horse. It felt physically wrong, as though he was constantly wiping his skin with the slightest touch of acid, that Ari wasn’t here with him.
Now, sitting amidst more jewels and gold than he had ever laid his eyes on, the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. All of this — the adventuring, the jewels, the success of a job done — meant nothing to him if Ari wasn’t there to share it.
I should be gloriously happy, he thought, threading his fingers through a pile of gold coins next to him, letting them fall like a shower of rain. He dug a little deeper, his fingers finding an emerald the size of a mango. I should be reveling in the adrenaline, the joy of a fight.
He laughed sadly then winced, the motion shooting pain through his wound. It was always Ari. He couldn’t remember ever loving a job when he was the Shade. It was only when he had joined the adventuring party and had shared the joy with Ari that he had seen what it could be to really be an adventurer — what it meant to be truly, incandescently happy.
“I’m a fool,” he told the emerald, peering at it. It was flawless. “I’m a complete and utter fool.”
He should never have left. He could have died here, died having not had a proper goodbye with the love of his life, leaving him stranded in their bookshop with betrayal writ all over his features.
All of this — for what? A taste of what he thought he wanted? Nothing in the world should have been able to take him away from Ari. As he sat amidst a hoard of treasure, holding that massive emerald, he realized how little he wanted any of it.
Khu drifted over at some point to help Finn wrap the wound in his side and handed him a healing draught. It sent rippling shivers over Finn’s ribs and skin as its magic sealed the wound shut, his breathing a little easier as the pain subsided.
“Take whatever you like,” said Zantar as he made his way over to Finn. “You deserve it — can you believe that beast had thorns, on top of the venomous bite? If you hadn’t clocked that when you had, we would have all been dead.”
Finn smiled at him tiredly and took a few handfuls of the treasure around him, including the massive emerald and an oddly light stone that shone like an oil slick despite being pitted like raw granite about the size of Sophie the bookstore cat.
A deep and powerful ache settled into his bones as he sat there, the adrenaline fully leaving his body. Every one of his bones screamed to be bathed in warmth and wrapped in a comfy cloud. He closed his eyes and thought of the comfy bed tucked into a room inside their shop, surrounded by soft arcane light.
Gods, he thought to himself as he let out a pained groan, pushing himself up off the mound of treasure. I am really not meant to do this anymore, am I?
Sage came over practically dancing on air. Finn noticed a new set of gold jewelry draped around her horns and through her hair, tiny rubies shining periodically around the chain like minuscule eyes. Her face was still flushed emerald with the thrill of the win.
“Isn’t this just everything, Mr. Finn?”
“You’ve taken to it like chocolate on ice cream.” Finn adjusted a bit of the gold chain caught on itself over one of her horns.
Her face flickered slightly, looking back over her shoulder toward Laera and the crew. “They were talking about going onward to Alieweth,” she said softly. “There is a boat waiting for them there, and they plan to sail the Caspasian Sea. I know I should get back to Granddad, but does it make me horrible for wanting to go, too?”
“I think he would be heartbroken if you didn’t at least go and see him before you decide on a life of adventuring.”
“I should.” Her shoulders sagged as she turned back to him, opening her travel bag to show him what she had found inside. “I do have a couple jewels for him, too. And a new dagger, so that he can keep his.”
“Sage,” said Finn, putting a hand on her shoulder. “If you really want to be an adventurer, I don’t see why you shouldn’t go. We have a port in Arrowmount — if these wonderful people wanted to sail by and pick you up on their way, then…” he shrugged gently, trying not to move too fast and hurt his body anymore.
Her eyes brightened, despite a frown crossing her face. “Granddad would never let me go, though.”
“You won’t know unless you ask,” Finn answered quietly. “Sometimes that’s all it takes. Chase what you want, Sage. That’s what drives souls.”
Sage grinned, wrapping her arms around him once more. The little rubies twinkled at him as he patted her back.
“You don’t mind if I quit the bookstore?”
He laughed and let her go, winking at her. “We’ll hold your place forever, if you ever decide to come home.”
Sage laughed and let go, closing up her bag of gemstones. As she turned away to rejoin her party, she looked at him over her shoulder. “Where is your soul telling you to go, Mr. Finn?”
“If you’re no longer working in the bookstore, you can at least call me just Finn.”
“Fine, Just Finn,” she said, giving him a cheeky smile.
He breathed in long and slow, a smile spreading on his face. He knew exactly where his soul was telling him to go.
39
Heavy Burdens
Finnean
The sun cast a spray of gold across the ocean as it rippled and winked between the trees, welcoming them home. It had been a little over two weeks since he had last set foot along those cobblestones, and Finn’s heart galloped toward home almost as fast as the horses did.
Finn’s stomach twisted into knots as he and Sage drew ever closer, but despite the nerves, he couldn’t help but smile. He stopped his horse momentarily to reach down and gather a bundle of wildflowers, tucking them into the space between his chest and his shirt beneath his outer, thicker leather vest to ensure they stayed safe as they rode.
The stables outside of Arrowmount welcomed their horses in, sending both Finn and Sage off down the streets with their bags of riches and travel worn bodies. Finn carefully transferred the bundle of wildflowers to one of his bags, the tiny bulbs peeking out in a burst of color.
Sage and he fell into a comfortable silence during the last stretch toward home, which continued throughout their walk to Fetterly Place. Finn cast a sidelong glance at her, noting the pensive expression across her face as she took in her hometown with the fresh eyes of an adventurer. She’d bound her green curls in thick braid that ran between her ruby-and-gold adorned horns. And, rather than one of her usual dresses, she wore riding leathers and a simple, loose white linen shirt.
He left her to her musing as he looked around at the multicolored flags affixed above the streets. White, fluffy clouds floated behind them as they danced happily in the sea breeze, snapping gently above them. A light scent of salt clung to the air. Finn’s boots clacked familiarly along the warm cobblestones.
Home.
The two of them continued onto Fetterly Place, the ocean and lighthouse coming into view at the end of the cobblestones. From here, Finn could see the bit of freshly painted yellow that was the bookshop.
A bloom of fresh excitement and nerves started in his stomach, nodding to the familiar faces around them. He could feel the double takes as townsfolk took in the two of them, ragged from travel and carrying heavy burdens.
“I take it that word got around,” said Finn under his breath as they reached the outside of the bookstore. “I’d hurry to your granddad before he finds out you’re home from someone else.”
Sage’s cheeks took on a darker green color as she looked up at the store.
“Sage.”
She sighed and nodded. “You’re right. Of course, you’re right.”
She left his side as he took in the entrance of the shop, eyes tracing the open book carved into the doorway. The bright yellow paint along the facade of the shop reminded him of Ari’s smile, and for a moment he stood frozen, trying to ignore the pounding in his heart. The windows shone in the sunshine, having been entirely scrubbed clean of the old sea grime. Through them, Sophie the little brown cat snoozed happily in the sun bathing the windowsill.
Everything was so entirely different than when he and Ari had first laid eyes on the place, with the peeling blue-grey paint, the grime covered windows, and the rickety shop sign.
Finn’s throat tightened with emotion as he remembered that day, coming in with his love by his side. Now, he was staring at two closed doors, holding him off from Ari. A deep ache spread through his chest. Why is it so difficult to take those steps, close the distance, and open the door?
He couldn’t tell whether the shop was open or closed, but he honestly couldn’t see why Ari wouldn’t have opened the shop to the public while he was gone. They had been just finishing up the renovations when he left, so by now, the store would be more than ready.
Finn sucked in a breath, still hesitating. What if Ari didn’t want him back? He knew it was a ridiculous thought, but it brushed across his mind with a surge of anxiety all the same.
