Page 95 of Autumn L.A.W

Duke folded his arms. “Yes, Mother. How did you know?”

“A mother knows when her son is in trouble—especially a magical mother. How did you get in that predicament?”

“It’s my fault,” Duke said. “I was distracted when we landed. I didn’t check the surrounding area.”

“What could have possibly distracted you so?” his mother asked.

He glanced at Victoria, and they shared a shy smile.

“Oh! It’s like that?”

“It’s like none of your business, Mom.”

“Well, I guess my purpose has been served. I’ll just go home and read a book. Oh wait…” She gestured to the many shelves filled with books.

Duke rolled his eyes. “Would you like to join us in our search for the ghost orchid, mother?”

“How nice of you to ask, but no. I don’t feel like tromping around in the heat and humidity, waving away bugs.”

“My mother is a bit of a princess,” Duke fake-whispered to Victoria behind his hand.

“That’s all right. I’m a bit of a princess too”, she said. “At least, I was before this crazy week.”

“And you will be again, after you get your body back.” Duke sighed.

“I don’t know… I think this experience has changed me. I don’t think I will ever be the same rude, spoiled brat.”

Amelia sashayed over to the shelves and scanned a few titles. She disappeared behind one of the stacks and eventually brought an old, weathered volume to her son. “Have you read this one?”

He took it, glanced at the title, Goddesses’ Wisdom, and thumbed through some of the pages. “No, I don’t think I have. Hmmm… I thought I knew every book here.”

“This is from the secret shelves. Don’t tell me your father didn’t tell you about those.”

“Uh, no. He didn’t. What secret shelves?”

Amelia took Duke by the hand and led him to the furthest stack against the wall. She pulled one of the books like a lever, and a secret door opened, revealing one more bookcase, recessed into the wall.

Amelia reached out and ran her fingers along the spines of the books, her eyes scanning the titles. “Your father used to call this the Forbidden Collection,” she said. “He believed that these books were dangerous and should never be read by anyone who didn’t hold the library’s best interests at heart.”

“I—I thought there was a lost storage container somewhere. Are you telling me the forbidden books were here all along? I wonder why he kept that from me.” Duke had always known that his father was a serious man, but why would he hide books from his own son? “Why did he think they were dangerous?” he asked.

Amelia's expression turned grave as she pulled out a thick leather-bound book from the shelf. “These books contain knowledge that could change the world,” she said, her voice filled with reverence. “They hold secrets that have been kept hidden for centuries - secrets that could give someone immense power. Do you know how many men would kill for these?”

Duke's eyes widened. “But why would Father hide them from me?”

Amelia's face softened as she placed a hand on Duke's shoulder. “Your father was a wise man, Duke,” she said. “He knew that some people would do anything to get their hands on those books. He didn't want to put you, or anyone else, in danger. Please understand, it wasn’t because he didn’t trust you. He just wanted to protect you, as do I. Promise me you won’t even look for those books unless the world is ending—or needs to end.”

Victoria gasped. “Needs to?”

Duke nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. He looked around the library, taking in the hundreds of shelves of books that held so much knowledge and power already. And yet, he couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment that he would never be able to read all the occult books in the world.

“But why were you able to open the forbidden shelf, and I wasn’t? I’ve handled every book in here.”

Amelia smiled reassuringly. “Fear not, Duke,” she said. “Your father left behind clues on how to access these books. He only wanted you to know about their existence if it became an absolute necessity and knew you’d protect them.”

“Clues? What kind of clues?”

“Well, me, for one. Let me show you how to pull the lever without taking the book off the shelf.”