Theo scowled as we headed down the road. “Why books? The bakery has cookies.”

“Books contain knowledge and knowledge helps us live better,” Elliot stated. “It’s how I’ll be accepted into the magic tower.”

“Like studying will help with that. If anyone is going there, it’s none of us.” Theo grinned, sharing a look with me as if to say, “I’m so good at keeping you safe.”

“That doesn’t make sense, because studying does help. And I’ll earn their notice. I’m sure. They’ll respond to my letters eventually. They’ll have to.” Elliot shoved the shop door open and we entered a space lined with bookshelves. But instead of being filled with books, most shelves only held a few books, each on their own bookstand.

A young woman wearing glasses stood from her seat behind a table in the middle of the space. “Hello Elliot. Your book isn’t transcribed yet. It should take another week.”

“I’m not here about that. I wanted to show Maddie the books here. Maybe she’ll appreciate what her brother doesn’t.” Elliot led us down a wall of shelves and stopped at one that looked geared towards a younger audience. He waited and I wondered what for until the woman approached with a stool.

Elliot stepped onto it and reverently picked up a book with a man wearing a gold crown overlooking a wide expanse of forest.

“An excellent first read. If you are interested in purchasing this book, we do have a copy prepared for immediate use. All the books in this room are for display only. We have scribes that copy the books so they can be bought, and if you ever come across a book, we will pay to replicate it,” the woman said, mostly to me, but the bits about money she glanced at Mother for. “Please let me know if you have any questions and please don’t damage any books, or you’ll be banned from the shop.”

One of Theo’s eyebrows lifted at the idea.

“We’ll be careful,” I told her and gave Theo a “you better be good” look. “Right?”

Theo sighed. “Right.”

The woman exchanged a glance with Mother before giving us space.

Elliot clambered off the stool to show me the book. It was short and the title, The Beginning of a Dynasty, led me to believe it fit in the historical genre.

He turned a few pages, as I faced a conundrum. I could read it, but I had never been taught. I had never seen a book until now, after all. There was no way to explain such an ability. “What do you do with this?” I asked, ashamed of myself. I wanted to read it, but couldn’t. My parents worried enough about my magic ability. How would they fare with how much I knew from birth? No, I wouldn’t dump that stress and fear on them. It was my secret, my burden to carry.

Theo grinned, assuming I agreed with his estimated worth of books.

“I’ll read it for you. Honestly, how can you get by in life without books? They contain so much information. Like our history and tales of famous elementalists, kings, and queens.” Elliot flipped back to the first page. He cleared his throat. “Azuria rose away from oppressive Lystrandia, clear from the emperor’s greedy hands. Those who fled from the war-torn south settled in what was wilderness with the promise of so much more. They built up a nation through their merits and hard work. They won more and more followers who wanted peace as they focused on building up a great place to live. They prospered, building a wall to keep us safe from the threats of Lystrandia and beyond. The people became great, and they chose one wise man to lead as king. Azuri was the first king and through his rule, led our people through five wars, proving Azuria could stand on its own.” Elliot faced me, eyes brimming with anticipation. “See? Isn’t it fascinating? Don’t you want to learn more?”

“I’ve heard bedtime stories about King Azuri, but I’d like to read this book to learn more,” I said honestly. I had heard about Azuri slaying monsters and facing off against strong foes from neighboring kingdoms. I knew of him as a warrior, but I wondered if there was more to decipher in those pages.

“Maybe we can save up and buy you a copy later. Maybe for your birthday if you’re good,” Mother said with the slight wince of being unable to give me what I wanted. I knew we weren’t well-off, but not destitute by any means. With the lack of mass production of books, it made sense they might be a bit pricey.

“I can wait. It’s okay.” I smiled to show it really was all right. I even turned the smile to Elliot. “Thank you for bringing me here and reading for me.”

Elliot’s eyes widened. He lowered the book as his cheeks flushed. Did my gratitude embarrass him? He must’ve expected me to show attitude and dismiss his efforts, but he had revealed more about this world, a great gift to me, and I refused to be sour about that. He returned the book to its stand, title facing out. He cleared his throat, head turning away from me. He stepped off the stool and said, “Are we going to the bakery now? Or should I point out more interesting books?”

Theo hauled me out without giving anyone the chance to respond. Today seemed to be full of promise and little snippets of what I wanted to pursue.

The bakery smelled divine with freshly baked breads and cakes, and the temptation Theo craved, cookies. He gave Mom puppy dog eyes but she shook her head. “You already got a snack. I won’t let you ruin your lunch.”

“The meat sticks basically were lunch. This is the snack,” Theo did his best reasoning.

“Nice try.” Mom led me away to window shop through the drool-inducing concoctions.

Theo and Elliot didn’t follow, sticking near the cookies section. Little cakes caught my eye, but I didn’t want to pressure Mom to spend more than we could afford. I didn’t know what our finances were like, but I knew my birthdays had been simple affairs, with my favorite soup for dinner and getting new socks and an outfit or two that usually were not new. I never complained because they tried to make the day special for me. Dad always took the day off and we all spent time together. That meant more than blowing out candles or opening any fancy presents. The treat today came simply from exploring parts of the town, and it wasn’t even my birthday.

We rounded back to Theo and Elliot, who were chewing.

“What are you eating?” Mom demanded.

“It’s my treat. You can ask. I paid.” Elliot held up his hand, revealing two small cookies.

“You didn’t need to do this,” Mother said as I hesitated.

“It’s not a big deal. Take them.” Elliot raised and lowered his hand impatiently.

“Thank you.” I took one and Mother took the last.

Sweetness flooded my mouth and I savored the sugary goodness until it was gone.

“Thank you, Elliot. Should we head back now?” Mother asked.

“But there’s so much more to look at!” I protested.

“You can come here again with Theo if you promise to stay together and be good,” Mother said as we left the store.

“Okay!” I grinned at Theo.

“It’s not to see that elf again, is it?” he checked.

“Why can’t I be friends with him? I want to be so I will.” I stuck my tongue out at Theo. He gaped at me and I wanted to laugh at his expression, but contained it within a smile.

As we neared the square, my eyes whizzed around until I found Mot. He danced with an older lady elf, stomping his foot in time with the beat and moving along the same steps with the other dancers.

He must have been too caught up in the dance, not looking our way as we passed. I swallowed the disappointment and sulked up to the point where we parted ways with Elliot. The way home came too fast. I hoped it wouldn’t be long before I got to explore again.

“Should I even make lunch if you already ate?” Mom asked as we entered our cabin.

“I’m hungry,” Theo said. “Can we have chicken?”

“Maybe tomorrow. I’ll make some soup.” Mother went to the kitchen.

I climbed onto the cushioned living room bench, longing for town and the excitement and information kept there. How did I go about “learning” to read? “Mom? Do we have any books?”

“Your father has a few, but you have to get permission to touch those. Do you really want a book of your own? If you aren’t going to read and take good care of it, you shouldn’t want one,” Mother called as I heard cupboards opening and closing. “You don’t need to learn how to read. I’ve gotten by my whole life not reading.”

That struck me. “Mom? You don’t know how to read?” I had never heard a sadder sentence.

“No, and I’m fine. I learn important things from other people, who hear it from other people. I know about the founding of Azuria. I can tell you all about it.”

“So you don’t know how to read either?” I asked Theo.

“I know some. Elliot teaches me. He can teach you too,” Theo answered despite his attention being fixed on the blocks he built up into a tower.

Perhaps Elliot wouldn’t question how I grasped letters so quick. Maybe I could pretend to learn from Papa too. If he had books, surely, he knew how to read them.