Page 16 of Tempest Awakening

Aurelia’s gaze shifted to the young mage, her eyes narrowing further. "Ah, yes. Wesley. The bumbling apprentice. I should have known you'd be a part of this nonsense."

Wesley flushed crimson, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Lady Aurelia," he began, his voice quavering slightly. "This is Tempest Whittaker, the new human archivist Moriyana hired. I was sent to give her a tour of the grounds."

Aurelia's lip curled in distaste. "A human, working amongst our most precious artifacts and tomes?" She shook her head slowly. "Mark my words, young Wesley, this will not end well. The Grand Luminary has made a grave mistake in allowing this... this interloper to sully our hallowed halls."

With a dismissive sniff, she turned on her heel. An oppressive silence hung in the air, broken only by the faint crackle of the sconces' flames.

"Don't mind Lady Aurelia," Wesley said at last, offering me a tentative smile. "She's... well, she's not exactly fond of humans. Or anyone who isn't a high elf, for that matter." He grimaced apologetically. "I'm afraid you'll encounter more than your fair share of prejudice here."

I exhaled slowly, willing the tension to seep from my shoulders as I returned his smile. "It's alright. I expected as much, to be honest." I paused, arching a brow at him. "Although, I must admit, being called an 'interloper' stung a bit."

He chuckled, some of the tension easing from his features. "Well, you've got to admit, it's a rather impressive insult. Very... poetic."

I couldn't help but laugh at his earnest assessment. In that moment, the weight of Aurelia's disdain seemed to lift. If I could weather my mother's constant belittling, I could certainly handle a few sneers from a prejudiced elf.

"So," I said, clapping my hands together. "How about that tour you promised me? I'd love to see more of this place—the good, the bad, and the downright weird."

Wesley's eyes sparkled, and he gestured grandly down the corridor. "Well, in that case, Miss Whittaker, allow me to be your guide through the wonders and oddities of the Dragonne Library. Just try to keep an open mind—and watch your step. You never know what you might encounter around the next corner."

With a wink, he set off down the hall, and I hurried to catch up.

"So," Wesley began, "I never got a chance to properly introduce myself back there. I'm Wesley Fairchild, a telekinetic mage and intern here at the Dragonne Library."

He glanced at me, his hazel eyes alight with curiosity. "I have to admit, when Moriyana announced she'd hired a human archivist, I was a little... well, skeptical."

I arched a brow at his admission, but he hurried on before I could respond.

"Not that I have anything against humans, of course!" His cheeks flushed, and he rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. "It's just... you're the first one to work here, and well, some of the others aren't exactly thrilled about it."

A wry smile tugged at my lips as Lady Aurelia's sneer flashed through my mind. "You don't say," I murmured dryly.

Wesley grimaced. "Yeah, I guess that was a bit of an understatement." He paused, his gaze searching mine. "But I want you to know, not all of us feel that way. Now that I’ve met you, I’m excited to have you here."

There was a sincerity in his words that caught me off guard, and I found myself studying him more closely. There was an earnestness about him that I found endearing.

"So, Wesley," I began, "how did you end up here?"

"Well, you see, I come from a long line of mages," he explained, his hands gesturing emphatically as we walked. "My parents were both powerful sorcerers, and they started training me in the mystic arts from a young age. But... well, let's just say I wasn't exactly a prodigy."

A rueful chuckle escaped his lips. "I was always the one struggling to keep up, the one who couldn't quite seem to mastereven the simplest of spells. My parents were... disappointed, to say the least."

"I'm sorry," I murmured. "I know what it's like to feel like a disappointment."

Wesley's gaze met mine, and in that moment, I saw a kindred spirit—someone who understood the sting of never being good enough.

"Anyway," he continued, clearing his throat, "when I came of age, I decided to strike out on my own. I'd heard about the Dragonne Library and its vast collection of knowledge, and I knew it was where I belonged. So, I applied for an internship, and... well, here I am."

"Well, Wesley," I said, offering him a warm smile, "I think you and I are going to get along just fine."

His answering grin dispelled the lingering shadows of Aurelia's disdain. “What would you like to see first?” he asked.

I hesitated, suddenly realizing how little I actually knew about my new workplace. "You know, I'm not even sure what all is here. I mean, I know it's a library, but..."

Wesley's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh! Of course, I forgot you're new to all this. Well, the Dragonne Library is actually much more than just a library. It's an entire complex, and most of what goes on here isn't common knowledge outside these grounds."

My curiosity piqued, I leaned in closer. "What do you mean?"

Wesley glanced around, then lowered his voice. "The library itself is just one part of the grounds. We're actually in a secluded sanctuary, protected by a major magical ward. There's a whole world hidden here."

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