The hours passed by and we found ourselves in a comfortable silence at the furthest alcove. Coop was reading a book on the forest's wildlife, and I was nose deep in my own book. Absorbing knowledge of shrinking potions, and how critical each measurement was.
I had accrued a headache in the last hour, and it had only gotten worse. My brain was thumping against my skull. I dropped the book onto the table, and clutched my head. I suppressed a whimper, but Coop's eyes trailed to mine with concern.
"You okay?" He mouthed.
I focused my attention to the table, and nodded my head softly, wincing at the pain it caused. I massaged the sensitive temples, and looked out the window. the sun had set, and the pinkish glow of the sky reminded me of Coop's eyes when they shifted. I smiled softly, and scanned the library for any straggling students.
When I couldn't find any, I lifted my arms above my head and stretched them out. I groaned when I heard my shoulder pop. I looked over at Coop to see his mouth open in shock.
"What?" I asked, my eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Everyday something about you concerns me, little nymph. Let's get these scrolls back to Agnetha. We can ask her if she has anything on Nightshade, and then we are going to sleep. I am exhausted, and you are in pain." He was direct with his tone, and I shrunk back in my seat.
Coop wriggled himself out of the alcove, and stood to his full height. I watched as he mimicked my stretch, and giggled when his own shoulder popped.
"Not. A. Word. Oakley." He muttered, and offered his hand to help me out of my seat.
I scoffed, but took his hand anyway, lifting myself up. I grabbed my bag off the floor and made my way over to Agnetha's desk. I was a few steps away when Coop grabbed my shoulder, and pushed me into the cover of the shelves.
When I gave him an astonished glare, he put a finger to his lips and shushed me. His finger left his lips and pointed to a crack in the books.
I peeked through, and saw that Headmaster Vancejoy was approaching her, and my heart stopped.
"Agnetha, wonderful to see you. I wanted to have some words before you closed for the evening." Her powerful voice boomed through the library.
"Of course, Headmaster." Agnetha bowed her head to Vancejoy, and smiled up at her.
"I wanted to let you know that the Seven's Council will be arriving in a month's time. I want you to prepare all of your books on Deadly Nightshade for them, as well as gather the housekeepers. I want them to polish the spare dorms for their arrival." Vancejoy's eyes had an evil glint to them, and I shuddered.
"How long will they be staying, Headmaster?" Agnetha questioned, her tone curious.
"That will be determined later, Agnetha. Please do be vigilant with this information. Students are not to know of their arrival. I'll send you the NDAs to print out for the housekeepers." Vancejoy gave her one more glance, before she turned on her classic, Louboutin heel.
When she exited the library, I relieved sigh escaped me. She hadn't noticed us. I looked over to Coop and he had already started walking towards the sea witch. I fished the scrolls out of my bag, and scampered up to him.
Agnetha looked up from her computer, and her eyes met mine. She held out her hand, and I walked up to her. I slapped them into her palm. With a puff of grey smoke, they were gone.
"Agnetha..." I trailed off, unsure how to ask her.
Coop seemed to understand my hesitance, and cleared his throat.
"Oakley wants to know if you have any informational books on Deadly... Nightshade." His confidence wavered when she rose her brow at him.
"And why Mr. Eros, would I give such a book to students? They are under lock and key for a reason." Agnetha questioned, her brows knitted together.
"Agnetha, I'll bring you two deathcap mushrooms. We only need the book for a few minutes, not even. You can even supervise if you have to." I know I sounded desperate, but I didn't know how much we could tell Agnetha without Headmaster Vancejoy.
"Dear, those books have very sensitive information in them. Histories of the dark times. Deadly Nightshade was used in almost every one of them. In the wrong hands, that knowledge could start another interspecies war. We have been at peace for decades now. I cannot be sure of a student's intention with such text. I'm sorry."
There was no room for discussion in her words, and I couldn't argue with her. If she refused mushrooms, there was nothing we could do to get those books.
"Thank you anyway Agnetha. You've helped tremendously. If you need help around the library, let me know." I replied.
My gratitude was evident, and though Agnetha did help us a great deal, there was a looming sense of defeat when it came to the situation. Maybe Coop was right. If I slept on it. That might help uncoil the twisted confusion fogging my brain.