To our tremendous surprise, it doesn't take us very long at all before a large shadow crosses our path. We found the Witch's tower! At least I hope so. I'm not sure if there are many looming towers around here so I'm going with the one in front of us. As we get closer I unstrap my toothclub, grabbing the door with my other hand. I nod to Heather who has her own weapon at the ready as well. I yank the door open and we go charging in. We stop almost instantly, well, we are stopped Only a few steps into the tower we nearly run knees first into a large, sturdy-looking desk. Around this desk are chests and barrels and crates. They're stacked everywhere! And along the walls of this tower are shelves stretching up so far we can't see the tops. A loud BANG from the left startles me. I jump, pressed against Heather’s side and we both look to see a large book sitting on the floor. As I scoot closer to investigate, we hear the sound again to the right, then again directly on top of it. At random intervals, books of all shapes, sizes, and colors are dropping around the room. I look at Heather in confusion, who shrugs back at me. Another book crashes on the desk in front of us and before I can safely hug the wall to avoid anything crashing down on us the title catches my attention. Over the Woodward Wall by Seanan McGuire... wait. Didn't I send in an order for that book? I find myself inching closer when an older woman pops her head up over the desk. I yelp and jump back but she seems unfazed. The woman's hair is up in a messy bun, barely held in place by a twig with little green leaves sprouting from it. Her half spectacles are perched dangerously on tip of her nose and her face is streaked with smears of ink. She picks up the book, my book I think, and looks it over before jotting something on an impossibly long scroll in her hand. She shuffles around the desk to one of the other recently fallen books and repeats the same motions. Another book crashes down just missing me before she finally looks up at us. She doesn't even seem startled to see strangers in the tower and doesn't even notice my tooth club. This seems like something I would notice, but I can see the day she appears to be having so I understand.
"Everyone had so many reservations and preorders that I asked the Wizard for help... but he gave me the wrong spell and now the books won't stop falling!" She seems on the verge of tears as she speaks, looking at us without really seeing us. She's definitely about to come undone.
Oh.
She sets her lips in a firm line, investigates the book recently dropped at my feet, and moves on to the next. After moving to what is hopefully a safe place against the wall I look at Heather who I can only assume is mirroring my same annoyed and angry expression.
That jerk.
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