Tobias’ eyes snapped open.
Something was wrong.
With his waking, Flynn also awoke, both of them fully awake in an instant thanks to too many years of practice. It was still night, the deepest hours of night. What was…?
Then Tobias saw that Guinevere’s sleeping bag was empty. She and Ava were both gone.
And the door to Alice’s tent was open.
He sat up, tugged on his boots, snatched up his sword, and leapt to his feet. “Find them!” he said, and Flynn darted off ahead. Tobias followed at a sprint, through the trees out to the slope of the hill, barreling down it, eyes and ears alert for any sign. He didn’t see anything, didn’t hear anything, but Flynn had picked up a scent and was tearing after it. Tobias was barely fast enough to keep up.
They hit the bottom of the hill so fast they both nearly stumbled as the ground leveled off, but training and experience kept them on their feet. Flynn shot straight ahead, towards a thicket of trees. The foliage was denser here, and they crashed through intertwining branches despite their best efforts to be nimble and stealthy.
Speed was more imperative than stealth. There was a sinking dread in Tobias’ stomach. A few little signs — Guinevere’s boots and sword both left behind, the door to Alice’s tent clearly flung open in a haphazard hurry — told a story of something out of place, something wrong.
Something dangerous.
Flynn and Tobias both broke out into the clearing at the same time. Just in time, in fact, to see…
Two Alices?
But then the Alice in the black dress was gone, and Guinevere and Alice were staring at Tobias and Flynn, both of them clearly wishing the pair of them hadn’t just crashed in on…
Well, whatever had just happened.
“What…?” Tobias started.
But while Alice, strangely, looked shaken and upset, Guinevere was the one who stepped forward and held up a finger. “Leave it,” she said firmly. Tobias raised a questioning eyebrow. “It was nothing. We just… needed a moment.” She looked at Alice, who looked back at her.
Tobias could see it written all over their faces. Alice, grateful to Guinevere. Both of them, wanting to keep whatever had just happened a secret.
Tobias was spared from making a choice about how to proceed right away, because Flynn was sniffing at the space where the other Alice had been. Tobias looked over at him, and Flynn looked back at him. An ear flick, a nose twitch, a little shift of the tail.
Flynn couldn’t pick up any scent. Not Alice. Not some other person. No magic.
Nothing at all. As if the Alice in the black dress had never even been there.
“You’re sure you’re all right?” Tobias asked, looking back at the ladies.
“Fine,” Guinevere said. She winced a tiny bit, but the way she wiggled her fingers showed that it was because her hand hurt. Probably.
“Just fine,” Alice said. Tobias was concerned, though. Alice didn’t have any of her usual pep, cheer, or sass. She was shaken, no mistake.
And she didn’t want to talk about it.
“All right,” Tobias said. “Can we at least escort you back to camp?”
“Lead the way,” Alice said.
Tobias turned back, Flynn following along. Behind him, he just barely heard Alice and Guinevere both whisper to each other, at the exact same time, the exact same two words:
“Thank you.”
Back at camp, they found Sheena just entering camp from the opposite side of the hill. She stared in shock as she saw them, and then hurried over. “What happened?” she asked.
“Apparently nothing,” Tobias said. And then it occurred to him that it was Sheena’s shift on watch duty. How had she not noticed that Guinevere and Alice had gone? “Where were you?”
“Watching on the other slope,” Sheena said. “A pack of wolves roamed rather close, so we lured them away.” There was a question in her eyes, and something put off, as well, and that was when Tobias checked himself. He’d adopted an accusatory tone without even realizing it.
“I’m sorry,” he said, shaking his head.
“We’re all just a bit tired, is all,” Alice said quickly. “Let’s just… get some sleep, shall we?” She managed to smile at Sheena, though it looked forced. “Thank you for defending us from the wolves. That would have been a rude awakening.”
“Yes,” Sheena said with a nod.
And then they dispersed. Alice gazed at Guinevere and Ava for a moment, and looked disappointed when they went back to their spot by the campfire. Then she went into her tent, and just before closing the door…
Flynn trotted right on in.
“Oh, you want to join me?” Alice asked. She glanced at Tobias, who nodded. That got the first genuine smile from her. “Thank you very much, Flynn! I’m delighted to have you.”
She closed the door. Tobias took up his position on watch duty, and Sheena and Akko went to sleep.
Tobias was glad for his turn at watch. He wouldn’t be able to sleep now, not with so many questions swirling in his mind.
——
Guinevere lay in a haze, somewhere between sleeping and waking. She fought against sleep, terrified of nightmares, terrified of the voices she might hear. But she was so tired…
In the haze of not-sleep, questions wound their way through her thoughts.
Who was the other girl, the Not-Alice? What had she meant by her promises? Could she really bring Guinevere to — but no, she mustn’t be lured by that. There was something unnerving about that girl. Guinevere couldn’t trust her.
And how had Alice known that Guinevere was awake? How had she known where to find her? What had she meant? “That’s not me!” It wasn’t just a proclamation to take at face value.
Alice knows who that girl is.
So she was there. She’s real. She isn’t Alice, and Alice was desperate to make sure I didn’t listen to her.
And…
Alice was frightened of her. More frightened than I’ve ever seen her — more frightened than I even knew she could be.
I… don’t expect to get any answers today. If she isn’t willing to open up to Tobias, she certainly won’t open up to me.
But… I’m grateful. If I’d been left alone with that girl… I think I really might have followed her. And Ava was as spellbound as I was.
Guinevere opened her eyes. Morning — and somewhat late in the morning, by how bright it was. She gazed upon Ava, curled up in a big white ball beside her. Guinevere had her arm draped over her, and gently stroked her ears. “Ava,” she murmured gently. “I do believe it’s time to get up.”
Ava took waking up much better than Guinevere did. Her ears flicked once, twice. Then she rolled over to face Guinevere. After a few pets, and giving Guinevere a few dainty kisses, she stood, did a few stretches back and forth, and was ready for the day. Even after their midnight adventure, this morning was just the same as any other for Ava.
It took Guinevere decidedly longer to really feel awake. But not as long as she usually did.
The events of last night… the nightmares… they kept tiredness at bay.
And she was left with another question, more worrying than all the others.
I’m… having those nightmares more frequently than before.
Aren’t I?
——
Alice was feeling a cramp in her knee. She really should roll over to sleep on her other side, and stretch out that leg.
But…
How could she?
She was in bed with Flynn, who was curled up against her torso, a warm, soft, comforting presence. If she rolled over, she’d ruin the moment!
Some things are more important than relieving leg cramps.
Flynn let out a sigh, leaning in against Alice.
Cute.
It was almost enough — almost — to make Alice forget all about last night.
But there was no forgetting that.
Thank goodness I reached her in time. Thank goodness I… was actually able to do something.
She shuddered, the knot of dread in her stomach that had first formed inside the Mirror only tightening. If she hadn’t woken up when she did, if she hadn’t thought to check on Guinevere rather than go back to bed…
Flynn uncurled himself and rolled over, turning his head so he could give Alice a little kiss on the chin. She giggled, and rubbed his tummy, and he happily splayed out, tongue lolling out of his mouth.
“You’re really too kind,” she said, smiling at him. Tobias was a very lucky man, having a Flynn in his life.
For a while she lay there, rubbing Flynn’s tummy. But she wasn’t really thinking about that. She was barely able to enjoy that, because she was frightened. Frightened by a question building in her, one she didn’t want to ask, but knew she must.
Finally, she sat up, and held out her hands. “Flynn,” she said. “When you and Tobias came to find Guin and I last night, did you see… did you see the girl who looked like me?”
Flynn rolled over into a more dignified position and touched his nose to Alice’s left hand. Her heart caught in her throat. For a moment she couldn’t take a breath. She felt sick, and dizzy, like the world was bottoming out beneath her, and she was falling, spinning, lost, adrift. When she finally could take a breath, she couldn’t stop herself from breathing too fast, shallow gasps, unable to take a full breath. Her vision went fuzzy, she couldn’t tell where she was, she couldn’t tell who she was…
And then Flynn kissed her on the nose. And she gasped, and pulled in a full, deep breath. Her vision cleared. Her stomach unclenched. Her heart beat faster than normal, but not so fast she thought it was going to leap out of her chest.
“Oh, Flynn,” she said, fighting tears. “What am I going to do?” She fell over him, hugging him tight, and he leaned into her, warm and soft and as comforting as any living being could ever be.
But he didn’t have answers. Neither did Alice. She dreaded leaving her bed, leaving her tent, facing others in the light of day. She dreaded every day that was to come.
But she couldn’t stay in bed forever. It was morning — late morning, at that. They had to get started soon, if they hoped to reach the Library today. She finally forced herself out of bed, got dressed, and sent up a desperate, aching prayer.
Outside, she saw Guinevere already awake, brushing Ava. She’d propped up her other arm on her rucksack, keeping her wrapped hand elevated.
As soon as Guinevere saw Alice, they stared at each other for a moment, sharing a look that spoke volumes. And Alice felt her worries ease just a little.
“And how is Ava this morning?” Alice asked, joining them with Flynn.
“She’s quite alert,” Guinevere said. “Not unlike myself.”
“It was an… unusual night,” Alice said.
Again they shared a look, and Alice saw, then, in her eyes everything she needed. It was as if Guinevere was saying without words, “I’m here if you need to talk. But if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s all right, too.”
And Alice was more grateful than she could express.
Alice sat with them, and they talked for a while — not about last night, but about dogs, and about the journey ahead. Alice was able to tell Guinevere some things about the Library, though she didn’t tell her too much.
“It really is best if you see it for yourself,” she said, giggling at Guinevere’s annoyed expression. “Honestly! And we’ll be there tonight, if all goes well. You won’t have long to wait.”
“That depends on whenever the others return,” Guinevere said, looking around the camp. She, Alice, and the dogs were the only ones there.
“Oh, they’ll show up,” Alice said. And then she looked at Flynn, and had an idea. “Oh, Flynn. You’re an expert retriever, aren’t you? Would you be a dear and go fetch Tobias and Sheena for us?”
Flynn let out a happy bark and ran off, vanishing through the trees.
“If they aren’t here, I’m sure they have a good reason,” Guinevere said.
“It can’t be all that important,” Alice said, waving a hand. “We have a journey to go on! We can’t stay here all morning and waste the day away!” She stood up. “I’m going to make breakfast. Any special requests?”
“Those omelets you made the last time were delicious,” Guinevere said.
“Omelets it is!” Alice said, beaming.
Flynn found Tobias and Sheena quite quickly. Sheena had been off by herself training, while Tobias had been scoping out the path ahead to prepare for the day’s journey. Everyone sat together for breakfast — even Guinevere, who was in a better morning mood than ever before, probably because they’d all been allowed to get a much later start to the day.
No one spoke about last night. Little hints here and there suggested that Tobias had informed Sheena of what he knew, but no one asked Alice or Guinevere about it. Instead, they talked about the Library, and Tobias pulled out maps to show them the planned route for the day.
“The Library should be here,” Tobias said, indicating a large hill quite a distance from where they’d camped.
“ ‘Should’?” Guinevere asked.
“It moves,” Alice said. “It gets restless, like a proper library.”
“We’ll give the marshes a wide berth,” Tobias explained, tracing their route along the map.
“To avoid hydras, of course,” Alice said, nodding. She smiled at Guinevere’s startled reaction.
“There aren’t any real paths to speak of,” Tobias said. “We’ll follow the trees. See how they form this back-and-forth pattern? That’s our path. Flynn will keep us on course if we lose our way.”
“Where should we camp for lunch?” Alice asked, eyeing the maps closely. “Ooh, what about there? That sounds pleasant.”
“Creacharbor is a garden of flesh-eating flowers,” Tobias said.
“Then we’ll just avoid that, shall we?” Alice asked, sitting back, happy to defer to Tobias’ knowledge.
“I’m thinking here,” Tobias said, indicating the shores of a vast lake. “It’s a good halfway point, and the path from there becomes much easier to walk.”
“Then it’s decided!” Alice said.
They cleaned up, packed up, and headed out. It was a clear, bright, beautiful day with a cool breeze carrying the lovely fragrance of flowers on the air. All was as it should be, and as good as they could ever hope for.
“It… should be here,” Tobias said.
They had reached the hill, their destination for the day, in great time, long before sunset. The hill where the Library was waiting for them!
At least, that had been the expectation.
“But instead, there’s nothing,” Alice said with a sigh. “There aren’t even signs. It must have moved quite some time ago.”
“How do we find it, now?” Sheena asked. Akko was darting here and there around the hill, sniffing and listening, as if he could find the Library so easily.
“I… don’t know,” Tobias said.
“Hold on,” Guinevere said, hands on her hips. “You mean it really moves? The Library… it… it doesn’t stay in the same place?”
“I wasn’t joking about that,” Alice said. “It never stays in the same place for too long.”
“Well… then how do we find it?” Guinevere asked, clearly still trying to wrap her head around a moving library.
“Flynn?” Alice asked, looking hopefully at Flynn. He’d been circling the hill, sniffing all over the place. But he came back to Tobias without his signature readiness to chase off after something.
“He can’t track it,” Tobias said. “If it’s been gone long enough, then it’s just in one of its other resting places.” He sat down in the grass, unslung his pack, and pulled out his maps.
“How… how far away might it be?” Guinevere asked.
“It could be leagues away,” Alice said with a sigh. “Or it could be close. Maybe. Hopefully.”
“How do you determine where it is?” Guinevere asked. She narrowed her eyes at Tobias. “What made you think it was here in the first place?”
“It runs on a schedule,” Tobias said. “Sort of.”
“It’s not like ‘Monday I’m here,’ and ‘every third Tuesday I’m there’,” Alice said. “The schedule’s really more a set of guidelines than rules.”
“So how do you find it?” Guinevere asked testily.
“I’m working on that,” Tobias said calmly. Flynn nosed his pack, and Alice realized what he needed.
“Here, Flynn, let me,” she said, opening Tobias’ pack and retrieving a blue ball. Flynn perked up right away, and when Alice tossed it across the hill, he took off after it.
Ava looked up at Guinevere, wagging her tail, and Guinevere sighed. “Go on,” she said, taking a seat. “It looks like we’ll be here a while.”
Alice retrieved a second ball from Tobias’ pack, and delighted in throwing them for the dogs. Sheena sat with Akko, playing one of her hand games with him. Tobias pored over maps, considering options.
The sun was beginning to set. Whether they determined where the Library was tonight or not, it looked like they’d have to camp here for the night.
And then one of Alice’s throws went too far, sailing over the hill and down into the trees. Flynn bounded after it, and Alice heard him crashing through the brush for a little bit.
Then it went quiet.
Alice waited.
But when Flynn didn’t come back after a few moments, she decided to look for him. Ava padded along beside her, giving the ball in her hand a few glances, but not insistent on playing like Flynn would be.
“You really are a polite lady, aren’t you?” Alice asked, smiling at her. She reached the edge of the hill and looked down the slope. It wasn’t terribly steep. Flynn wouldn’t have hurt himself running down that. “Flynn?” she called.
“What’s the matter?” Tobias asked.
“He —” Alice started, but then she saw Flynn come to the edge of the trees, just where she could see him. He didn’t have the ball in his mouth — but he didn’t look distressed, either. His tail was wagging, his ears were perked. “It seems he’s found something.”
Alice trotted down the hill to join him, Ava following along, and she heard the others coming, too. She passed through the trees where Flynn was, and followed him a little ways through the trees into a clearing.
She felt it before she saw it. A shift in the air, like there was an invisible soap bubble around the clearing, and she’d popped it. Suddenly the colors were the slightest shade… different. Like things had been darkened and brightened at the same time. The song in the air — there was always a song in the air in Wonderia, if one listened closely — altered its tempo to a whimsical pace, changing its time signature constantly, impossible to tap one’s foot along to. But it was somehow pleasant. And then there was the fragrance — sweet and rich, like chocolate, but spicy like cinnamon, with a hint of some kind of flower, deep and lovely, the kind of flower that you smell and know is a flower, but you can’t place what kind of flower it is.
Alice raced into the clearing. Could it be?
Yes. There in the middle of the clearing, bobbing in the air, was a round, blue-and-silver striped cat.
He was a very odd cat. For one thing, he was floating in midair, doing little flips and rolls in place. For another thing, he was very large, and very round — he was nearly as big as Alice was. And then there was the last thing, the most signature element that set him apart from all other cats.
He was grinning, from ear to ear. A playful grin, with a bit of mischief, accompanied by a whimsical light in his intelligent, violet eyes.
“Chesh!” Alice cried, beaming. “I’ve missed you. How’ve you been?”
The cat rolled over in midair so he was looking at Alice upside-down, and spoke in a somewhat slow, dreamy, lilting voice. “Oh, I’ve been around,” he said. He eyed Alice closely, then rolled back over to look at her upright. “You yourself are still looking like you aren’t all there.”
“Oh, Chesh,” Alice said, giggling.
The others burst into the clearing and stopped, staring, each of them just as confused as the rest. “Unlike last time, you appear to be accompanied,” the cat said, grinning at the new arrivals.
“Indeed!” Alice said. She turned with a bit of a flourish to face her companions, then gestured grandly to the floating, grinning cat. “Noble friends, it is my immeasurable delight to introduce you to my dear friend, the Illustrious, the Most Honourable, Cheshire Cat.”
“Did you forget to say ‘Immaterial’?” the Cheshire Cat asked, doing a slow backflip in midair, somehow coming back around upside-down.
“I wouldn’t dare deny you the joy of saying it yourself, Chesh,” Alice said, smiling. Oh, how this lovely Cat always served to brighten her day!
“That’s characteristically magnanimous of you,” the Cheshire Cat said. He rolled to the right, all the better to look at Alice’s companions. “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…” He started counting off on his fingers — he had fingers, all of a sudden, though he’d surely had ordinary cat paws a moment ago — and ran out at seven. “Seven. Quite the full house.”
“There are six of us,” Guinevere said, the first to find her voice, though it was small, and she was staring at the Cat in complete bewilderment. “Unless you count Alice, but you were counting her companions, weren’t you?”
“Who counts she who counts most?” the Cheshire Cat asked. And then he did a thing — one of Alice’s favorite things — that got everyone else to gasp and stare wide-eyed.
He disappeared.
Well. Most of him did. His grin still remained, perfectly white teeth without a body or face, happily grinning away in the air.
“What… what are you…” Guinevere started.
“Do I not count at all?” the Cheshire Cat asked, and Guinevere yelped and jumped, spinning around. He’d appeared behind her, fully-formed, grinning away. “I suppose you wouldn’t count on me. My reality is different from your own.”
“So you’re a… friend of Alice?” Tobias asked, eyeing the Cheshire Cat closely, but only with the slightest hint of wariness. That heartened Alice. He could see that she trusted Chesh, so he was trying to trust her judgment, even if he didn’t understand the Cat.
But then, who really could?
“I am a guest,” the Cheshire Cat said, and he pawed at the air — with normal cat paws now, no fingers in sight — as if to push himself off an invisible wall. And indeed he seemed to, as he floated away from what he pawed at, and then spun on the spot and vanished, leaving his grin behind. “Though I don’t know where I rank in her heart of hearts.” That was his grin talking, all alone, without a face or body — or in fact even a mouth inside, just the teeth moving with the words.
“You know you’re my favorite guest, Chesh,” Alice said, giggling.
“And you are grateful for that, I’m sure,” Chesh said, reappearing at Alice’s side.
“Indubitably,” Alice said.
“It would be so nice if something made sense for a change,” Guinevere muttered.
“What has brought you here?” Sheena asked. “If you’re a friend of Alice’s — or a… guest — then why have you not appeared before now?”
“Oh, he comes and goes as he pleases,” Alice said. “He is a cat, after all.”
“Like every other cat,” Chesh said, spinning round and round at a lazy, dreamy pace. “And no three cats are alike, of course. But give me four, and there’s a set.”
“I’m sorry?” Guinevere asked.
“And you are forgiven,” Chesh said. He paused his spinning, then bent down to gaze at Flynn and Ava, who were both standing beneath him, staring up at him, neither sure of what to make of him. They weren’t growling or barking, they didn’t seem to be on alert. They were just… curious. “Hello, puppies. Would you like to play a game?”
“Oh!” Alice said suddenly. “But this is serendipitous timing. Chesh, we’re trying to go to the Library, but it appears to have moved.”
“Not everyone can find the way,” Chesh said, and he sat back in midair, like he was reclining on an invisible chair, his tail curling up beneath him. “Only those who want to.”
“Well we certainly want to,” Guinevere said impatiently.
“And you always want what you get, yes?” Chesh asked. Guinevere yelped again — Chesh had vanished to reappear behind her.
“Would you stop doing that?” she asked, glaring.
“What you get, you want,” Chesh said. “Or is it the other way ‘round?”
“Whichever way you like, Chesh,” Alice said with a smile. “Will you help us find the Library?”
“He can do that?” Guinevere asked.
“Oh, he’s the best guide in Wonderia,” Alice said, and then nodded to Tobias. “No offense meant, of course.”
“None taken, if he can get us where we need to go,” Tobias said.
“I’m only Alice’s best guide,” Chesh said. He giggled, his whole body fading away, leaving the grin behind. A moment later, with a pop! the grin vanished too, and Chesh appeared atop a tree branch, eyes closed, as if dozing contentedly. “The Library, hmm?” he murmured. One eye slowly opened halfway. “Moving Library, yes. I could take you elsewhere.”
“We want to go there!” Guinevere said, looking about ready to draw her sword and challenge a cat to a duel. “Can we cease this endless rambling?”
“Not if it’s endless,” Chesh and Alice both said at the same time. They smirked at each other, and then both giggled. “Sorry, sorry,” Alice said, waving a hand at Guinevere. “I couldn’t resist. Come on, then, Chesh. Let us away to the Library!”
“Away indeed,” Chesh said. He leapt off of his branch, but it was a floaty sort of leap, slow and languid, and he stopped in midair, bobbing around like he was floating along the surface of a lake. “Close your eyes, if you want to see. In six, two, zero —”
Pop!
It was like passing through a soap bubble again, but more disorienting. Alice felt the spin — she’d closed her eyes, as advised — and then the flip, almost like how it felt when traveling through a doorway between realms. Her feet hit solid ground — and then floated back up again. She struck solid ground feet-first two, three more times, then came to a stop.
Pop!
There was the roar of rushing water — waterfalls! — all around them. And then Chesh’s voice, soft but cutting through the din. “Farewell to the Library, sweet friends,” said the Cat.
Alice opened her eyes and beamed.
The Library!
They weren’t on a hill, but instead at the mouth of a great ravine. Three walls on either side, and behind them, the rocky cliffs opening out to a glittering turquoise sea. From the cliffs poured down seven waterfalls, sparkling in the sunset.
And in the midst of the ravine, with waterfalls on three sides of it, was the Library. It was a majestic, circular structure, rising up in sixteen levels, but each level was easily four stories tall. The top levels led to a domed ceiling, green and glittering like a tortoise shell. High, arching windows gazed out at the great ravine, and all throughout the stone construction were tall, grandiose pillars and arches. Along the ridge separating the lower eight levels from the higher eight were a series of towering marble statues of robed men and women with wings unfurled, their hands to their chests, mouths open as if singing. Alice even thought, amidst the roar of the waterfalls, she could hear some distant angelic chorus chanting a heavenly song.
“Welcome, friends,” Alice said, gesturing grandly, “to the Library.”
Yes. This is a much better place to see it for the first time than that hill.
Alice kept beaming at Guinevere and Sheena’s faces. They were completely awestruck, captivated by the size and grandeur of the Library. And this was just the outside! Alice couldn’t wait until they saw what lay within. And even Tobias, who had clearly been to the Library before, was still gazing up at it in awe and reverence.
“I already bid them farewell,” Chesh said softly, to Alice more than anyone else.
Alice giggled. “Oh, I know, Chesh,” she said. “Thank you for your help. Are you going to stay a while this time?”
“I could make something of it,” Chesh said. Alice wasn’t fooled — she could see how his eyes glittered with glee when he looked at the Library. “The when or the why will come when they may.”
“You’re absolutely right, Chesh,” Alice said, nodding sagely.
The grand oaken double-doors to the Library opened, and all turned to see who they’d find. And who strode out of those doors but Elliot, Hector, and Ninian!
“There you are,” Elliot said, smiling his warm, gentle smile. “Did you have any trouble?”
“You could say that,” Guinevere said, frowning at the Cheshire Cat, who was doing lazy cartwheels through the air. “We ended up at the wrong place entirely, and needed… help.”
“Oh,” Elliot said. He looked at Tobias, and smiled rather sheepishly. “The Library moved ahead of schedule. I’m sorry. I thought you would have known.”
Tobias shrugged. “It worked out in the end,” he said. He looked up at the waterfalls, at the cliffs, at the darkening sky above. “This is one of my favorite places for it. I’m glad it’s here.”
“Yes,” Elliot said. He turned, gesturing to the doors. “The Librarian’s ready for us. Shall we?”