“Did you have a chance to scout this place at all?” Zyneth asks.

I step down the spiral staircase, cautious of any more spiders popping up. “Not much. It took a lot more time to walk around here when I was teacup sized.” But I explain what I do know: The fire-extinguisher floor is beneath us, and I traced the source of the magic circuit to at least another floor beneath that.

We make it back to the water room in record time—god, being small sucks—and then continue heading down. Now that we’re in new territory, Zyneth takes the lead, tiptoeing ahead, peeking around corners, and grimacing every time my misfitted boots knock clumsily against the floor. Look, he could have gotten me something nicer.

Instead of exiting onto the second floor, however, the spiral staircase continues to wind down. By the time the light at the bottom of the curve indicates an opening, we must be at least four floors beneath the surface.

The stairs open out onto a narrow pathway that circles the lip of a massive pit. It’s the Library in reverse, with the slope spiraling into the earth and out of sight. Instead of bookshelves, however, the path itself is bare. All along the corkscrew, portions of the wall shine with purple light, twinkling like stars as they disappear down into the dark. As with the public side of the library, lines of spider silk crosshatch the open space, along which sentry spiders skitter back and forth to check on the lights in the wall.

And at the center of the giant shaft, caught in the midst of this web, is a small, red crystal. I briefly flicker Inspect on as a spell, just to be sure, and lines of magic appear abruptly within my vision; sure enough, thousands of threads in the walls and floor all trace back to it. The magical source is hardly the size of my core, but it shines with the brightness of a sun.

[Arcana crystal identified,] Echo says.

I turn Inspect off again so the crystal doesn’t wash out the rest of my vision. “What is this place?” I ask.

“An excellent question,” Zyneth says, also marveling at the sight. “I’ve heard the Athenaeum deals in more than just knowledge, but this is something else.”

Zyneth’s hijacked sentry skitters forward, breaking through our awe, and we follow after it. It moves and stops, seemingly in random patterns, but its haphazard progress prevents us from crossing paths with any of the other spiders.

“What are those lights in the wall?” I ask as we begin making our way around the spiral. There’s no guard rail along the inner edge of the trail, so I hug the wall. Zyneth seems less bothered by the cliff, but even he keeps a few feet away from the drop-off.

“Not lights,” he says, eyes on the nearest swatch of purple we approach. “Barriers, I think.”

As we come upon the first one, I can see he’s right. Similar to the barrier we passed to enter the library in the first place, a portion of the wall is replaced with a sheet of transparent purple light, behind which is a small room. In that room is an Indiana Jones-type pedestal, upon which sits a simple brass bracelet.

“What the Expletive is that?” I ask.

“I’m not sure,” Zyneth admits. He glances at it as we pass, but doesn’t stop. “An enchanted item, perhaps. It must be valuable to keep locked in there, though why Yedzaquib is storing such treasures here, I am uncertain. If I had direct access to it, I might be able to cast a spell which checks what sort of magic it has been enchanted with.”

Oh right. I suppose I can do that, too. I really need to use my Check more just by default—and Inspect, now that I have that. I do that at the next barrier we pass, only twenty or so paces beyond the first.

[Check,] Echo says as I make out the contents of the room. This one is only the size of a window, and inside is a ring with a yellow stone. [The Ring of Denwana. It is said that in the Queen’s pursuit of eternal youth, she bound the souls of all one hundred of her closest attendants to her ring. Whether the magic was successful remains uncertain, as the Queen—and every bearer of the ring since—perished of remarkable circumstances within a year of acquiring the artifact.]

Holy shit. “They are not here because they are valuable,” I say, Checking the next item we pass. It’s a pendant that imbues the wearer with superhuman strength, at the gradual cost of their sanity. “They are here because they are cursed.”

“What?” Zyneth asks. “Are you sure? How do you know that?”

“Echo told me,” I say. “She can give basic descriptions of things that I focus on.”

Instead of looking impressed, Zyneth frowns. “And this is information you had no knowledge of prior?”

“No,” I say.

Zyneth hums thoughtfully. “This Echo of yours knows more than she should.”

I mean, I guess so. Her teaching me things seems like the point, right? I’d never really considered how she knows what she knows, but there’s a lot about magic I still don’t understand.

“Well whatever she is, she is pretty useful,” I say. Echo, Check every object that comes within range and let me know if any of them are an arcana crystal.

[Affirmative,] she says.

I relay my plan to Zyneth.

“That is useful,” he admits. “Do you suppose it has something to do with you being from this other world?”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“I doubt it,” I say. “We did not have these Echoes on my world. Although it does seem strange I am the only one with one floating around in my head.”

“That’s something else we could look up in the library—if we somehow make it out of here without being caught or banned for life,” Zyneth adds. His smile is teasing, but also tight. Maybe that’s how he copes with being here despite his misgivings.

“I suppose,” I agree. “Of course, if I make it back home after this, we will never know.”

Zyneth’s smile falls away. “Of course. Your home.”

The way he says those simple words twists an invisible blade in my soul. That’s why we’re doing all this, isn’t it? I shouldn’t have to feel guilty for wanting to get my body back—for wanting to get my life back.

I squeeze a hand into a fist, the glass clinking as each finger makes contact. “You do not have to do this, you know.”

Zyneth looks at me. “What do you mean?”

“Risking your life here to help me,” I say. “And when I go to Emrox, too. You do not have to come. It is dangerous, and you will not be needed for the trip. I can achieve the same thing alone.”

“I will not leave you alone with that shark,” Zyneth growls. “Don’t trust Gillow as far as you can throw them. They might take you to Emrox to mine that null arcana you promised, but they’re sure to do something duplicitous once you’re there. They’d have no incentive to allow you to go back to your world when they could instead continue to use you to extract expensive resources.”

“Is that the reason you are coming?” I ask. “To make sure Gillow does not win?”

“You idiot,” Zyneth snaps, and I turn to him in surprise. “It’s to make sure you’re safe.”

Embarrassment and shame burn through me. Why does he care so much? Of course no one would want to see a friend get hurt if they could help it, but we’re about to never see each other again anyway.

I’m about to leave him.

The silence between us stretches as our feet thump dully down the slope. Finally, Zyneth sighs.

“There are other options, you know. We could leave now, before anything is stolen, before we take steps down a path we can’t retrace.”

“But Gillow—” I start.

“Screw Gillow,” Zyneth snarls. “And screw Emrox! You could always stay here. With… with people like Noli and I, who care about you. We could find a way to manage the predator. There must be something in the Library that can help.”

There’s a part of me that wants that. A big part of me that is looking forward to seeing Noli again, to just enjoying a quiet conversation with Zyneth, to not worrying about voids or thievery or ancient magic.

But I shake my head. “I cannot live like this,” I say, gently. I don’t fault him for not understanding. I hold out my hand, watching the movement of the floor through the warped glass. “I cannot live this shadow of a life. No food, no sleep, no… companionship. It is a nightmare, Zyneth. A living nightmare I cannot take a break from, even for a moment.”

Zyneth looks at my hand, then looks away. “I’m sorry. I understand what you are dealing with, even if I cannot experience it myself. But surely, there must also be spells—something—to create a new body for you? We need only take the time to look.”

Is that something I’m willing to consider? Creating a new organic body—a living body—that isn’t my original? The idea makes me uncomfortable. Better than a glass body, of course, but would it really ever feel like me?

“I… might consider it,” I say, hesitant.

Zyneth looks up. “Really?”

“As a last resort,” I add. “If Emrox does not pan out.”

His face falls in disappointment—and fuck does it not feel great to be responsible for disappointing Zyneth—but I’m saved from hearing his thoughts when Echo chimes in.

[Arcana crystal detected.]

“Here it is,” I quickly say. I gesture to the barrier Echo indicated, the next window we’re about to reach. By now we’re several rotations down the loop, the ceiling several floors above us.

This barrier is wider and taller than the others, reaching the floor in the shape of a freight entrance more than a window. When we get closer, I can see why.

Instead of another small room with a pedestal upon which sits some trinket or jewel, this barrier blocks off a large passageway which curves out of sight. I can make out more barriers lining the walls inside. I guess the stuff in here needs double the protection, which is both a sign we’re on the right track, and a problem.

“Well,” I say, “Now what?”

Zyneth snorts. “Wasn’t it you who was just encouraging me to leave? You said you could do this on your own, I distinctly remember.”

I puff up indignantly. “I was just giving you an opportunity to voice your opinions.”

“Because I am the one who so often struggles with communication,” he says, smiling slightly. It’s a relief, somewhat, to see the cloud over him dissipate. This lighthearted, teasing, somewhat aloof Zyneth is the Zyneth I know.

“Alright then,” I say. “I will figure something out on my own.”

Zyneth gestures me forward with an amused flourish, stepping back to give me space as I step up to the field of magic.

I Inspect the barrier, and sure enough the spell powering it leads back to the arcana crystal at the top of the spiral. I Check it again, just to make sure there’s no nasty surprises, then gingerly reach out to touch the magic. It’s like pressing my hand against a brick wall. There’s no give, no indication enough force would allow me to slip through.

I feel the predator’s attention shift back over to my actions. I guess it’s done sulking. Its hunger creeps through our bond, which makes me a bit irritable too. My mana is down to 24/56, thanks to all these Refraction and Inspect spells—not to mention the predator taking its own mana tax each time.

Haven’t you had enough? I ask. But even as I ask, it gives me an idea. If you really want more, can you take it from this field?

The predator swells to the forefront of my mind, eagerly investigating the offer to consume more magic. It instinctively tugs at the void, but I’m already keeping a tight hold on the magic, and my will is stronger.

It needs the void to absorb magic. I must give it control.

I grimace. We could always do the mind merge thing again, but I’m not wild about that prospect. I think I can slip it just enough control to let it tap into the barrier and nothing else. If it tries anything, I should be able to wrest control easily once more.

The predator hisses at the thought. It just wants magic. It needs more. Always more.

Yeah, yeah, I say, relinquishing the tiniest bit of void to the predator. I get it. You’re a right glutton.

The predator ignores me, eagerly seizing the void. The shadows in the joints of my hand bleed forward like streams of ink, hooking into the magic of the barrier. The predator pulls at the magic, funneling the mana away from the field. The energy jolts through me, crackling through our shared void. I flinch, bracing my other arm against the barrier as the predator fills with an elation that echoes back into me.

Zyneth steps forward, reaching out an uncertain hand. “Are you alright? What’s happening?”

“Fine,” I say, strained. It’s hard to focus on talking when it feels like a live line of electricity has been wired up to my soul. But instead of being electrocuted, I feel energized. Paralyzed by power, overwhelmed by the predator’s desire and satiation. It’s intoxicating, and it’s too much.

The barrier flickers near my hand, but it doesn’t go down. This isn’t working. That’s enough, I say to the predator. It ignores me, pulling from the barrier as another wave of exhilaration crashes through me.

“Enough!” I jerk my hand away, wrenching the void from the predator’s grasp as I stumble back from the wall—and, I realize a moment too late, straight toward the edge of the cliff.