This was the first time I'd ever been "led" through a gate. I'd read that the tunneling experience changes with time just like anything else. In this case, Hanna was leading me so I was experiencing it as she did.

Instead of the usual strong pulling sensation (I'd compare it to being flushed more than being pulled), this was more like a floating feeling. I could feel that we were moving through space, but it also felt like the world was moving around us. I had just enough time to glimpse the world folding in on itself and then unfold itself in a new location. The contrast was striking. Both the experience but also the library of Alexandretta.

Whereas the Leatherbound felt enclosed and cut off from the rest of the world, Alexandretta felt wide and open. The library had floor to ceiling windows capped with stonework archways that let in sunlight from the outside. I could see candle lamps lined the corridors for additional light, but it was impossible to imagine this place was ever dimly lit.

Hanna waved me away from the desks and towards one of the windows. "This way."

It was strange walking through a library without having to dodge oddly shaped books jutting out of the shelves. Alexandretta had none of the Leatherbound's signature piles of books left behind by patrons, goblins, vampires or whatever ill-intentioned soul decided the book carts were too much of an inconvenience.

With clear aisles to walk in, we made our way quickly and easily to one of the library's beautiful windows panes. Before I had a chance to react, Hanna placed her palm against the window and pushed through disappearing into the visage of the sunlit sands beyond.

I wondered briefly whether any job was populated with people who explained what to do before doing it. I sensed regular work would be far more disappointing than my position as a page.

I placed my palm against the glass and pushed through a rotating door. The other side was more akin to a museum than a library. Machines from across the ages were set on display. A flying machine that may have been built by Da Vinci hung from the ceiling while a classic car peppered with bullet holes sat, defeated, underneath it.

"You're here, and not a bit too soon!" A woman called out from across the room. Her long grey coat flapped as she took long strides and made it over to us quickly. "Come! We'd best make our way to the vault if we don't want to be late!"

Hanna and Lira, as she quickly introduced herself, led the way as we proceeded at a quick pace. I only caught bits of the conversation, but I was certain that Lira was an assistant librarian here and Hanna's future boss when she transferred over at the end of the year.

"How are you with tight spaces?" Lira asked. The sudden question threw me and I fumbled over the response. "Any problems with claustrophobia? Heart conditions? Fear of being crushed?"

Her questions went on and on, each getting progressively worse. But I'd played this game already.

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"I'm fine," I replied evenly. "I'd be better if someone told me where we were going in such a rush."

Hanna gave Lira a sharp look which received a burst of laughter in response.

"We, Lira and I, are going to the Maze Vault. It's the special collections here at Alexandretta. The gate twice a day for two hours each time. In between the gate shuts and we have to wait until the next opening to go in."

"You and Lira?" I asked.

"The vault is secure, but dangerous. Lira is here as my guide and I'm here to pick up a book-"

"Plans have changed," interjected Lira. "We've had some complications and your friend will have to join us on our trip into the maze."

Hanna's shocked expression matched mine. I'd seen the vault mentioned in a book and it sounded like a nightmare. The Leatherbound's moebius cone is a feature specific to it and no other magical structures in existence. It acts as both fascinating feature of the environment but also as a semi-security measure. Other libraries have resorted to more traditional measures to house rare or dangerous texts.

The Maze Vault was exactly as it sounds. A vault that is only open twice a day with an interior that resembles a maze. But the configuration of that maze changes each time the vault closes. The librarians here at Alexandretta have a map that perfect reflects the current layout of the maze and all the entry points into the maze are under tight security.

None of which explains why I would be required to enter with Lira and Hanna.

"That's simple. We've had some disappearances with patrons who enter the maze. Mostly people who enter alone or in pairs. For the time being, the powers that be have decided that any who enter the vault must enter in threes," Lira said it so simply. Like it wasn't a cause for concern.

Hanna glanced at me from the corner of her eye. "Then maybe we should do this another time. Soo didn't agree to this and-"

I felt myself say it before she finished her sentence, "I'll do it."

Lira smiled at me and gave Hanna a nudge.

The plan was simple. A book had been requested for a patron of the Leatherbound and we were heading into the vault to retrieve it. We had one hour to make our way into the vault, find the book and one hour to make our way back out. But, of course, there was a wrinkle.

"What did you mean when you said disappearances, Lira?"

Lira started to answer, thought better of it, and then stopped in her tracks. She turned to face me directly. Her voice was measured, "We've had three disappearances in the past month. All the people who disappeared were found a few days later in the desert."

The desert? Outside? Hanna and I looked at each other with the same thought.

"From what we can tell," Lira continued, "they're targeting book requests. Specifically, requests coming from other libraries."

Before I could ask more, we turned a corner and Lira hushed me. "We're here."

The vault was beautiful.

It looked more like a piece of art than anything else. A cube, or very nearly one, made of glass. Or crystal, it was hard to tell. Inside the cube was another, slightly offset. And inside that one, another and another and so on. Each corner of the cubes trapped light and split it into a glittering array of colors cascading through the air. The entrance to it all was a large wooden door carved with intricate scenes of detail no human hand could have made. It was beautiful.

"We only have a minute before it opens so listen closely," Lira urged. "Hanna has the reference card so she'll lead the way. Soo, you'll be right beside her and I'll bring up the rear." The more Lira spoke, the worse I felt. What she was describing wasn't anything less than an expedition into dangerous territory.

No sooner had I thought to back out than a loud click sounded behind me. It was sharp, satisfying, and loud enough to startle others that had gathered around us. The wooden carvings on the door shifted, sliding in and out of place like tiles. When the last piece slid into place, the door wordlessly swung open revealing the vault within.