It was like an expedition. Or, at least what I imagined an expedition would be like. The shelves were densely stacked, sometimes requiring us to walk sideways through narrow corridors as we made our way deeper into the maze. The walls were lined with books and I imagined, a bit sadly, how nice it would be if the book we were searching for were just a bit closer.

When the door opened, the small crowd of us that had gathered slowly filed in. Lira took up the rear and kept the three of us close. Slowly the group of ten or more made our way through the maze while Lira kept a watchful eye. Eventually smaller groups broke off until it was just us walking together.

‘I don’t think it’s much further,” said Hanna. “The direction on the card is slowly starting to fade.”

I looked closer and she was right. The letters and symbols still made up an arrow, but it was starting to break apart. I could almost read the title of the book.

“Good,” replied Lira. She’d relaxed a bit after we broke off from the other groups, but she was still scanning the corners for dangers.

I looked up as we walked. From the inside, you couldn’t make out the outside of the cube. It was like staring into thousands of reflections of the outside world in perfect geometric shapes. The shifting crystal made it look like the sky was moving.

Lira’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Don’t stare too long. You’ll lose time and end up stuck in here. Or you’ll just get vertigo.”

She wasn’t wrong, I could already feel my stomach turning. “Thanks for the advice.”

I looked at Lira and something felt wrong. She had looked so confident outside, but in the vault she looked worried.

“What is it?” I asked. Lira glanced at me but didn’t answer. I pressed her.

“It’s… the group that we entered with. There were sixteen of us,” she said. I didn’t see the problem and when I said as much Lira shook her head. “I told you earlier, the powers that be have decreed that all who enter the vault must enter in groups of three.”

I was puzzled until I realized what she meant. Five groups of three would be fifteen. Someone had entered alone.

“How is that possible?” I asked. “Wouldn’t someone have noticed at the entrance?”

Lira’s eyes narrowed as she thought back. “There were fifteen of us waiting at the entrance and fifteen of us entered through the gate. But right before we split up at the first turn, I took another count and there were sixteen.”

Shit.

“Do you know any spells that might be useful in this sort of situation?” I asked. Lira looked like the type to be able to handle herself pretty well. “Maybe some sort of zapping ray?”

Lira laughed. “I do, but they’d do more harm than good. If my aim was off, the library would retaliate and defend itself. What about you?”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

The big question. “I’ve studied a few, but nothing that I’d feel comfortable using here. I am getting good at the spell of the unseen.”

Hanna turned around and raised an eyebrow. “That’s not for novices. How did you manage to find the book for it?”

That was a fair question. I’d actually found the book in a space in-between. It’d been there a while, but the spell had worked. “I’ve gotten it to work once, but… it hasn’t been the easiest spell to master.”

“Still, I’m glad you’re putting your time at the Leatherbound to good use,” Hanna said with a smile. “Maria was worried that maybe you’d been put off of learning new spells.”

Maria? Worried? That didn’t sound right. But, then again, everyone at the library had been awfully kind since my run-in with the demons. Including Maria.

“We’re here.”

I looked up and realized we’d come to a stop. Lira took a look around while Hanna gestured to one of the many books on one of the many shelves. And for a second, no one moved. I didn’t know what was going on, but I knew enough to stay quiet and wait.

Finally, Lira broke the silence. “We should separate the lock and the key.”

Hanna nodded her head in agreement while I stood there with a goofy look on my face. “I know I should probably know what that means, but I don’t.”

“The books here are the same as the books at the Leatherbound or any other magical library. They are bound to the library, or in this case, the vault,” Hanna explained. “The only way to get them past the threshold is with the card.”

Of course. That’s why there was little to no security at the libraries. It wasn’t possible to remove a book without its corresponding card.

“Soo, you take the book,” Lira spoke. “Hanna takes the card and I’m the lookout.”

No sooner had I taken the book before a loud BOOF! drew our attention up. Far above our heads, a tiny man. Falling. Fast. Right. At. Us.

I had just enough time to hug the book tight before a concussive blast knocked me off my feet and sent me sprawling which was followed by a black smoke which made my lungs burn and my eyes water.

“Allow me to introduce myself,” a voice spoke. “My name is Ghastoff, the book thief.” The smoke receded enough to reveal a man clad in dark wrappings, face hidden behind a cowl. He extended a gloved finger and pointed it at me. “And you have something I want.”

He stood like that longer than I expected. Perfectly still. No, not still. He was moving but just barely. A quiet tremor moved through him and his face betrayed his anger. My gaze over to Lira whose eyes were locked on the thief’s.

I could see her mouth working, a stream of nonsensical and incoherent words in a language I’d never heard. She paused, she drew in a sharp breath. She stopped her spell just long enough to look at me and say one word: “Run.”