"It makes sense. After all, if the room didn't exist until you arrived at the Library, it seems like the most likely location to find answers would be where everything already is."

  "I agree. Gwen, I'd like you to come with me. I don't like you out of my sight with everything going on in Lynia.

  "I'm sorry, Rhin. I don't think it’s a good idea.” She smiled to take the sting out of her words, but I felt it there, nonetheless.

  "Are you sure I can't change your mind?"

  She shook her head, her unbraided hair tumbling down her shoulders. It looked like a waterfall as it fell toward her lap. "It's safer for us here. Besides, there's nothing I could do to help you at the Library. We both know I’m right."

  She watched me with soft eyes.

  Reluctantly, I agreed. "I want you to take my book in that case."

  She wrinkled her forehead. "Which book?"

  I swung my satchel around, pulling out the two-way book Jarid had given me and passed it over.

  She accepted it at first but once she recognized it, immediately tried to hand it back. "Oh no. I can't accept this. It's too important. What if—"

  I held up a hand. "Jarid, you have your copy, right?"

  He blinked owlishly. Was he even awake enough to be having this conversation? A split second later, he nodded. "I do."

  I smiled triumphantly. "We’ll have a copy and you’ll have a copy. This way, you can contact us. I won't worry so much about you not being with me then."

  She rolled her eyes. "We're completely safe here.” She gestured to the campsite. “We have a secure set up, I have three wolves and a soldier, not to mention we're defended on three sides by mountain."

  I understood the confidence in her words, but I couldn't shake the nagging feeling splitting up would cause problems later. If she kept the book, I had no arguments left. "We should get going if we’ve decided. Jarid? Hurry up, eat some meat, and pack what you need."

  He nodded, taking one of the sandwiches a plate of meat from Will, and wolfed it down as the three wolves looked on with sad, puppy-dog eyes.

  The sun was just rising when we left the campsite. My heart fluttered with anticipation at the idea of what I might fine. Now that I had a better understanding of the Mind Ring, I was excited to begin researching.

  We entered the building easily, hardly even garnering a glance from the apprentices or patrons at the Starside entrance of the Library.

  To my shock, the Suun Room was locked.

  "What is this?" I wasn't aware I'd spoken aloud until he answered me.

  "It looks like a new puzzle. I've never seen this happen before. At least, not once a room has opened. Try your key, maybe?"

  I examined the door blankly, having already tried the handle. Shaking my head, I did as he suggested, pulling the key from around my neck. Not only could I not insert it into the lock, I couldn't even see a lock to insert it into.

  "What good is a key if there's no keyhole?" I looked from my key to the door. Other than an unfamiliar set of pictures, there was nothing directing me what to do.

  "Why don't we go speak with Kramson? Maybe he can tell us what happened." He wore a resigned look on his face. "Who knows? Maybe they figured out how to lock it again. This could be their way of ensuring you don't have access if they don't."

  Maybe, but that didn't feel right either. Sighing, I turned around, heading down the hall. "We may as well. If we have to do more puzzles, it would be good to make sure it isn't something Kramson, or the other Librarians, set to keep us out. I imagine that would cause even more problems for us."

  When he winced, I knew I wasn’t far off in my line of thinking.

  We found Kramson in the reading room off the entrance. When he looked up to see me standing in front of him, his face dropped. As he stood, he crossed his arms and gave us both a thorough examination. Speaking slowly, with an irritated expression, he greeted us. "So. You’re back. What do you want?"

  It was easy to surmise he didn't care what I wanted and questionable whether he was going to help based on his closed posture.

  I glanced at Jarid, but he kept his eyes down. Asking for help was clearly going to be up to me. Although he had a better relationship with Kramson than Luban, he didn’t have the same liberties as I did. "The Suun Room is locked. We can't get in. The guards are missing, and I can't see a place to use my key. Do you know why this happened?"

  Kramson uncrossed his arms, stepping toward me. "You broke the rules."

  I blinked, shaking my head. I stepped back from the anger I heard in his voice. "No, I didn't. Wait. What rules? I haven't done anything. Only what the Library wanted."

  I felt as if I had just disappointed one of my parents, except I had no idea how I had messed up. I hadn't done anything other than follow the clues the Library gave me.

  He shook his head, a deep sigh escaping. "You brought outsiders in."

  The simple words provided no answers. I tried to unravel them, wondering if it was a code of sorts.

  "Outsiders?" Jarid's blurted question attracted his attention.

  He raised an eyebrow. "Outsiders. Because of her, a soldier and a wolfrunner are privy to extremely private, valuable information. No one outside a Librarian is supposed to know any of this.” His eyes narrowed. "Including apprentices, although of all the mistakes, that is far less critical than allowing non-scholars in."

  I protested, confused about the timeline. “I didn't know. Besides, they helped me find the Mind Ring and the Heart Stone. Why would the Library be angry about them now?"

  How could I convince Kramson to let me back in? Then again, if the Library was why I was locked out, I was in serious trouble. I'd seen for myself once the Library said no, it meant no. All the excitement I’d felt on my way to the Library from the mountain drained away, seeming to evaporate into the Library itself. How could I have known?

  Kramson was still looking between us with an odd, unreadable expression when a commotion at the door caused his head to snap up. His mouth firmed into a solid line of acceptance.

  I turned, only to have my jaw drop.

  Will and Gwen were being dragged in against their will, along with the wolves. The entire situation was shocking, most of all seeing the wolves in the guarded, jostling crowd. When a guard grabbed Jarid by both elbows, pulling him toward the others, my inaction melted.

  With the strength of indignant anger, I slapped at his arm. "What are you doing? Let go of him immediately."

  Kramson waved a hand. Everyone went still as he watched me with a solemn blankness more frightening than mere anger. "I cannot. There are rules in the Library and I must enforce them. She knows more than we, and so we must obey." He bowed his head, making another gesture with his hand. Firm but gentle hands grabbed my arm as I whirled to find a guard tugging me toward the others.

  “Kramson!” We both heard the fear in my voice, and he looked up briefly.

  Sadness flickered over his face before he turned to leave. "I truly am sorry. I hope everything will work out."

  As Kramson walked away, the unyielding hands of the guard guided me toward my friends. I didn't resist. A strange curiosity filled me about the rules the Library said I had broken when it had seemed to be encouraging me to use my friends.

  Why would they be a problem now? I didn’t get it. It seemed like we were going to be locked up now. I should have been terrified but instead, I had a feeling as if I was about to find out something momentous which would finally help me understand everything.

  Chapter 12

  None of us spoke as the guards led us away. We didn’t try to fight, either. This felt more serious than Jaydra and her people kidnapping us in the Northwestern Lands. One positive was I wasn't as worried the guards were going to murder us.

  Once we were moving, they released our hands to allow us to walk freely in between them as they led us to a quiet, unoccupied area.

  The tall, silent guard in front never looked anywhere but ahead. For some reason he reminded me of a ship sailing on smooth winds.

  He seemed to be leading us somewhere specific, though I saw no map or directions to guide him as we entered an area I’d never seen.

  The hall was unadorned and wound around itself, reaffirming my belief the Library had a plan to all of this. I worried about if it was a plan where my friends and I eventually went free, or something far darker.

  We trailed deeper into the Library, our steps echoing as we descended dark marble staircases into hallways which narrowed further as we went. They became so narrow at one point it was barely possible for two of us to walk side-by-side.

  A larger creature wouldn’t have fit, and even some humans would have been brushing their shoulders against the sides.

  The slaver we’d met in Sunglen came to mind, causing me to shiver.

  I still felt the Library had done something which allowed me to defeat him. Had it given me the knowledge, or had it done something else?

  There were no shelves anywhere in the hallway we were in now. That, more than anything, struck me as unusual. If I’d thought my hands felt like ice before, when I saw the bare walls, with no sign of books or decorations, they became useless blocks of ice.

  I wondered if I could see my breath. I blew out. Nothing. Maybe the intense cold was just my fear of what lay ahead.

  Will was in front, his face an inscrutable mask. What was he thinking? How had the guards gotten my friends away from the campsite? It had been any easily defensible place. Gwen had reassured me of it before we left.

  How could anyone from the Library have taken Will, or Gwen?

  And the wolves. How had the guards taken them?

  I glanced at the three wolves. They were walking quietly next to Gwen without any sign of concern. I exhaled, feeling a little more hopeful. Surely it meant we weren’t about to die. I assumed they’d be a little more worried if they sensed murderous thoughts from the guards.

  What I could see from the glimpses I caught of Gwen between the guards was reassuring. I didn’t see any bruises, even if her face was pale and her chin clenched tightly. As I watched, the little muscles on her jaw stood out. It looked like she was grinding her teeth. Yup, she was pissed.

  Jarid, on the other hand, looked terrified. He was practically shaking as we walked deeper into the Library. His eyes were wide, and I caught a trace of sweat on his forehead.

  The guards were walking in a formation with two in front, two behind as the hallway narrowed. It reminded me of the drills I used to watch at home from our library. The idea we were like a tiny army marching toward an uncertain future flashed across my mind. Well, uncertain for us.

  The guards were confident about where they headed.

  When the hallway ended at a door, the guards in front stopped abruptly, and I nearly bumped into the one ahead of me. I caught myself at the last moment, just in time to see the leader pull a strange silver key out of his pocket.

  Instead of putting it into a keyhole like expected, he slid it down the center of the small rock next to the door. A green light beeped, followed by a hollow echoing sound, unlike anything I’d heard before. It was different than the noise you’d hear if wood, metal, or even stone moved. More like the sound of tapping a fingernail on a pitcher of water.

  The guard pushed the door. It swung open easily without noise. He stepped through and the second guard followed. I took a deep breath before following as well. Once we were all inside the room, the last guard shut the door behind us. The guards stood grouped loosely near the door, herding us toward the center of the room.

  We glanced at each other, reassuring ourselves we were okay, even if confused. Once certain my friends were all right, I turned my attention to the room.

  It was unlike anything I'd ever seen before. Along all the walls were large rectangular objects making a loud humming noise. They had various shapes on the front—small squares, circles, and rectangles of varying colors and sizes.

  Some lit up like the rock beside the door, in glowing greens, reds, and the occasional blue. The room felt somehow alive even though there didn’t appear to be any other living creatures within it.

  "Our instructions are to leave you here until someone returns for you."

  I turned to the guard closest to the door. He was smaller than the guard in the lead and had hung back the entire time. Something told me he was in charge, and despite his small size, the one to be wariest of.

  "When?" I knew even as I said it, he wouldn't reply, so when he only narrowed his eyes, I wasn’t surprised.

  His gaze reminded me of how Luban assessed me at our first meeting.

  I felt I was somehow lacking, flushing when he crossed his arms over his robes.

  He dressed like an apprentice, but something in his attitude told me while he may take orders from the Head Librarian, he was more than a mere apprentice. "You've caused quite a stir in the Library. It appears wherever you travel, Rhiniya Lauren, trouble finds you. This time, you've gone too far. We’re under strict instructions to leave you here until the Library decides otherwise. So, to answer your question? You’ll have to wait to find out."

  I gulped against an instantly dry throat. Not only did he seem unconcerned, but I caught a hint of dislike directed specifically toward me. He must be one of the people Jarid warned us about. Or had it been Kramson? When he'd given me the key to the Library, he’d mentioned something about the Library may have accepted me, but it didn't mean the Librarians had.

  "Don't suppose while we're waiting, you’ll provided us with any food or water? Or does the Library have a skeleton collection to go along with the books?" Will was rocking on his heels, hands clasped behind his back as he surveyed the room, as if he was on a tour of some fascinating attraction in a city he'd never visited and directed the words to the room at large.

  The head guard’s eyebrows went up. He snorted. "Feel free to explore the room. You can't get out, but anything left out is because the Library wishes it to be. Maybe if you’re lucky, it will leave out some stale bread."

  Will pursed his lips as he bobbed his head. "Good, good. Well boys, have a lovely day. Thanks for your all your help." His voice was cheery, but sarcasm thickly coated every word.

  My breath caught. To my relief, they didn't punish him for his attitude. The small one closest to the door rolled his eyes, inclining his head dismissively. The others followed without a word and a moment later the door clinked quietly shut behind them.

  As silence from the living creatures settled into the room, the noise of the room itself intensified. It sounded like a giant heartbeat, except more rhythmic and stranger, unlike any thing I’d heard before.

  Will wandered over to one of the boxes along the wall closest to him, keeping his hands behind his back as he bent to peer at it before standing up and looking at Jarid with one eyebrow arched in question. "Any idea what this place is?"

  He held both hands up. "I have no idea. I didn't know about this room, but after everything else I guess that's probably not too surprising."

  Gwen’s voice was ripe with sarcasm. "Is there anything you actually do know? I mean, forgive me, but every other thing out of your mouth since I met you is ‘I don't know.’ I thought apprentices were trained to know everything about the Library."

  Jarid looked down, his cheeks reddening at her criticism. "I'm sorry. They really don't tell us much." His mouth twisted into a grimace. "It's more like we're on a need to know basis. If we are assigned to a guest who needs certain items, we can have access to them. Depending on the guest, it can of course lead to places we've never been before."

  When his eyes moved to me, it was my turn to feel ashamed.

  I exhaled, looking at each of them in turn. "I'm sorry. I got us into this. Kramson told me this was happening because I brought outsiders into the Library. I don't understand what he means, because other than Jarid, who gave me most of my information, the only other people I've spoken to about any of this is you guys. Even then, it's not like I know anything."

  Gwen stepped closer, wrapping an arm around me.

  I rested my head on her shoulder, grateful she was willing to be close to me under the circumstances. I spoke into her shoulder, not ready to leave the safety of her touch. "I understand if you're mad at me or blame me for this." I felt the sting of tears and began to blink rapidly.

  Through blurred vision, I watched her shake her head in denial. "I don't blame you! Look, I knew what I was getting myself into when you showed up in the forest with Sel telling me you were heading to Abrecem Secer. This changes nothing—I still love you."

  I blinked harder, feeling a tear escape despite my efforts. I wiped it off my face and smiled. "I love you, too. I'm sorry this is happening. And I'm really sorry I angered the Library." I laughed humorlessly. "I'd like to say I won't do it again, but I still have no idea what I did."

  Will had spent his time prowling around like a trapped cat and found a place to sit in the far corner. The large rectangles had given away to chairs made from an odd material I'd never seen before. They were clearly seating, shaped like a half-moon, despite the oddly smooth material.

  I walked over to where he sat, and sat as well, finding the oddly shaped chair comfortable enough to slump forward, I rubbed my forehead. "I can't believe this is happening."

  Gwen sat beside me, squeezing herself into the same chair. "We'll get through it. The same way we get through everything."

  Will was across from us in another chair with his legs stretched out, his boots splayed to the sides. He began clicking his toes together rhythmically as he looked at them. He looked at me. “Nyalla would know what to do. I wish she was here now. She always seemed to be able to get us out of anything."

  I sat up straight, but before I had a chance to speak, Gwen shot to her feet.

  She glared down at him now with her hands clenched into tight fists at her side. "You wish Nyalla was here? Have you forgotten everything that happened in the Northwestern Lands? Not to mention the desert stuff was probably her fault in the first place?"

 

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