The Library

A Set of Ivory Doors

At the bottom of the stairs was a dark, circular room with eight passages leading off of it: four main passageways and four narrower ones. It's like a compass rose, Allina would have thought, if she hadn't been terrified beyond all reason.

The man took her to one of the four main entrances. This entrance was easily the most grand; it had an archway carved from gold and ivory with a coat of arms at the top. Dozens of half-men scurried, inched, flew, or loped toward whatever was at the end of the hall.

As the man holding Allina walked down the corridor, everyone within it pressed himself against the wall. The half-men looked shocked. The half-boys beside them were terrified. Is it possible, Allina wondered, that these abominations are afraid of me?

She turned as much as she could manage. A great crowd had gathered behind the strange mouse-man and his squire. The members of the crowd were chanting in a language Allina had never heard before, but could tell was long-dead.

They approached the end of the corridor. At the end was a set of enormous double doors, carved from ivory. The doors were engraved with the image of all sorts of animals and people locked in battle. Allina couldn't imagine how the ivory doors had been made, or why; they looked heavy and ridiculously impractical. She imagined the doors were as tall as three normal-sized cottages stacked on top of one another.

The man approached the doors, and the crowd behind them fell silent. He rapped, seven times, on the left ivory door with his fist, before kicking the right one thrice. With that shouts arose from behind the great doors.

From the other side, dozens of people pulled the two ivory doors open. Behind the doors lay the most opulent hall Allina had ever seen: it was a throne room fit for Alexander the Great, for Charlemagne, perhaps even for the god Zeus. Rich tapestries lined the walls and courtiers stood in decadent clothes.

The man walked forward with Allina still clutched in his hand. Allina noticed that nobody followed him through the doors, not even the mouse-boy he called his squire. The crowd bayed at the doors like a pack of wolves (and indeed, some were part wolf), but none came through.

They went down the long white carpet in the middle of the room. Chandeliers hung above, illuminating the hall with ethereal, golden light. At the end of the long carpet and the row of chandeliers sat a throne carved purely of gold. Someone was seated there: a tall white man with the head of a mountain lion. He was weighed down by his jewelry and his robes.

When the man carrying Allina reached the lion-man's throne, the lion-man drew himself up. Only then did Allina realize how tall he was. At his full height, he easily stood three meters tall. "The pattern of your knocking tells me you have captured a witch," said the lion-man to Allina's captor. His voice boomed. "Where is she?"

"She is here, o King." His voice shook. "This witch has taken the form of a mouse."

The king glared at him. "And her wand?"

"Here, o King," said the man, holding out his other hand. In it was Alejandra's wand.

"Bring her to the third dungeon. We shall sacrifice her with the other."

"Of course, my King."

"But first tell me this: How did you capture her?" The King stepped forward, his robes dragging along with him. Servants rushed over, holding his longer robes off the already pristine floor.

As the man went into his story, his grip on Allina loosened.

She took her chance and wriggled free. In his shock, the man dropped Alejandra's wand. Allina grabbed it.

She ran, and the throne room erupted with consternation. Half-men shrieked and wailed; courtiers clutched their robes, backing toward the walls. Servants were torn between racing after her and helping the panicked courtiers. The crowd at the ivory doors broke into the throne room, all of them rushing for her. The king shouted out orders for her capture, but Allina heard none of it. She saw the exit, and all she could do was run for it.