“I’m sure you’ll think of something,” said Lenora encouragingly. “But now—I think we really must get moving. Can you let us out?”
“Of course.” Zenodotus stood and proceeded to the padlocked doors, the girls following.
“Do you think he’ll put me in the story?” whispered Ada to Lenora.
Lenora smiled. “Of course. You’re an important part of it, after all.”
The girl beamed in pleasure, though Lenora could still see deep sadness in her eyes.
They came to the doors. Zenodotus produced a very large and old key from within his robes and opened the padlocks. The big wooden doors swung open, protesting all this with an enormous creaking.
The corridor beyond was dark, and smelled damp and musty in a way that told one the place had not been entered in a long time. But at a great distance down the corridor, Lenora could see the glint of light on copper. A tube.
Zenodotus turned to the girls with a smile. “Thank you, Lenora. And thank you, too, Ada. You are right. I need to get this place cleaned up. Now, off you go. The Library needs you.”
Lenora and Ada nodded. There seemed little more to say, and so Lenora made her way cautiously down the long corridor, wary of running into anything. Ada crept along beside her. Behind them, the doors closed with a creaking crash, and Lenora could hear the sound of padlocks locking.
Then Lenora groaned. She had completely forgotten to ask Zenodotus what had really happened to the Library of Alexandria. Oh, well. Another time …
Onward they went.
They walked for a long time. Somehow it seemed they were never getting any closer to that glint on copper. But at last, Lenora could see they were drawing near. And then—
Goose bumps on her arms.
Blinding lights all around.
A terrible crashing.
A hard shove from behind, propelling Lenora forward with a stumble.
And she thought, her eyes closed tight against the glare:
Something fell.
Ada was screaming. “Lenora! Help!”
Lenora whipped around, blinking, trying to see.
Metal bars had crashed down, separating her and Ada. And beside the girl were two of the Forces, the man in the green raincoat and the woman in the red, grinning sharp-toothed grins and gripping Ada by the arms as she struggled and kicked. Lenora realized that they’d have had her, too, if not for Ada’s shove. And as she realized that, she also realized that panic was surging through her and her feet felt rooted to the floor, just as had happened when she first met the woman in the red raincoat.
“Lucky you had your friend here to save you,” the woman said to Lenora, “but you will have her assistance no longer.”
“We’ll be back for you,” said the man.
With three popping sounds, they vanished.
Her fear evaporating just as quickly as it had come, Lenora threw herself against the bars, reaching for where her friend had been only moments before. “Ada!” she screamed. “No!”
But she was gone.
Lenora was alone.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Lenora Wins
She raced to the tube and threw open the door.
She had to rescue Ada. Zenodotus had said his key would take her wherever she wanted, and she wanted Ada. And so there was, of course, a label blinking ADA with a slot below it.
Lenora fumbled for the key, then thrust it forward.
And stopped, inches away from plunging the key into the slot.
Something felt wrong. Lenora thought hard. She did not know where the Forces had taken Ada. She did not know how many of them were there, or what traps might await her. Though she longed desperately to hurry to the rescue, it would be terribly stupid to rush in without knowing what she was up against.
She slumped back in the seat, desperate. Ada’s cries for help still echoed in Lenora’s mind. Should she go back and ask Zenodotus? No, there wasn’t time, and the corridor was blocked anyway. The Forces had said they were coming back for her. She had to get out of there.
And then she had it. She knew where she wanted to go. And so, naturally, the ADA label changed:
THE DIRECTOR.
Lenora thrust the key home, and shot off into the darkness.
When she got to the Director’s office, she was ready. The moment the door opened, she bolted from the tube and straight up the golden staircase, right past a startled member of the Forces, who made a grab for her but lost his balance and tumbled down the steps as Lenora thought, They’ve got to start protecting this place better, and then she was in the office of the Director, surrounded by Forces, all closing in on her.
And just as they were about to snatch her, she yelled, “Princess has been kidnapped!”
The Director, who had been smiling giddily and polishing his platinum DIRECTOR badge while he watched one of his own speeches on the transmission console, instantly went grim. “What?” he said, looking straight at Lenora. “What are you talking about?”
“Nothing, sir!” said a member of the Forces, this one having the appearance of a teenage girl who had hold of Lenora’s right arm. “This girl is crazy.”
“She’s lying,” said a man who had Lenora’s left wrist. “You know how females are.”
“Then where is she?” shouted Lenora. “Where’s Princess?”
The Director stood, his voice booming. “Let go of her! Now!”
With great reluctance, one by one, the Forces released Lenora, glaring as she glared back.
“Now,” said the Director with great authority. “Where is my daughter?”
“I saw her just now, playing with the dinosaurs,” said a woman. “She’s fine. Very happy.”
The Director paused. Lenora could see he was becoming confused. “Why don’t you ask them to get her, then?” Lenora asked. “She can go back to the dinosaurs when she’s done.”
“She’s very happy,” said the woman soothingly. “Why would we interrupt your precious Princess over this disrespectful, loud little girl?”
Lenora saw the Director hesitating, unsure. “Princess hasn’t seen you in a while,” she said carefully. “That poor girl … imagine how hard it must be to be away from a father as wonderful as you.”
The man behind Lenora hissed. She did not flinch.
“Of course!” said the Director, straightening. “She must miss me terribly! Go fetch my Princess at once!”
None of the Forces moved. Instead, they all looked at one another. And Lenora saw things begin to slither under their clothes.
“Did you hear me?” shouted the Director, coming around his desk to the front of the dais. “I order you to bring me Princess!”
The Forces faced the Director. “We can’t do that,” one of them said. The usual tone of fake respect was fading. “The presence of your daughter … distracts you. Interferes with your judgment. Causes you to forget the Plan.”
The Director’s fists began to shake. His face turned red, then purple. The veins in his neck and forehead bulged. Lenora had seen this before, and knew he was about to fly into a rage at such disobedience.
And she knew exactly what to do.
The attention of the Forces was entirely on the Director. And so she slipped away, then sidled along the wall until she came to the Transmission Console. And flipped a switch from OFF to LIVE.