Ihad cast and traveled through many a portal in my time. Never had I been forced through one.
The air whooshed out of my lungs with crushing force. Bright light flashed in my eyes. As my feet hit the familiar marble floor of the library office hallway, the person whose fingers were wrapped around my arm released me.
It was Madison.
She stared at me with saucer eyes, as if it was her who had been shocked.
“What do you think you’re doing, Madison? You can’t yank people through portals simply because it suits your fancy.” I glared at her, completely aware that I myself had dragged many unwilling people through portals over the years. This was different, of course. I was a librarian. I was on a mission, a mission I’d been in the process of completing.
I squeezed the amulet’s chain in my fist, grateful I hadn’t dropped it in transit.
“I’m sorry.” She gave me a gentle push into one of the offices.
“Madison—”
The door shut behind me.
With a quick look around, I realized I wasn’t in any old office…I was inthe boss’soffice.
A small squeak escaped my lips. I wished I could take it back. The office appeared to be empty. Was it too much to ask for him to be on speakerphone this time, and not simply too low in his chair to see him?
His deep voice boomed. “You sent a civilian into the library in your stead to do your research.”
Right, Imogen. I licked my lips. “Well, Imogen’s not just a civilian, she’s a witch and—”
“Does she have a library card?”
“I’m going to assume not. But she should definitely get one.”
“You knew that you shouldn’t have brought her here, and you did it anyway.”
“There’s no rule that says I can’t send a friend to—”
A tiny ceramic hand lifted up from behind the desk and slapped a book onto the wooden surface. It was the bylaws book, but in a deep shade of red instead of the pea soup green it was supposed to be.
“There is, actually.”
He opened to a page I’d never seen before, even though I’d read the book forward and back, memorizing every line when I’d started with the library.
“That page isn’t supposed to be there.”
“Yet here it is.”
“Your copy must be incorrect,” I said, regretting my choice in words as soon as they left my lips. This situation was devolving fast, and it shouldn’t be. I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“You violated another rule, Ms. Fernsby. You were on probation and you’ve committed another offense.”
“No. I didn’t do anything I wasn’t supposed to. I always do everything right here. I have to. The library is my entire world. I memorized the rule book years ago. I would never—”
My heart pounded against my rib cage. Little stars flickered at the edges of my vision. This couldn’t be happening.
“A lot can change in seventy years, Ms. Fernsby. You should have read the latest edition before reentering the field.”
“It was a mistake. I didn’t know,” I said. Had Madison known? Had Silas? Okay, Madison may have mentioned something when she’d tried to get me to take time off. I had to think. I had to fix this.
“You are unfit for duty.”
Fingers shaking, I slammed the amulet down on his desk. “Does this look unfit to you? I found the amulet, just like you told me to, with three days to spare.”