The first thing Gwendolyn noticed was the air, or rather lack thereof, as the breath was sucked from her lungs. She was caught up in the shimmering not-colors of the space between worlds, glittering with shades beyond sight that made her eyes swim. This was the In-Between.

 

Gwendolyn had been here before. She had been warned of the dangers that lurked here for her—the blackness of the Abscess surrounded her world, always ready to snatch her as she traveled through, with only the Lady of Light to stop him. Two mysterious powers that Gwendolyn knew little about.

 

But as she was spun and whirled through the empty void, no darkness reached out to tear at her. No wave of light appeared to fight it back. She merely tumbled headlong into the nothingness, and just when she thought her lungs would burst for want of oxygen, the blankness disappeared, and she had the briefest glimpse of a foggy street before her knees gave out, and she fell. She was unconscious before she hit the ground.

 

###

 

When she came to, she felt hard stones beneath her. She lay there for a moment, sucking in great heaving breaths, recovering enough to groan in pain. She couldn’t see anything through the thick fog. Her skin was damp and clammy.

 

Here she was again. The last time she had ripped open a portal between worlds, she’d had a complete depressive breakdown. She’d woken up curled into a ball, shaking uncontrollably. Compared to that, a little rest wasn’t so bad. It had been an accident, but intentional or not, tearing a hole in reality really took a toll on a girl.

 

She struggled to her feet and looked around. It seemed to be night-time, as the sky was black. But this was not the Wastelands. There was a cobblestone street beneath her feet, with thatch-roof cottages on either side. The fog hid everything below her knees. A bolt of lightning split the air, and a boom of thunder made her jump.

 

“What in the…” came Ian’s voice.

 

She spun around to find him behind her. He and Missy and Tommy and Jessica were all staring around in slack-jawed wonder. They had apparently been too busy gaping to notice Gwendolyn’s bout of unconsciousness, or had simply not seen her through the fog on the ground.

 

Gwendolyn wiped the wetness from her bare arms, and tried to shrug off the last of the fatigue. “I believe I’ve mentioned other worlds? Because I do think we’ve traveled to one,” she said in a matter-of-fact sort of way, as if commenting on the weather.

 

Her four friends turned to look at her as though she’d grown an extra head.

 

“Yeah,” Ian said. “You may have undersold it.”

 

“All that stuff…” Jessica spun, drinking in their surroundings. “Everything you said about pirates, and monsters, and faeries… that was all true?”

 

Gwendolyn frowned. “Of course it was true. You didn’t believe me?”

 

Ian shrugged. “I thought it was just another one of your stories. It’s hard to tell with you, you’ve got so many.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Jessica said. “I knew some of it must be true, but I thought you were exaggerating. It was a good story.”

 

Gwendolyn turned to Missy and Tommy. “But… you believed me, right? You were there for some of it.”

 

“To be honest, it was all a bit hazy,” Tommy said. “It was so unbelievable, it was easier just not to think about it.”

 

“I think I knew it was real,” said Missy. “But I hoped it was just in my nightmares.” And she shuddered.

 

“Well, now you know,” Gwendolyn said in a bit of a huff. She knew she should cut them some slack. This would be a bit of a shock for anyone.

 

Suddenly, she was grabbed roughly by the shoulders and spun around. Cecilia stood behind her, fuming. “What have you done, you horrible little freak? Where are we?”

 

“Cecilia! How did you get here?” Gwendolyn gasped, then glared.

 

Cecilia glared right back. “I jumped in after your stupid gang. I certainly wasn’t going to let myself get arrested. Daddy would have kittens. Where are we?”

 

“Yeah, what is this place?” Ian said, looking up at the stormy sky.

 

A very good question, Gwendolyn thought. This wasn’t Tohk, or Faeoria. But now that she had a moment to think about it, it did look rather familiar. Then it clicked for her. She had seen this world in one of Cyria’s tapestries. And again, in an image the Blackstar had shown to King Oberon and Queen Titania. This was the world he offered them as a prize for the duel Gwendolyn had lost. She looked down the street, which ran to the foot of a mountain.

 

On top of the mountain was a tall, turreted castle. A bolt of lightning split the air and lit it from behind.

 

“I suppose there’s only one way to find out.” Gwendolyn pointed at the castle.

 

“It doesn’t seem like the kind of place that likes visitors,” Missy said.

 

“We’ve got to find a way to get back to the City, don’t we?” Jessica asked.

 

“I’m in no hurry,” Tommy said.

 

Gwendolyn clapped her hands together, trying to seem like a confident leader. “In my experience, adventures don’t happen while you’re standing still. Somewhere is better than nowhere, so off we go.”

 

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Cecilia said.

 

“Fine,” Gwendolyn snapped. “You can stay here.” She turned and headed down the street, and her friends followed.

 

Cecilia crossed her arms and tapped her foot petulantly. Then she took another glance at the misty street around them, at the dark and silent cottages, and hurried to catch up.

 

###

 

The long walk up the mountain gave Gwendolyn plenty of time to think. The others were too busy marveling at everything to say much, clearly still adjusting to the idea of being stranded on another world.

 

As I have mentioned before, children are much more adaptable than grown-ups. But these children were now half-grown, and not quite as accepting of the new and fantastic as they used to be. Eventually, though, a childlike wonder spread over the faces of Tommy, Missy, Jessica, and Ian, and they looked much as they had when they had played at pirates with sticks in the Schoolyard.

 

Cecilia just looked sullen, and a bit scared.

 

The road was easy enough to walk. It was well maintained, and not too steep. Gwendolyn’s thoughts began to pick up speed. She was out of the City. That meant there was a very real chance of finding Sparrow and Starling, and… her parents. All she needed to do was get back into the Library of All Wonder, which existed between the worlds and held a door to every conceivable story.

 

We’re all in a story, Gwendolyn remembered. The question is, what sort of story are we in now?

 

Does it matter? said another voice inside her. She felt more like herself again than she had in the past two years. Gwendolyn Gray, imagination explorer. An adventure always brought out the best in her. And she noticed with a little thrill that there was an energy to the place, a slight tingle that was like a comforting old friend, a sensation she hadn’t felt since she’d reversed the Lambents and filled the City with ideas.

 

It was energy. Creation energy. Magic.

 

Gwendolyn held out a hand. “What if…” she whispered. And she imagined a brilliant globe of light, illuminating the dark road around them.

 

A shower of sparks shot from her fingertips.

 

Not quite as strong as she’d like, but she was a bit out of practice. Or maybe the magic just wasn’t as strong here. It was different on every world, and there was no predicting how it would work. In Faeoria, magic was so abundant everyone was literally glowing with it, but in Tohk, using magic was like drinking a milkshake through a straw.

 

Still, some power was better than none. A little magic could go a long way.

 

And, most importantly, she was back. She focused again, and managed to produce a few more sparks, all in different colors.

 

“Whoa!” Ian shouted. “How did you do that?”

 

Jessica nodded thoughtfully. “So that part was true too. You do have magic.”

 

“Yes, it appears I do. My advice? Stop expecting things to make sense, and just roll with the punches. Besides, this is usually the fun part of the adventure.”

 

“You are so weird,” Cecilia said.

 

“Better weird than normal,” Gwendolyn replied.

 

Cecilia shook her head. “This is a dream,” she muttered. “It’s all some freaky dream. I’m going to wake up, and be back in my own bed, and it’ll be Sunday, and time to go back to my mother’s house. There’s no such thing as… whatever this is.”

 

“You just keep thinking that,” Tommy said. “Now shut up and don’t ruin it for the rest of us.”

 

They finally reached the castle and a pair of enormous wooden doors. Black stone walls towered over them.

 

“So, uh, what do we do?” Jessica asked, a slight tremor in her voice.

 

“Duh,” Tommy said, and ran for the door.

 

“Tommy, wait—” Gwendolyn said, but it was too late. Tommy was already banging on the wood.

 

“Hey! Open up! It’s cold out here!”

 

Gwendolyn shook her head. Not exactly the best first impression.

 

There was a booming noise from inside, and the grinding noise of heavy machinery.

 

The gates creaked open.

 

Behind them stood a man, though “man” might be a rather generous description. He was more like a slab of granite, over seven feet tall, with gray skin and hard, blocky features. He wore a black suit with long tails, and a frilled shirt with a silk cravat, all of which seemed ludicrously out of place on his monstrous frame.

 

He rumbled wordlessly in a questioning tone.

 

“Hello,” Gwendolyn said, trying to sound as though they knocked at the door of strange castles every second Wednesday. And after all, she thought, one shouldn’t judge by appearances. “We are… travelers. We are new to this land, and looking for shelter and hospitality. And possibly directions.”

 

The doorman merely groaned, turned, and headed back inside. The six of them followed him through a flagstone courtyard. Even though it was nighttime, somehow there were darker shadows that lurked in every cobweb-infested corner. The doorman walked them up to the ornate inner doors. He knocked once, and they swung open of their own accord.

 

Light washed over them. It was warm and cheerful, and music drifted out as well, a lively waltz. A gentlewoman stormed up to them in a rustle of crimson skirts, her hair as black as night, her skin as pale as grief-stricken moonlight. She was ornamented in a dazzling array of diamonds. Her face wore an expression of annoyance bordering on fury, but as she examined them, her features softened, and she smiled.

 

“Oh my, it seems a gaggle of guests has tumbled onto my doorstep,” she said in a voice like milk and honey. “Greetings. I am the Contessa of Stokerly.” And she curtsied low.

 

Gwendolyn, who had some experience with courtly manners, returned the gesture, and motioned for the others to follow suit. Cecilia and Missy curtsied, and Tommy curtsied as well, a bit confused, while Ian had sense enough to bow. Jessica also bowed, refusing to curtsy.

 

Gwendolyn spoke. “Pardon us, your grace—”

 

“Your lady, if you please, I am merely a Contessa, not a Duchess. The formalities must be observed, particularly in the presence of the queen. As for my pardon, I suppose that would depend on your offense.” She gave them all a toothy smile.

 

“I guess…” Gwendolyn thought quickly, trying to get back into the dance of words she had learned from the faeries. “I guess our offense would be to impose upon the hospitality of your house, and ask for assistance in the ways of this place. We are travelers, from far away.”

 

“Ridiculously far away…” Ian added.

 

“I see,” said the Contessa with a hint of pity in her voice. “Castaways, perchance? Passers through the portals? My poor dears. The lost ones are sad cases indeed. No one to care for you, no one to protect you. I am not without a heart, nor have I forgotten my manners! I welcome you to my house, and to the county of Bronteshire in the kingdom of Umberland.” She took in their colorful clothing with a measured glance. “Normally the castaways we meet are rather more ragged, but you seem to be dressed quite festively.”

 

“Yeah, we just came from another party,” said Ian.

 

Gwendolyn motioned for him to hush. Though I do seem to be careening from one to the next, she thought.

 

“I would be pleased to have you. You must have rather unique stories with which to entertain my guests. We are always in search of new curiosities. What a treat you are. Follow me!” The Contessa went back inside.

 

They followed her into a spacious entryway, lined with marble columns and enormous portraits of stern looking people. Lush red carpets covered the wooden floors. Uniformed attendants in white gloves stood on either side of a grand downward staircase.

 

Gwendolyn watched her companions spin in circles to take it all in. “Honestly, if you’re going to stand around gaping at every new thing, we’ll never get anything done.”

 

The Contessa swept past them and down the stairs. “Indeed. Come along, children.”

 

“We’re not children,” Cecilia said. “I’m sixteen.”

 

She smiled again. “Ah, I’d forgotten how old such youth can seem to the young. So refreshing.”

 

The staircase led into a sunken ballroom with a polished wooden dance floor, filled with warm yellow light from hundreds of candles in crystal chandeliers. Gwendolyn recognized a ball when she saw one. Couples twirled gracefully across the floor, clad in full-length gowns or tailcoats and lace-trimmed shirts. She rather hoped that Robin’s clothing would not vanish as faerie gifts often did, as she did not relish the thought of appearing bald and pajama-ed in the midst of such finery.

 

“And how should you be introduced?” The Contessa said as they stood upon the bottom step.

 

Gwendolyn knew this dance as well, and remembered its steps. Revealing your true name was a potentially grave mistake. “You may call me Rosecap.”

 

“Lovely. And your title?”

 

“Title? Oh. Rosecap, the… Princess of the Library.” After all, Cyria had said the Library of All Wonder was hers now. And if one had to be something, why not a princess?

 

“Princess of the Library? How delightfully odd. Perhaps I’ll show you mine. And who are they?”

 

“These are my friends…” she paused for a moment to allow her imagination to catch up. “Blossom, Sorrel, Zephyr, Caspian, and, umm… Radish,” she said, pointing to Missy, Tommy, Jessica, Ian, and Cecilia in turn.

 

Cecilia scowled.

 

The Contessa waved a hand. “Well, I shan’t remember all of those. Worthouse, if you please?”

 

An attendant nodded, and stepped out onto the ballroom floor. He called out loudly enough to be heard over the music. “Assembled majesties, graces, lords, and ladies. I present to you, Rosecap, Princess of the Library, and her Castaway court, the children Blossom, Sorrel, Zephyr, Caspian, and Radish, of no known house or rank.”

 

The nobles clapped enthusiastically. Cecilia scowled again.

 

Gwendolyn turned to the others. “All right, gang, here’s the rules. Don’t tell anyone your real name, don’t eat any of their food, just in case, and be absolutely polite. And don’t forget, we have a mission.”

 

“We do?” Tommy said.

 

“Yes. I have friends out here, somewhere, and I intend to find them. And after that…” she paused, thinking of her parents. “I have… something else I need to find.” She traded a significant look with Missy.

 

Cecilia scoffed. “The only thing I’m finding is a way back home and out of all this weirdness.”

 

“I don’t want you around anymore than you want to be here, so I’ll help get rid of you as quickly as I can. This isn’t my first trip, after all. Follow me.” And though she sounded stern, she was struggling to hold back a wave of joy. She was on another world again. And that meant Sparrow and Starling could not be far behind. Things could hardly be more wonderful.

 

She noticed that her hands were glowing just the tiniest bit, but decided it wasn’t a problem. She deserved a bit of happiness. She’d held herself so tightly in check the last two years that it felt good to let loose a little, as long as she didn’t get too out of control. In an adventure, you had to keep your wits about you.

 

Channeling that glowing energy, she closed her eyes and imagined, conjuring an image with an ease she hadn’t felt in she-didn’t-know-how-long. There was a brief flash of light, and her glittering silver headband was now a dazzling tiara, adorned with swooping wings and set with a shimmering blue sapphire.

 

The others looked at her in astonishment.

 

“Well… if I’m to be a princess, one must look the part.” And she winked at them.

 

“Hurry, children!” said the Contessa. “I must present you to my guests. I guarantee, you will be the taste of the ball.” And she led them onto the dance floor.

 

The room was spacious. Through the columns on either side, Gwendolyn saw identical ballrooms, though they both appeared to be empty. On an upper balcony, an orchestra played, strings and violins and all the usual instruments one would find at a fancy party. The band itself was less traditional—the musicians were all skeletons. They were impeccably dressed in black formal wear. Their empty eye sockets surveyed the floor below, and their teeth chattered as their skulls bobbed in time with the beat.

 

They played a waltz and the courtiers danced, all of them much fleshier than the musicians. Ladies stood on the sidelines with bits of paper tied to their wrists, and gentlemen would come and mark a spot on their dance cards.

 

The Contessa continued across the room and the others followed, hypnotized by the grandeur of the party. Except for Tommy, who pulled Gwendolyn aside. “Uh, Freckles… Is it me, or is something weird goin’ on here?”

 

Gwendolyn glanced around. “No weirder than a normal hop between worlds. Why do you ask?”

 

“It’s just…” He gestured to the archways between the columns, and the empty ballrooms they led to. “All that.”

 

“I suppose it is a very large house,” she said. “They can’t have enough guests to fill three different ball rooms.”

 

“Those ain’t rooms,” he said. “Look closer.”

 

She did. And she saw that the spare ballrooms on either side were not entirely empty. In both, she could see two people. Two people that looked very much like Gwendolyn Gray and Tommy Ungeroot.

 

“Oh, the walls are mirrored. Clever.”

 

“Yeah. And if those are mirrors… then where’s all the people?”

 

Gwendolyn paused. The mirrors were empty, save for her and Tommy, and if she looked around she could see Missy, Jessica, Ian, and Cecilia as well. “All right. That is strange.” She scrunched up her nose in thought. “Still, a little strangeness is to be expected. At my last ball, everyone had wings, and went barefoot, and glowed in the dark. It’s rude to judge people’s customs. Come on, let’s catch up.” And she headed after the others.

 

“If you say so…” said Tommy. “I dunno. I think I remember reading about something like this…”