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And deep water, if its dark colouring was any indication.

“On the list of weird stuff that has happened to me, I wish I could say this was at the top,” Alex grumbled as she tried to balance on the dinner plate-sized floating stone she stood upon—the only solid surface in sight. “But sadly, it’s not.”

Leaning her weight forward and hastily back again as her stone started tipping, Alex wobbled to and fro for a few breathless moments before she was stable again, her injured leg throbbing in protest.

With her arms out to steady herself, she slowly crouched down to the water’s edge, her thigh screaming at the wound-inflaming move. When she was close enough, she reached out her fingers, hoping to discover some kind of illusion. But when her hand came away wet, Alex knew she was fresh out of luck.

Rising painfully again, Alex had one last idea up her sleeve that helped stave off her panic. It was possible she had been transported to a room in the Library similar to her parents’ ancient environment. If that were the case, she’d be able to call forth a doorway and leave in an instant. If, however, she had been transported to somewhere else in Medora, that would be problematic, since she couldn’t call back a doorway that she’d never technically created.She’dintended to go straight back to Akarnae, not this… place.

With a silent plea, Alex tried to summon a door.

… And her shoulders drooped when nothing happened. Wherever she was, she actuallywas.

“Finn’s water survival skills didnotprepare me for something like this,” she muttered, pivoting carefully on her rock and squinting into the distance. Not even her Meyarin sight could pick up anything on the horizon. Even if she were willing to risk going for a swim, there was no way for her to know which direction to head in. She’d be travelling blind.

Just when she decided that perhaps her only means of escape was to use one of the two walks left in her Shadow Ring—something she was loath to do, having not enjoyed the experience the first time—a cloaked figure materialised before her.

With a startled scream and a reflexive jump, Alex overbalanced and tumbled straight into the water.

She noticed two things almost immediately.

The first was that it was cold. As in, nearly bone-shatteringly cold. The second, perhaps worse, was that it was salt water, causing her stab wound to flare up as if Kyia were pouring the antidote onto it all over again.

Blinded by the renewed agony and freezing from the temperature, Alex couldn’t yet pay any mind to the cloaked figure who stood still and silent above the now lightly rippling waves. Her sole focus was on getting out of the water.

Shaking, gasping and spluttering, it took Alex an exasperating number of attempts before she was able to heave herself up onto the narrow rock and keep it balanced under her weight.

Chilled to her core and dripping rivulets of water, Alex panted heavily as she slowly managed to rise from her crouched position and up to her feet.

“It is a pity you fell,” said the figure, a male voice being the only identifying feature. That, and he was tall—verytall. “This will be much more challenging for you now.”

There was no compassion in his bland tone. He might have been commenting on the colour of the sky, for all the inflection there was in his voice.

“Wh-Who are y-y-you?” Alex managed between chattering teeth.

“I am here to see if you are worthy of my time, Alexandra Jennings.”

Alex’s eyes widened. “Y-Y-You’re C-Caspar Le-Lennox’s f-friend?”

“Friend is an inaccurate descriptor,” the man said in his monotonous voice. “But for the purposes of this conversation, yes, I am acquainted with the Shadow Walker. And yes, that is why I am here, when there are many things I would prefer to be doing right now. None of which include taking on new students, least of all one not of this world.”

“H-H-How do you know w-where I’m from?” she asked, seeing no point in denying her origins, since the cloaked figure obviously had some kind of power. Not only had he redirected her Library doorway, but he’d also appeared out of nowhereandwas currently standing on the water’s surface as if it were solid ground.

“It matters not what I know,” he said, an impatient edge to his voice now. “As far as you’re concerned, all that matters is what comes next.”

He held out his gloved hand and a glass materialised between his fingers, filled almost to the brim with what appeared to be crystal clear water.

“Take it,” he said, passing it to her.

Fingers wet and shaking, Alex was barely able to keep her grip on the glass.

“Now, hold it at a distance.”

Brow furrowing, she stretched out her arm, the rock under her feet wobbling in the water at her repositioning.

“Your task is simple,” the man said. “Do not spill anything.”

“What?” Alex asked, pleased that she was able to get the word out without stammering. Her body was still frozen, but her blood was slowly pumping heat back through her veins.