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“This be the door thou art seeking,” he said to Alex. “If ever again thou needest to traverse this here labyrinth, call upon Sir Camden and I shalt come to thine aid. For the doorway to the Lost City doth not remain in one place, and even one such as thou shalt not find it without a guide.”

“Thank you, Sir Camden,” Alex said, grateful for his help.

“Thou art welcome, fair lady.” The knight bowed to Alex and her friends before he walked to the other side of the hallway and straight through a solid wall.

“Handy little helper, isn’t he?” Jordan

“He sure is,” Alex agreed, turning to the door in front of them. There was nothing special about it that marked it from the other doorways, but Alex still felt it was different.

“Do you think this is it?” Bear asked quietly.

“Sir Camden wouldn’t have brought us here for no reason,” D.C. pointed out.

“There’s only one way to know for sure,” Jordan said, and reached out his hand.

“Wait, Jordan, I think—” Alex began. But it was too late, he was already grasping the handle and turning it.

Nothing happened.

Jordan jiggled at the handle. “It’s locked.”

“That was anticlimactic,” Bear said.

Jordan dropped his hand and leaned away from the door, before surging forward and ramming his shoulder into it.

“Um, I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Alex warned.

“It might just need a little budge,” Jordan said, ramming it again. “It’s been closed for thousands of years, right?”

“Yeah, but remember, the Library is—”

Before Alex could finish her sentence, some kind of force field slammed into Jordan, throwing him into the air and against a wall across the corridor.

“—alive,” she finished weakly.

Jordan groaned and stood to his feet, pressing a hand to his head. “I won’t be trying that again.”

“It serves you right for being so stupid,” D.C. told him. Despite her firm tone, the concern was clear in her eyes as she walked over to inspect the back of his skull. When she was satisfied he wasn’t about to die, she placed her hands on her hips. “Do you think Aven would have kidnapped Alex and me if all he had to do was break down a door? Use your brain, Jordan! He needed her to open it for him since she’s Chosen— which means it’s probably something onlyAlexcan do.”

Jordan offered a sheepish smile. “Oops?”

“‘Oops’ is right,” D.C. said. “You’re lucky you weren’t seriously hurt!”

“Just my ego, huh?” he said, his smile widening.

“That could use more injury from time to time, in my opinion,” D.C. replied, fighting her own grin.

Alex decided it was time to jump in. “Should we try this again?”

At their nods, she reached out and grasped the handle, turning it effortlessly. Instead of opening, the door dissolved,leaving the four of them staring at an unexpected sight. It was beautiful, for sure, but that wasn’t why Alex was so enthralled.

“I’ve been here before,” she whispered, stepping across the threshold and looking around the familiar forest clearing. It was different in the light of day, but she could clearly make out the mushroom circle that surrounded the area. “This is Raelia.”

“Raelia?” Jordan repeated. “The place where you saw Lady Mystique that night?”

“Yeah,” Alex said, spinning around. The clearing had been a mystical place with the moonlight streaming through it, but the sunlight brought a new surprise. The trees around them were not of the normal brown wood and green leaf variety; they weresilver. Their glittery trunks burrowed deep into the grassy forest floor, and the charcoal-grey leaves shimmered against them creating a beautifully artistic effect. Sporadically dispersed around the area were bushes and vines, their vibrant green contrasting with the rest of the ethereal forest. All in all, it was a fantasy painter’s dream landscape.

When Alex turned and noticed the doorway had disappeared, she wasn’t worried. She knew she’d be able to call it back into being when the time came. Unlike when she’d been abandoned in the middle of the forest, this time it was Alex who had opened the door and could therefore reopen it for the return trip. But that didn’t help with their current predicament.