He continued, “An honor, goodly sir. Welcome to my humble lodgings, such as they are. There is food aplenty, if you wish refreshment, but I’m afraid I have nothing to offer you to drink.” He held up the empty wine bottle and regarded it with much puzzlement, as if there were some question as to how the contents had disappeared.
“Thanks. We’d love some food,” Barnaby said. “Is it safe here? Have you seen the demons?”
The librarian’s face blanched. “I’ve seen them, sure enough.”
“Here?”
“Not here. Those foul blue hellions won’t get through that wall. It’s as thick as a —”
“Blue hellions?” Kwip said.
“The demons. Blue creatures with intensively redundant dentition. Didn’t you —?”
“Those ain’t the demons,” Deena said. “You obviously ain’t seen no demons yet. When you see one you’ll know.”
Osmirik sat down, looking grave. “I will?”
“Other beings have invaded the castle,” Barnaby said. “These things are indescribably worse.”
“Indescribably …?” Osmirik paled and reached for the wine bottle. Spying the dregs at the bottom, he upended the bottle into his mouth. He wiped his lips. “Demons or none, my duty is clear. I must venture out and get the volume.”
Kwip looked at him incredulously. “Gods of a spavined nag. How the devil can you think of books at a time like this?”
“I must have the spell to give to my liege lord, Incarnadine.”
“What spell?”
“The spell that will close up the demons’ aspect. Seal it off, so they can’t get through. I need the book that contains that spell.”
Kwip nodded, rolling his eyes in appreciation. “Aye. Now, there’s a book worth considerable thought. Whereabouts is it?”
“Out there,” Osmirik said, pointing to the wall sealing off the arch.
“The library?”
“Aye, down in the open stacks. I must fetch it, be there demons or be there none.”
“Well, there’s but one way to decide aye or nay. I’ll have a look-see.”
“Be careful, they may see you!”
Kwip gave a wry smile. “I’m a man who doesn’t fancy being seen. Never fear.”
He drew up to the section of wall within the arch, stopping just short of touching it with his nose. He leaned forward, and his head and the top half of his torso disappeared into the wall.
He remained in this paradoxical state, half in and half out, for a longish moment. Then he pulled back.
“Something’s up,” he said, a strange expression on his face. “Abide. I shall return shortly.”
He walked through the wall and was gone.
Twenty-nine
Library
Sheila stood with her eyes closed and her arms straight down and rigid, fists clenched and knuckles white. She swayed from side to side like a sapling in a mild breeze. The others stood by and watched. Snowclaw reached out for her as she swayed, but stopped short of touching her.
They heard someone walking above, and turned to look. Gene drew his sword. The clanging and banging on the other side of the huge steel doors continued.
Smiling, Kwip came out of the stairwell to the first gallery. Linda and Gene met him halfway across the floor.
“Fancy you people being here,” Kwip said. “How goes the world with you?”
“Not too darn good,” Gene said. “Were you hiding out in here?”
“For the nonce, yes. I’ve been away. Apparently there’s been trouble.”
“A lot of it. Have you seen the demons?”
“Aye, and nearly soiled my breeches.”
“Well, get out a fresh pair of undies, because they’re right behind that door, making all the racket.”
“Gods of a pig’s arse! Then we’d best take our leave, hadn’t we?”
“We’re working on it. That girl there has a powerful talent. She can summon portals.”
“The devil you say.” Kwip looked over his shoulder.
“Well, she did it once. She’s trying like hell to repeat it.”
They watched Sheila teeter gently back and forth.
“I’d best go fetch them,” Kwip said, then answered Gene’s questioning look with, “The librarian and some others. I’ll be back in a trice.” He trotted back to the stairwell.
A loud bang sounded. Gene and Linda looked back at the steel barrier. A large protrusion had appeared on it, as if something had nearly punched through from the other side.
Another door materialized, covering the existing one.
“I can keep whipping up doors as long as we stay here,” Linda said, “but once we cross the portal … ”
“Yeah, and they’ll follow us through.” Gene bit his lip. “I hadn’t considered that. Good God, can you imagine those things loose on Earth?”
“I don’t want to think about it. Gene, we can’t take the chance of summoning the portal!”
A wave of heat hit them. The clanging and banging had ceased, and now thin streamers of smoke rose from the door.
“Hell. They’re burning their way through! Linda, we have to get out of here. Maybe Sheila can make the portal go away after we cross over.”
“Let’s hope so, or else we’ll be responsible for the destruction of our world.”
The door was glowing a deep cherry-red. Linda covered it with another layer of solid steel. The barrier now jutted out from the wall a good six feet. The heat dissipated momentarily, but then returned.
“That won’t hold them very long,” Linda said.
“Look!”
Linda whirled. The alcove that Sheila stood in front of seemed to have undergone a transformation. Then Linda realized that she was looking through a portal.
Kwip came out of the stairwell, followed by Barnaby Walsh, Deena Williams, and Osmirik the librarian. Without uttering a word of greeting or explanation, Osmirik broke for the open stacks.
“Hey!” Gene yelled, then turned to Kwip. “Where the hell is he going?”
“To fetch an important book.”
“Book? Tell him we have to —”
“It’s vital, trust me,” Kwip said.
“Well, if you say so.”
They all peered through the portal. On the other side was a pleasantly and expensively appointed living room. The walls were of dark wood paneling, the ceiling of dark oak beams. It looked like the interior of an English manor house.
“Looks like Earth,” Gene said, smiling at Sheila. “Good work.”
Sheila nodded. “It was pretty tough. Seemed like something was holding it back. Like someone had tied it down somewhere else in the castle.”
“Maybe. I wonder where it’s been hiding all this time?” He shook his head in wonder. “There it is. Home. God, I can’t believe it.”
Sheila glanced at the barrier, which had again turned red-hot. “I have to stay.”
“Are you nuts?”
“No. I have to close up the portal from this side. I won’t be able to do magic on the other side. It’s outside the castle, remember?”
“But you found your magic outside the castle. Look, Sheila. I haven’t given this a lot of thought yet, but obviously you’re a major talent. Maybe your talent isn’t limited to summoning portals. You also seem to have the knack for figuring out alternative magical systems, for want of a better way to put it.”
Sheila thought about it. “Maybe I do.”
“I think you could figure out Earth’s system easy.”
“If I have enough time, maybe,” Sheila said. “But we can’t take the chance. What if they get through?”
Gene grabbed her arm. “Look, there’s no way I’m going to let you stay behind and face those things alone.”
“No, Gene. It has to be. You take Linda back.”
“Nothing doing. You’re coming with us.”
“Gene, I can’t.”
The ear-splitting groan of tortured metal filled the library. The door had turned white-hot.