For the first time, Pallas looked uncertain. She turned toward the window, staring out at the field. “That is something we’ve been asking ever since these attacks started.”

“And?” I pressed.

“And the Porters will continue to investigate until we have answered that question.”

“He’s possessed, but it’s more than that, isn’t it?” I pressed. “Possession would drive him mad, force him to lash out. It wouldn’t give him the power to rip open locked books, or to send that thing through a book after me. He’s killing Porters, enslaving vampires . . . why?”

Pallas reached down to scratch one of the puppies on the belly. “This matter is no longer your concern.”

“No longer my concern?” I stood and turned to face her. “He tried to kill me!”

“He tried to do far worse than that.” She raised a hand, her ring pulsing a warning. “You have been touched by something you don’t understand.”

“So explain it to me!”

“When the immediate crisis is resolved, we will speak more about what you saw.”

“What about Nidhi?” Lena asked quietly. “What happens to her while you continue to investigate?”

“We will not turn Isaac over to the undead. Nor will this rogue libriomancer be delivered to their laboratories, where who knows what power they might try to extract from him.” Pallas rubbed her temples. “I’m struggling on three fronts. Our first priority is finding this libriomancer. If what you saw is true, he will soon destroy himself, but who knows what damage he’ll cause in the meantime. We’re also speaking with the vampires, doing what we can to maintain peace and persuade them to return Nidhi Shah unharmed.”

“What’s the third front?” I asked.

“Politics. At least vampires don’t bother to mask their hostility in pointless pleasantries.” Her laughter had always sounded forced to me, and this was no exception. She knelt to scratch Pac-Man’s ears as he gnawed the Kevlar toy he had triumphantly stolen from the other animals. “Gutenberg may yet live, but we can’t wait for him to return. He built the Porters to function after his death, but there are . . . differences of opinion as to who should take his place. We’ve established a temporary ruling council, twelve regional masters from throughout the world. In magical affairs, I now speak for most of North America.”

“Which means you’re overwhelmed and understaffed. Let me help! I have copies of the books he stole from the archive. I can show you—”

“Those books have been shipped to Philadelphia, where they are being examined by two of the most skilled libriomancers we have.”