And so, lost in his thoughts and his determination to submerge himself once again in that enigmatic house they all called the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, Dr. Soldevila put his foot on the doorstep of the old palace and grabbed the demon-shaped knocker, ready to rap on the door. He was about to give the first knock when the shadow that had been following him since he’d left his front door materialized next to him and placed the barrel of a revolver on his temple.

“Good evening, Doctor,” said Hendaya.

* * *

Isaac watched Alicia with a touch of suspicion. Not given to trivialities, he’d noticed with some alarm that in the past few weeks he’d allowed something very close to affection for the young woman to grow inside him. He blamed the passing years: they softened everything. Alicia’s presence during those weeks had forced him to reconsider the chosen solitude of his retirement among books. As he watched her recover and return to life, Isaac had felt the memory of his daughter Nuria rekindle. Far from fading, it had sharpened over time until Alicia’s arrival had once again opened the wounds he didn’t even know he carried inside him.

“Why are you looking at me like that, Isaac?”

“Because I’m a silly old man.”

Alicia smiled. Isaac had noticed that when she did that, she bared her teeth, exuding a malicious air. “A silly man who becomes old or an old man who becomes silly?”

“Don’t make fun of me, Alicia, even if I deserve it.”

She gazed at him tenderly, and the old keeper had to look away. When Alicia removed that dark veil, even if it was just for a few moments, she reminded him so much of Nuria that he felt a lump in his throat and could barely breathe.

“What’s that you’ve got there?”

Isaac showed her a wooden case.

“Is it for me?”

“My farewell gift.”

“Do you want to get rid of me already?”

“Not me.”

“So what makes you think I’m leaving?”

“Am I wrong?”

Alicia didn’t reply, but accepted the case.

“Open it.”

Inside she discovered a golden nib attached to a mahogany pen holder, and a bottle of blue ink that glowed in the candlelight. “Was it Nuria’s?”

Isaac nodded.

“It’s the present I gave her on her eighteenth birthday.”

Alicia examined the nib, a piece of true craftsmanship.

“Nobody has written anything with it for years,” said the keeper.

“Why don’t you?”

“I have nothing to write.”

Alicia was about to dispute his statement when two dry knocks spread their echo through the palace. After a pause of five seconds, there were two more knocks.

“The doctor,” said Alicia. “He’s finally learned the code.”

Isaac nodded and stood up. “Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?”

The keeper picked up one of the oil lamps and set off toward the corridor that led to the entrance.

“Start trying it out,” he said. “There’s some blank paper there.”