“Your turn!” the cheollima says to me. He chuckles and glances happily at his container of cookies. “Get it? Your turn? This is turning out to be such a great workday.”

I clasp Hattie’s heart vial around my neck and send her a mental message. We’re getting close, Hat. Just be patient—we’re going to save you, I promise.

And I hope, wherever she is, she can hear me.

After picking up Boris and wedging him in before me, I somehow defy physics and squeeze us both inside the washing machine. I poke my head out to bid the mini cheollima good-bye. “Thank you for all your help,” I say. “The Godrealm should appreciate you more.”

The cheollima dips his head in a grateful bow and then he looks me right in the eye. “Don’t forget to smile!”

He pushes the door closed with a click of his hoof. And two seconds later, the world starts to spin.

12: Don’t Forget to Smile

ONCE I’M EJECTED FROM the spin cycle and my brain stops whirling, my first thought is: Why is it so hot and stuffy in here?

My second thought is: Why is my skin so itchy?

I open my eyes and have to shield them from the glare. Light is pouring in through glass walls, and I realize I’ve landed on my butt in some sort of huge conservatory. Ferns, palms, and other lush, leafy greens fill every inch of the space, and the air is so thick and humid, it’s like I’m in a tropical rain forest.

“Emmett, where are you?” I call, getting to my feet by using Boris as a crutch. At least the dragon-on-wheels doesn’t look any worse for having been tossed like a salad.

I wander around and finally find Emmett sitting by a small pond in what looks like the heart of the greenhouse. Although, to be honest, I can’t be sure about that. This place is seriously big. It stretches so far to my left and right, I can’t see where it ends.

“You okay, Em?”

He’s scratching his thigh furiously with one hand, and poking a water lily with the other. He looks like his normal self again.

“Rye, did we just get punked by the cheollima?” Emmett wipes sweat off his brow. “This does not look like a library. Also, they need some AC in here.”

“I mean, he did say the library wouldn’t be what we expect….”

I lean over the pond to check out my reflection. My familiar angled features look up at me, and I frown back. Ah, I get it now. The itchiness must be from Cosette’s glamour wearing off. We’re going to have to find our way out of here as our real selves.