“No, I’m sure that’s it!” said the young man, jamming his tricorne hat back onto his head and ignoring Lenora’s warning. “Oh, thank you, librarian. Now I can send a letter to my true love!” And he rushed away.

A line of anxious questioners waited anxiously. Lenora grinned. “Next!”

CHAPTER TEN

Lenora Tackles the Unknown

Lenora had just finished helping two more patrons, the first a royal lady who desperately needed to know the only country that starts with Q, and the second a banker whose life depended on knowing the only country that ended with it (Lenora suggested the two discuss Qatar and Iraq over lunch together), when Malachi burst onto the scene looking rather disheveled, meaning a wisp of hair had escaped from her bun and her badge was ever so slightly askew.

“You are making excellent progress, Lenora,” said Malachi. Beneath the Chief Answerer’s cool demeanor, Lenora could detect a trace of urgency. “Fortunately for you, an even more challenging task has arisen. That is, if you are willing. You must decide right away.”

Lenora’s heart skipped at the prospect of an even greater challenge. But she knew she must not refuse.

She nodded firmly to Malachi, who led her away despite cries of protest from the long line of patrons. “No! We want her!” they shouted.

“Sorry!” Lenora cried out to them as she left, feeling terrible at abandoning so many needy patrons.

“For this task we must travel quite far,” said Malachi. “Many miles, in fact. So it is time for you to receive a key to the Tubes.” She held out a necklace upon which dangled a metal fob the size of a perfectly polished domino.

From the Chief Answerer’s grave expression, Lenora could tell that great responsibility came with this object. Honored, she slipped it carefully over her head. She could feel the cold metal bouncing next to her badge as they walked.

Soon they came to an archway, above which had been carved the word TUBES. Inside the room beyond, several librarians waited in a line. When they saw Malachi they stepped aside and bowed. Several glass tubes bound with copper ran through the room in all directions. Each one had a door and a flight of steps leading up to it. Lenora remembered seeing tubes like this before—webs of them winding everywhere—outside the window when she had first entered the library.

Lenora felt the floor vibrate and then heard a whoosh as something shot through a tube and clunked to a sudden halt at the tube’s door. It was a metal capsule, just large enough to hold one librarian, with several small windows and a door on the side. The door popped open and a librarian emerged.