“Thank you! Thank you!” Lenora cried to her friends the ants, sure that Cinnamon was somewhere among them. Through the hole she went, until she came out into a natural cave, stalactites coming down from the ceiling and stalagmites coming up from the floor. Its floor was sheer ice, and the ice reflected a natural light, for the cavern’s ceiling was glowing with phosphorescent somethings.

But Lenora had no time to wonder about that, for weaving toward her were three robots with bowler hats, swords high. Instead of wheels or treads they had ice skates.

Lenora tried to run, but she was on ice now, no skates at all, and she slipped and fell, her lantern spinning away. She was trying to get to her feet when something black sped past. First one, then another, and now she could see they were a whole colony of penguins, waving their flippers as they slid by on their bellies. One of them snatched up the lantern with its beak. Lenora threw herself forward on her belly, too, and she was caught up amid the colony of black-and-white birds, carrying her along like a boat in a river. The slope got steeper and the colony got faster, and the robots on their skates were long gone by the time the penguins and Lenora hit full speed.

She wanted to slide on like this forever, but she knew she could not, and soon the colony spun her and the lantern down a side passage away from them. Lenora called out, “Thank you, my friends!” and the penguins squeaked and honked their goodbyes. (That much she could tell without a penguin translator.)

The steep slopes ended and Lenora came to a sliding halt. She grabbed the lantern and stood.

She was in another abandoned reading room. This one had only one small arch leading out. In front of it stood the armored girl.

There was no question she’d been in a battle. Her black padded armor was ripped and torn. The metal mask was dented. And she was breathing hard, but she was standing tall, sword at her side.

Lenora went to the girl. Lenora was full of questions, and she opened her mouth to ask one—

“Sorry,” said the girl. “No time left. Bendigeidfran brought me here, and he’s got to get me back.” She went to one knee, so that she was the same height as Lenora. She held something out and dropped it into Lenora’s hand. “When the time comes, you will need this. Don’t worry, you’ll know.”

Lenora looked at the thing she’d been given. It was a pure white card. On one side was a magnetic strip. She turned it over, and on the other side she saw the words LIBRARY CARD in glittering letters, flashing all the colors of the rainbow. The card seemed to hum with inner power, causing her hand to tingle.

“But who are you?” Lenora cried.