“What very few know is that an incident occurred in Paradise eleven years later—the year 2021. An experiment in a monastery dubbed ‘Project Showdown,’ in which thirty-six children were raised in a kind of utopian environment, spared from evil. But the whole thing went terribly wrong.”

“How does this fit into the seven missing books?” Johnis asked.

“It’s rumored that the children in the monastery had access to magical books”—she looked at Miranda—“from Turkey.”

“The Books of History?”

“I think Thomas Hunter brought some Books of History into this reality,” Karas said. “And among them were the books we seek.”

“In Paradise?”

“It’s a starting point,” Karas said. “Think about it, the history of the world rests in the hands of the choices we make. My own history changed when I chose to bathe in the lake water. It’s the will of men that Teeleh seeks. Paradise is made or corrupted depending on the choices of children and the evil character they shudder to think about. A priest gone bad: Marsuvees Black.”

“So the quest for the books was always about saving this place, not the forests?” Silvie asked.

“Perhaps. And maybe Paradise is the epicenter. Paradise, perfection. In our history there is a number that represents perfection.”

“Seven,” Miranda said.

Karas nodded. “The seven lost books.” She shrugged. “It’s a thought anyway.”

Silvie was still stuck on the suggestion that their entire mission was about saving this reality rather than saving the forests from the Horde.

“If the mission has always been about this reality,” Johnis said, tracking with her, “then who is the Dark One? This ‘Black’ character?”

“That’s the question, isn’t it?”

Crickets chirped in the darkness.

“So,” Miranda said, and they all looked at her. “You’ll take up your search in this town of yours—Paradise, Colorado.” The moon was high now, and the woman’s face was pale by its light. As were her arms and hands, Silvie saw. She was a curator, who rarely saw the light of day.

Karas shook her head. “Actually, no. Not the town. I’ve scoured it high and low, and the monastery is gone. I’m more interested in the history of the books that destroyed Paradise.” Her eyes settled on Miranda. “And those books came from Turkey.”

“Oh?”

“But that’s enough. We’ve said enough for you to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that we are who we say we are and are committed to finding the books. You can leave this book with us.”

“Yes, of course. But first, Darsal insisted that I tell the chosen one something. That would be Johnis.”

“We’re all chosen,” Silvie snapped.

“Johnis. She was quite specific. Come.”

Johnis stood still, clearly unsure about the way she’d ordered him.

“Don’t be afraid. Come here.”

He walked up to her tentatively.