I walked quickly across the campus, my anger at the Grove pumping in my veins. They had tricked and manipulated us. Clearly they had gotten to some of the IMP board members to influence their votes. The others had been swayed by those awful pictures of undine attacks. They were using fear and prejudice to control us. Well, I wouldn’t be controlled. I was the doorkeeper. There had to be a way I could keep the door open despite the Grove’s intention to close it – and the answer was in Wheelock.

When I reached my house I opened my briefcase and took out the spell book. Standing on the porch I opened to the marked section, reread the footnote, and then depressed the magical icon. Instead of pages filling with text as had happened before I felt a sharp stabbing pain in my right eye, as if a hot cinder had blown into it. I blinked and a red film covered my vision. It took a moment for me to realize that words were printed on the film and that they were scrolling across my vision.

“In order for a doorkeeper to gain complete dominion over the door to Faerie and prevent others from closing it she may cast a correlative spell that links her own person to the door. This can be accomplished by spilling a drop of her blood on the threshold of the door. Once the bond is established she only has to repeat the words Quam cor mea aperit, tam ianua aperit (“Just as my heart opens, so the door opens”) in order to cancel out any opposing closing spells. The best time to perform this ritual is at dusk on the eve of the summer solstice.”

“Eureka!” I said aloud, blinking my eyes three times. The words “There is one caution …” flashed as I blinked but then began to fade. Shoot! Blinking three times was probably the way to end the transmission. Never mind, I thought, I knew enough to make the bond. I could read the caution later. It was nearly dusk now. I had to go to the door right now to establish the bond before tomorrow morning.