Chapter 9- A Whole New World

I opened my eyes to the same exact place I had been in before. I looked behind me, where the Spiral door stood ajar. I could see through to the other side, and immediately felt very stupid. What had I done wrong?

All of the sudden, a huge booming voice resonated throughout the massive tree. "You need a key," Bartleby sang.

"Where do I get one?" I shouted at the majestic mess of twisting branches that was the ceiling of the world tree.

"You make one," Bartleby said simply. I looked around me, trying to figure out how on earth I was to make a Spiral Key, then an idea occurred to me. But it couldn't be that simple, could it?

I cupped my hands together, closing my eyes and trying to imagine a key. I tried to work quickly, fretting that Ambrose might show up at any moment and challenge me to a duel or something. My hands grew cold, and I opened them to reveal a perfect key of ice. I wasted no time inserting the key into the Spiral door.

When I opened the door, a huge swirling vortex opened up in front of me. I closed my eyes and stepped in.

The last thing I remembered was landing face down on hot stone.