I had run out of tears. I had let them fall silently down my cheeks so as not to cause alarm. For a moment of curiosity, I had lost my companions, family, everyone I knew. I lost my organization. I had invested years with them, fighting and winning. They were the only ones between me and death for years. It felt strange not to have them there, as they were ever present in my life. It was as if a chunk of ice rested in the pit of my stomach at that realization. No one was there to back me up. No one was there period. I was alone, and that is a very dangerous position to be in. My mind was spiraling out of control imagining them realizing I was not there. They'd call me a traitor, part of the dustbin of history. I prayed Raine's girlfriend could find that door. I needed it, but it was best not to get my hopes up.

Stepping out of the woods, however, I was snapped back to the present. There was a large gate, made of stone block. Two cloaked figures stood guard, the silver bird-like masks covering their faces. Raine turned to me and handed me a hooded shawl.

"Best hide your ears," they winked, "I'm not one to draw a crowd."

Slipping on the shawl, we made it past the guards with no incident, but upon entering the city, I could only stop in surprise. It was sensory overload. There were strange humanoid beasts, demons, creatures of legend, all walking the same streets, lined in the same stone path as the gate. The buildings had an almost German Village style to them, if not for the massive hand holding one in the air, or the talking faces on some of them. The air itself almost crackled with what I could only assume was magic.

"Where are we?" I whispered to Raine as they pulled me down the street.

"Bonesborough, the Boiling Isles," Raine gestured to the walkway before them, "My home."

"So where are we going?"

"The library," they said

"You know," I rolled my eyes as we kept walking "I was expecting someplace more. . . magical. Makes sense, though."

Meandering our way through the almost maze-like city left my head swimming with the number of strange sights I saw. Still, if this is what was needed to get back to the struggle, then so be it. After what had to be thirty minutes of twisting down alleyways and past masses of people, Raine stopped me.

In front of us lay a castle. The first thing your eye was drawn to was the stained glass swirl front and center, which was sure to cast a myriad of colors inside at the right time of day. Beneath it was the entrance, a mystic eye lay above it, and a pathway lined with bowls of amber flame led up to the door. The other windows were a soft violet, rounded at the top.

"This is your library?" my mind turned back to the libraries I had been in most recently, all glass and metal. They made them clear so the authorities could keep watch on all the homeless people that camped out there. Suffice to say, it was nothing like this "It's beautiful."

"Welcome to my home away from home," Raine bowed, and I stepped forward and into the library.