Duke emerged from behind the tree.
“Are you all right, darling?” he asked.
“I know you shouldn’t hate people, but that guy? I hate. My mother wasn’t the saint I thought she was? Why would he even say that? Why would he give me advice?”
I didn’t like this, not one bit.
“This always happens to me in my books,” Duke said. “When someone gives me quote ‘friendly advice’ to back off from my investigation, I know I’m on the right track. It’s a good sign, truly.”
“How was that a good sign?”
He put his arm around my back and made me face him. Clearly he could see how distressed I was. “If a Burner is trying to stop you, that means we’re on the right track. Forget about him, love. Now, shall we get back to work?”
“Please. I need to find my grandfather so I can hug him, then shake him until he tells me what is going on.”
“Lead the way,” Duke said, handing me my umbrella.
The three of us stood together, holding hands and paws.
“Our revels now are ended!” I called out, quoting Shakespeare’sTempest.Quoting one book inside another book is the easiest way to get pushed out of a story. It’s sort of the storycraft equivalent ofthinking about kissing your ex while on a date with a new guy. Not that I would ever do that.
As if swept up in a miniature tornado, we breezed out of Arthur’s Britain and landed back inside the stockroom of Words, Words, Words.
Duke reeled and caught himself on a bookshelf.
“I had forgotten,” he said quietly, “how much I hate that part.”
“Sorry,” I whispered back. “Been too long since we story-hopped together.” I snapped my umbrella closed with a satisfying whoosh and snick.
“Far too long. Now you two wait here. I’ll check the shop.”
Koshka and I huddled in the employees only restroom while Duke went on reconnaissance.
Two long minutes later, he returned and called out, “All clear.”
We reconvened in the darkened stockroom.
“Shall we go?” Duke asked. “Wonderland awaits.”
“We can’t,” I said. “Right before that cop got here, I checked the book.” I held up the copy we’d nabbed from the children’s section. “It won’t let us in.”
“Why not?” Duke asked.
“Because I’d completely forgotten thatAlice in Wonderlandis a Code Red Ink book.”
“And that is?”
“Not good,” I said. “For us anyway. You know that enchanted lock on my grandfather’s desk? Code Reds are also kept under lock and key since they’re considered V.I.T.”
“V.I.T.? Do I want to know?”
“Very Important Titles.”
“Of course. I should’ve guessed.” He rolled his eyes.
“They’re books that Burners are always trying to destroy for one stupid reason or another.Alice in Wonderlandwas the first major children’s book that wasn’t written to teach kids any moral lessons or anything like that. It was pure entertainment. Changed children’s literature forever. Any book that turns kids into lifelong readers is going to be under constant threat from Burners.”
“So we can’t get into Wonderland to speak with the March Hare?”
