The attic smelled like dust and old paper and something else Cassia couldn't name—something sharp and metallic, like the air before lightning. She hadn't been up here in years. The last time was with Lucy, hunting for Halloween costumes in a box that turned out to be full of moths and broken picture frames. Now the lightbulb flickered overhead like it was nervous, and the book in her hands felt heavier with every step.
Keira followed close behind, flashlight in one hand, the other gripping the railing like it might vanish. "This place is a horror movie waiting to happen," she muttered. "If a doll blinks at me, I'm out."
Cassia didn't laugh. She was too focused on the book. It had opened on its own again, pages fluttering like wings, and stopped on the map. The same one that had appeared on the loose page. Only now it was more detailed. The river had a name—Virelle. The forest was labeled Hollowroot. And at the center, drawn in ink so dark it looked wet, was a tower with no door.
Cassia stepped into the center of the attic. The floor creaked beneath her. She knelt and placed the book on the ground. The map shimmered faintly, like it was breathing.
Keira crouched beside her. "So what now? We chant something? Light a candle? Sacrifice a goat?"
Cassia didn't answer. Her fingers hovered over the tower. The ink pulsed once, then spread outward in a ripple. The attic floor beneath the book began to glow.
Keira swore. "Okay. That's new."
The glow spread in a perfect circle, symbols forming at the edges—runes, maybe, or letters from a language that didn't belong in this world. The air grew colder. Cassia's breath came out in a cloud.
Then the floor cracked.
Not loudly. Not like wood breaking. More like paper tearing.
Cassia grabbed Keira's hand.
The attic vanished.
—
They landed hard.
Cassia hit the ground first, the breath knocked out of her. Keira landed beside her with a grunt and a string of curses. The book thudded between them, its pages fluttering wildly.
They were in a forest.
But not like any forest Cassia had ever seen.
The trees were tall and silver, their leaves a deep violet that shimmered in the dim light. The sky above was a soft gray, like dusk frozen in place. The air smelled of rain and something sweet, like burnt sugar.
Keira sat up, brushing leaves from her hoodie. "Okay. Not Kansas."
Cassia stood slowly, heart pounding. The book had closed itself. When she opened it again, the map was gone. In its place was a single line of text.
You are here.
She looked around. The forest was silent. No birds. No wind. Just the sound of their breathing and the faint hum of magic in the air.
Keira stood beside her. "So. Magland?"
Cassia nodded. "I think so."
They started walking.
—
The path was narrow and winding, marked by stones that glowed faintly underfoot. The trees leaned in close, their branches whispering in a language Cassia couldn't understand. Once, she thought she saw a face in the bark—eyes closed, mouth open in a silent scream—but when she looked again, it was just a knot in the wood.
Keira kept close, her usual sarcasm quieted by the weight of the place. "This feels like a dream," she said softly. "But not the good kind. The kind where you wake up and your heart's still racing."
Cassia didn't reply. She was listening.
There was something ahead.
A clearing.
They stepped into it together.
At the center stood a figure.
Tall. Hooded. Still.
Cassia froze.
The figure turned.
Its face was hidden in shadow, but its voice was clear.
"You should not be here."
Cassia swallowed. "We're looking for someone."
The figure tilted its head. "Everyone is."
Keira stepped forward. "We have a map."
The figure raised a hand. The book flew from Cassia's grasp and hovered in the air. Pages turned rapidly, then stopped.
The figure read.
Then it laughed.
It was not a kind laugh.
"You carry the Dreamscript," it said. "Foolish. Dangerous."
Cassia stepped forward. "What is it?"
The figure looked at her. "A mirror. A weapon. A door."
Keira crossed her arms. "That clears it up."
The figure ignored her. "You seek the girl. The one who vanished."
Cassia's heart skipped. "Yes."
The figure pointed to the forest behind them. "Then go back. Forget her. Forget this place."
Cassia shook her head. "I can't."
The figure sighed. "Then you must pass the first gate."
It stepped aside.
Behind it, a path opened—one that hadn't been there before.
The figure vanished.
Keira blinked. "Okay. That was creepy."
Cassia picked up the book. The page had changed again.
Gate One: The Hollowroot Trial.
She looked at Keira. "Ready?"
Keira grinned. "Born ready."
They stepped onto the path.
—
The forest changed.
The trees grew closer together, their trunks twisted and blackened. The air grew thick, heavy with fog. The path narrowed until they had to walk single file. Cassia led, the book in her hands, its pages glowing faintly.
Voices whispered from the trees.
Not words. Just sounds. Laughter. Crying. Screams.
Cassia kept walking.
Then the path split.
Left or right.
No signs. No clues.
Keira stepped up beside her. "Flip a coin?"
Cassia looked at the book. It offered no help.
She closed her eyes.
Listened.
To the left, silence.
To the right, a heartbeat.
She turned right.
—
The path led to a clearing.
At the center stood a mirror.
Tall. Cracked. Framed in silver vines.
Cassia approached it slowly.
Her reflection stared back—wide-eyed, pale, afraid.
Then it changed.
The mirror showed her standing alone.
No Keira. No book.
Just her.
And Lucy.
Lucy stood across from her, eyes hollow, mouth stitched shut.
Cassia reached out.
The mirror shattered.
She screamed.
Keira grabbed her. "Cass! Hey! It's okay. It's gone."
Cassia blinked. The mirror was gone. The clearing was empty.
The book glowed.
Truth is the first key.
Cassia looked down. In her hand was a shard of the mirror.
It pulsed with light.
Keira touched it. "That's not creepy at all."
Cassia smiled weakly. "One gate down."
They turned back to the path.
—
The forest began to open.
The trees thinned. The sky brightened.
They stepped into a wide field of silver grass.
At the far end stood a stone arch.
The second gate.
Cassia held the shard tightly.
The book opened on its own.
Gate Two: The River of Names.
Keira groaned. "Let me guess. We have to swim."
Cassia didn't answer.
Because the river was already rising.