When Liz learned that our rooms had been broken into and that the Necronomicon for each of us had been stolen, I swear her hair looked like she was touching one of those magnetic spheres at the science fair – it got even more frizzy. It even smoked.

Jeeves seemed to be shaking under her gaze.

“How in the Afterlife did you let that happen, Jeeves? Were you poking around in the Arcane Room all day instead of keeping watch?”

Jeeves lowered his head. The guilt on his face was enough of an answer that he didn’t even have to speak the words.

“Jeeves! You know Gertrude can’t keep an eye on all the rooms at once.”

She stuck out her hand that had the blackened finger. Smoke was rising from her outstretched palm. “Give me the key to the Arcane Room now. You are forbidden from entering until further notice!”

Jeeves dropped to his knees, sobbing hysterically. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I couldn’t help me’self.” His fingers fumbled with the ring of skeleton keys until he found one that was slightly different from the others. It had a five pointed star on the end of it instead of a skull. Jeeves’ lower lip curled downwards in a sulky pout as he looked at Liz. He cradled the key to his chest.

“Now, Jeeves!”

“It won’t happen again, ma’am, I swears it!” His body shook with his sobbing.

“You said that the last time, remember? Consequences, Jeeves, consequences.”

At that point he stopped sobbing and his pout turned angry. He thrust the key out at her. Liz took it and then Jeeves got up and stomped off like a scolded child.

“My apologies,” Liz said. She tucked the key somewhere in the folds of her dress. “He’s been slacking off lately. We’re going to have to have a long talk with him.”

None of us really knew what to say so we all stood there rather awkwardly until Kenji broke the silence. “Excuse me,” he said. “But what is this Arcane Room?”

Liz headed for the stairs. “You’re about to find out. But first, let’s check out your rooms. I want to see what we can find out.”

We followed her up and came first to Miesha’s room. Liz and Miesha struggled to be the first to examine the room, but after a single look from Liz, Miesha resorted to following.

The space was similar to my own with the exception that the drapes and bedding were a little more feminine. The dresser was dusty, but there was a clean space in the shape of a book. The room was otherwise in pristine condition.

Goliath sniffed at the dresser. He looked at me, but didn’t seem to indicate what he was thinking.

We moved on Kenji’s room after that. It was the same situation there, with the book having gone missing from the nightstand. His room looked identical to mine.

Then we moved on to my room. Goliath was growling the moment we walked in the door. Liz pulled one of the vials from her bag and motioned for us to wait for her. She looked like she was ready to throw it on a moment’s notice. Goliath joined her as she entered the room.

I hovered at the door, the other two breathing down my neck. Kenji’s breath smelled like berries.

From what I could see from the doorway, the room had been torn apart. The dresser drawers were all opened or lying about the room. The curtains were shredded, the bed had been turned upside down, and the nightstand was in pieces all over the room.

Liz motioned for us to enter.

“Where did you leave the book?” she asked.

I had to think about that. After Liz’s visit, I had crawled into bed to sleep. I hadn’t felt like reading and I think I had shoved the book to the floor. And from the depths of my recollection I think I might have knocked the book under the bed while I was scrambling to shut the curtains.

I immediately looked under what was left of the bed and mattress. There was nothing there.

“I think it was under the bed,” I said.

Liz shook her head. “Looks like it’s gone now.”

Miesha fingered the curtains. “And it looks like someone went to a lot of trouble to find it.”

Liz nodded. “Come with me,” she said. “We need to talk to Gertrude. Necronomicons don’t just go missing.”

We followed her out the door and into the elongated corridor. Liz kept a furious pace. We all practically ran to keep up.

The hand in my pocket kept bumping around. I held it while I jogged down the hallway, wondering when I would get chance to remove it. The woman in the market had given me a suggestion that I was itching to try out, but I hadn’t had a moment alone – not even to use the washroom.

And now that I thought about it, I hadn’t noticed any bathrooms. Nor did I even feel like I had to go since I arrived in the Afterlife. I hadn’t eaten either, and I wasn’t feeling hungry. I figured neither of those mattered here and kept on running.

We seemed to travel for an eternity through the corridor. It was almost like we were in one of those dreams where you run, but you don’t really get anywhere. We kept passing the same light fixtures and paintings on the wall. It must have been around the fifth time we passed a painting of some stodgy old man holding three keys that Liz came to a sudden halt. She faced the painting and pulled out the one Jeeves had given her. She held it up to the painting and it was then that I noticed that he wasn’t really holding three keys. There were two painted-on keys and a slot to place the third key in.

Liz put it in its proper place and the key became part of the painting. Then it slid back, revealing an entrance to a darkened corridor.

“Cool,” I muttered. Miesha and Kenji seemed to be thinking the same thing. They had the same look of wonder on their faces that I was feeling.

Liz reached inside and turned the knob on a wall-mounted light. The corridor lit up. It was long, but not like the one we had just left. There were mirrors along the walls, but we couldn’t see our reflection in them. They were just black glass that seemed to show nothing.

There was only one door, at the very end. It had a large gargoyle hanging on it. His arms were crossed in front of him.

“Gertrude’s waiting for you,” he said.

“I figure,” Liz said. “Any idea what it was?”

The gargoyle shook his head. “How should I know? No one talks to me since I was placed on this door. I just as well be hanging on a log.”

Liz pushed the door open, muffling the gargoyle’s complaining.

The room that awaited us was enormous, almost the size of a school gymnasium, except it was domed. Every wall was loaded with books and there were a few round tables scattered about – some with large astrolabes on them, others with cauldrons. The floor was filled with various circles and symbols. There were locked wardrobes against some of the walls and the room had five doors, spaced evenly apart. The dome was made of glass and open to the sky above. It was then that I noticed that it was almost dawn.

Kenji noticed it too and pointed.

“Daylight is coming,” he whispered.

“Don’t worry,” Liz said. “That glass is tinted. Nothing will happen in here.”

A huge sigh escaped Kenji’s and my lips.

Miesha didn’t even look up. She marched right in and looked about. “Where is this Gertrude?” she asked. “I want to know who took my book?”

There didn’t seem to be anyone in the room with the exception of the four of us and Goliath.

“You’re standing in her. Gertrude is the collective essence of all who live in this building.”

Miesha didn’t look impressed. “That is ridiculous,” she said.

Liz walked to one of the cauldrons. She grabbed a handful of powder from the table and tossed it in. There was a flash and smoke rose from the cauldron as it bubbled.

The smoke continued to rise and thicken. Eventually it started to take a form, that of a woman with long hair.

Liz pointed to it. “If it makes it any easier, you can call this Gertrude.”

The smoke woman nodded to Liz, but said nothing.

“Who took the books, Gertrude?” Liz asked. She had her hands on her hips.

The smoky woman raised her arm and pointed.

Her finger was aimed directly at me.