Vix staggered slightly as she stepped onto the purple carpet of the library. Immediately, she looked behind.

There was nothing at all behind her. The door through which she had come had disappeared. Her heart constricted with panic.

But then Vix caught sight of the string trailing from her waist. The bit of thread led back a foot, before abruptly ending, as though it had been cut in half. The remaining thread hung in the air, completely unsupported, bobbing up and down like ...