• “The most important thing to know about any game is exactly what kind of a game it is,” said Rob. “That in and of itself gives a great deal of insight into what sort of trials one will go through to win.”
    The three were walking down yet another corridor in the Library. This one was a beautiful marble, streaked with black veins. It looked quite old, but Bree could see no chips or cracks in it. Either it was newer than it appeared or the people living in the Library were very careful about how they treated the walls and floors.
    “The board game,” continued Rob, “Can be described as a finding game. An exploration game of sorts. There are four teams: The Red Team, the Blue Team, the Green Team, and the Yellow Team. Each of those teams has four players to it. This means that in each game, there are sixteen players total.”
    “Because four times four is sixteen,” put in Bree, who had just learned that much multiplication and was proud to finally be able to use it so quickly.
    “Quite right. You and Gar and I will be on the Yellow Team, along with Yellow Piece One.”
    “Is that his real name?” interrupted Bree.
    “It is in the game. Now shush and listen or I won’t finish before we get there. Each team has a base called their Home. When they’re in their Home, they’re safe.”
    “Safe from what?”
    “I’ll get to that later. But the downside is that while they’re in their Home, they can’t just leave whenever they want to. The Library will choose when to let them out of Home and where they will be left off at. One person might be in Home for two minutes and another for two hours.”
    “Oh dear,” said Bree. “I had hoped that you and Gar could stay with me.”
    “It can’t be helped, but we do have an Advantage for that little Reeb,” explained Rob. “You see, each team is given one Advantage. Each team gets only one and it’s different for each team. The Blue Team gets wings.”
    “Real working wings?”
    “Well it wouldn’t be much of an Advantage if they didn’t work, would it? Now shush. The Red Team gets rapiers. The Green Team gets special hand mirrors.”
    “What are the mirrors for?”
    “When danger is lurking nearby, the mirrors warn them. But the mirrors aren’t always accurate, so the Green players must still be careful.”
    “Oh,” said Bree. “I don’t like the idea of the Red players have rapiers. Can they kill other players with them?”
    “Oh no,” replied Rob. “Nobody can actually die in this game. But if you are Captured by a player from another team, the Library pulls you back into your Home and you must wait until you may leave again. Being poked with the rapier counts as a Capture, thus it’s an Advantage. There are other ways to Capture a player of course, but they are a bit trickier and require a bit more effort.”
    “So what is our Advantage then?” asked Bree.
    “Oh dear, I did forget my point, didn’t I? The Yellow team’s Advantage is a compass. The compass is a magical one that automatically points the way to the nearest player on your team. That way, the players can find each other more easily. Still, it doesn’t account for walls or traps or other players, so you can’t blindly place your faith in the compass.”
    “I understand,” said Bree. “How does the game end then?”
    “The players must search the Library until they find The End,” explained Rob. “At The End, there will be one final test. The test is always different, but if you can pass it, you win and then you get the prize.”
    “The Homes are coming up,” said Gar, speaking for the first time. “I suggest that you take a good look at the other Players, so that you will know who to avoid.”
    “First is the Green Home,” added Rob.
    Bree craned her neck as they passed an open door. There were four people inside the room. All had green hair, green eyes, and (oddest of all) green skin. Two were ladies and two were men. Their eyes were narrowed shiftily and the women’s hair was piled up in elegant buns. One lady wore an elegant green satin corset and billowing skirt. The other, who looked younger, wore a smaller green gown and had a pretty, green ribbon perched on the back of her hair. The older man wore an emerald satin overcoat and matching vest. The younger wore a lime tunic and scaly snake-like cape. All four stood about preening themselves and looking in beautiful mirrors with handles and frames of carved jade (which Bree remembered were their Advantages).
    “I believe I could tell them apart quite easily,” commented Bree. “Green skin isn’t exactly common you know.”
    “Just the same, better safe than sorry,” said Rob. “Next up is the Blue Home.”
    The Blue players had aquatic-colored hair and skin with eyes that sparkled like sapphires. Like Rob said, each one had a set of wings. A girl with long hair had wings that flowed as easily as water down a river. The younger girl had smaller, more delicate wings, which somehow reminded Bree of a sort of crystal or rare stone. One of the boys had wings that whipped as gracefully as the wind and the other male had stiff wings, like those of a scarab beetle.
    “I see,” said Bree as they passed. “Those wings ought to be a good hint.”
    “Red Home is next,” said Rob.
    The Red Home was bursting with color. All of the players on that team were dressed almost like carnival performers. Each one had a beautiful scarlet bird, perched on their shoulder or strutting at their ankles. Bree could tell that again there were two boys and two girls (this time with red skin and hair), but she could not tell much more as all four wore some form of beautifully decorated mask, studded with rubies and red crystals and other precious stones. They each had a rapier kept securely in a scabbard hung at their belts.
    “They’re lovely!” said Bree.
    “Aye, but quite dangerous,” Rob reminded her. “Their rapiers give them a Capturing Advantage. You see one, you be sure to stay far away during the game, you hear?”
    “And this is our Home,” said Gar suddenly.
    They were standing in front of one final room. This one was almost completely empty. There was one person inside, a boy. He had yellow skin and messy yellow hair. He wore a matching jumpsuit and a large smile.
    Gar knocked politely on the door as she entered. “Yellow Piece One, I presume?” she asked. “We are the other three players on the Yellow team.”
    “Ah, right you are,” said Yellow Piece One cheerfully. “Wonderful to finally meet you. Now if you don’t mind my asking, just what are your names? You first luv,” he added, turning to Gar.
    Gar looked a bit annoyed at him calling her “luv” (as did Rob) but decided to answer anyway. “I,” she said in a stately voice, “am Gar Am An, otherwise known as Ana Gram. This,” she said, indicating to Rob, “is Rob Eke Poke, otherwise known as the Bookkeeper. And this young lady here,” she finished, indicating to Bree, “Is young Miss Bree, otherwise known as ‘Reeb’.”
    “’ang on a minute,” said Yellow Piece One, looking at Gar and Rob suspiciously. “I’ve ‘eard of your names before, ‘aven’t I? You’re members of the Library Staff. Is that allowed in the rules then, members of the Staff joining in the board game as players?”
    “I don’t believe that there’s anything in the rules about us not being allowed to play,” pointed out Rob. “And anyway, little things like breaking rules have never restricted players in past board games.”
    “Alright then, so long as you’re alright with it. Me, I’m just glad the board game’s up and being played again,” said Yellow Piece One. “Oy, luv!” he called, looking at Bree.
    “Yes Yellow Piece One?” she replied, coming forward.
    “Firstly, you don’t ‘ave to call me ‘Yellow Piece One’,” he said. “It’s just a mouthful and isn’t really necessary, seeing as I’m the only actual Yellow piece. So you just can call me ‘Yellow’.”
    “Thank you Yellow,” said Bree.
    “Secondly, I ‘ave something for you. ‘Ang on a minute…”
    “Yellow,” said Gar severely as he began searching through his pockets, “I wish you would not keep dropping your ‘h’s’ like that. It’s very bad manners, it’s sloppy, and someone will have to come around after you to pick them up.”
    “I can’t very well ‘elp it miss,” replied Yellow, continuing his search (“He must have quite a few pockets,” Bree thought). “I’ve got an English accent I ‘ave.”
    “My mother has an English accent too,” said Bree. “Not quite like yours though.”
    “’Ere we go!” said Yellow, ignoring Bree’s comment. “Take this with you, luv”. And he handed Bree a battered gold compass, just large enough to fit comfortably in the palm of her hand.
    “Oh thank you! It’s so lovely,” said Bree, who had a love for older things as well as shiny new ones.
    “Open it up miss, and see ‘ow it still works,” suggested Yellow.
    Bree snapped it open and gasped with delight at the sight of the little delicately painted “N”, “S”, “W”, and “E” painted on the edges. They were perfectly elegant and Bree spent many weeks after her adventure trying to find something painted with just as much precision as those letters. The needle on the compass was gold as well, very fine and dainty. It was spinning madly in a full circle, never once coming to rest.
    “It does that you see, when the ‘ole team’s together like this,” explained Yellow. “Then you have nothing to worry about.”
    “I wouldn’t say that,” said Rob. “Even if the team’s together, there’s still ambush or traps to worry about.”
    “Aye, but I meant nothing to worry about finding the rest of the team. That’s what this compass is for, after all.”
    As he spoke, Yellow had been rummaging in yet even more pockets, until he was able to pull out two more gold compasses, just as lovely as Bree’s. These went to Gar and Rob, who quickly put them in their pockets. Yellow assured them that he already had his compass safely stashed away and he certain knew where it was.
    “Right,” said Rob. “Now all that’s left is for the game to begin.”
    Bree found herself trembling with nervousness and excitement. The game had fairly high stakes after all and finding the Writer seemed very important. But the game also sounded like tremendous fun and she couldn’t wait for it to start, if only to get a chance to explore the Library and perhaps meet a few of the books personally. To try to ease the growing tension in her heart, Bree took to snapping her compass open and shut until Rob told her not to. She suspected that Rob and Gar were just as nervous as she was. Yellow stood off whistling merrily, as if he had no cares in the world. Bree suspected that he’d played the game so many times that the shock and fear had worn off.
    After what seemed like hours (but was more likely only a few minutes), Yellow turned to the other three, winked, said “Right then, cheerio!” and vanished. There was no puff or pop or glimmer or effect of any kind. It was as if he never existed.
    “Well, that was quick,” said Rob, smiling weakly. Bree could definitely tell now that he was feeling nervous and she didn’t blame him one bit. It was bad enough when it wasn’t certain if the game had begun or not. Now that there was the possibility of being yanked away to any place in the Library at any moment, Bree felt downright sick. She was even considering, very far in the back of her mind, somehow running from the room and shouting “No, stop, I’ve changed my mind!”
    Bree wasn’t a coward. It was simply that the calm before a storm seems the scariest time. It was like the first day she started school. It only took a second for her to enter the doors, but seconds before the actual event, an unparalleled terror would break over Bree, causing her to want to cry and run far, far away. This was what she felt now, only she couldn’t exactly go running away any more than she could run from school. Deep down, at the time, she knew that she had to go to school and that she had to get the shot. She knew that those things had to be done for some reason. But such knowledge is not exactly a comfort. Knowing that a dragon must be faced does not make the thought of facing it much more appealing.
    It was roughly five minutes later when Rob suddenly gave a small cry. “I think this is it,” he said. “Gar, Reeb, I’ll see you both – ” and then he vanished, mid-sentence.
    Gar was now very pale and Bree felt cold and sweaty. She went to stand next to Gar in what she hoped was a discreet manner. It probably wasn’t as successful as she had hoped, but Gar gave her a comforting smile and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, so Bree was sure that she understood.
    Somehow, Bree thought that she would be the last one to leave the Home. It just made sense to her. In some strange way, she knew that. So when she felt herself beginning to be sent away three minutes later, she was taken completely by surprise.