Clark was probably the most well-read person she knew. For a moment, hope filled her chest that she could bypass the research aspect and get the answer from him.
However, his frown deepened as he shook his head. “I don’t, but why do you need to find the source of the Door of Reflections? You don’t look like yourself. What is it?”
“It’s something I can fix,” she said with conviction. “I just need your help. Can you help me find the book that has the information?”
He blinked at her in confusion. “I don’t understand. Why can’t you search? I taught you how the library works a long time ago.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. For some reason it’s not working for me. Maybe it’s because I’m a dragonrider now or something.” What Sophia didn’t say was what she thought was the actual cause. The mark on her soul made it so that the library wouldn’t respond to her. Maybe it didn’t trust her, or that was part of the curse.
“Why do I get the impression you’re intentionally avoiding telling me what’s wrong with you?”
Sophia sighed. “It’s not worth going into. What’s important is finding that book with the information on the Door of Reflection. Will you please help me, Clark?” She batted her eyes at her brother, giving him the look that she knew would always work on him.
Instantly, he softened, nodded and let out a breath. “Yes, you know I’ll help you, Soph. Let me put this away so it doesn’t interfere.” He slid the book he was holding onto the nearest shelf. It didn’t matter where he put it because the library would reshelf it to wherever it belonged.
“Now, it could be possible that the book isn’t here and that’s why you can’t find it,” Clark offered and turned to look down the row.
“I considered that. But Papa Creola sent me here.”
Her brother nodded in understanding. “So then it’s here.”
“I think so.”
He closed his eyes, obviously focusing on what they wanted to find. He walked forward without opening them, seemingly pulled by an invisible string. Blind but walking perfectly straight, Clark made a sudden turn at the end of the row and continued forward. Sophia followed him at a distance, not wanting to distract him as he navigated his way through the library.
After Clark had walked a great distance, he stopped abruptly and swung around to face a row of books. With his eyes still closed, he reached out and pulled a book of maps from the shelf. His eyes popped open and surprise hit his face. When he held up the book, Sophia knew why.
The book was entitled, Hidden Places.
Chapter Thirteen
“Have you ever seen this before?” Sophia took the book from Clark. It was thick, and full of dusty maps with faded colors.
He shook his head. “I’m certain that no one has in a long time judging by its appearance.”
She knew what he meant when she opened it to find the pages stuck together. There were maps of the Earth full of blue waters and green lands, but it didn’t look like the globe she was acquainted with.
Clark gasped as he looked over her shoulder. “This map…”
“It has lands that are hidden,” Sophia finished his sentence. The map was full of places she’d never heard of like Ramycans and Fatima Islands and Bateman Peninsula.
“I wonder if the only way you can find these hidden places is if you have this book,” Clark mused and scratched his forehead.
“That makes sense. Because otherwise they would have been discovered by now.”
She suspected that Mama Jamba could shine some light on the subject, but doubted that she would offer much help. That woman was about as forthcoming with information as Papa Creola.
While flipping through the book, she found map after map with places she’d recognize, but with bodies of lands next to them that she didn’t. “Since when is there a small continent next to Mexico?”
“Probably since forever ago,” Clark answered.
Although the discovery of all these mysterious places was incredibly cool, it didn’t help Sophia to narrow down where the source of the Door of Reflection was located.
Similar to how Bermuda Laurens had taught Sophia how to use the books Magical Creatures and a Complete History of Dragonriders to find things, she randomly flipped through the pages, not scanning them, but rather feeling directed. Suddenly, her hand stopped on a page. The map was full of tiny islands and looked to be in the South Pacific.
At first, Sophia wasn’t sure why her instinct had made her stop on this particular page. Then Clark reached over her shoulder and pointed. “Look. That’s got to be it.”
Her mouth popped open, and she knew he was right. Nestled between the cluster of islands was a body of water labeled, The Reflective Sea.
Chapter Fourteen
Standing outside the Barrier at the Gullington, Sophia frowned. She’d continuously failed to create a portal to one of the islands around the Reflective Sea. And stepping through a portal close to the islands would have her swimming in the South Pacific.
“I think you have to go with me,” she said to Lunis, who stood beside her with uncertainty written on his face. “We must need the map to find the hidden locations and that’s why I can’t portal there.”
“But if I go, then there’s no way to protect you,” he argued. “The hallucinations…”
“The only way to remove the mark from my soul is to go to the Reflective Sea,” she stated with confidence. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do there, but this is what Papa Creola told me I needed to do—find the source of the Door of Reflection.”
He hung his head, obviously not liking this new plan. “It’s just that leaving the Gullington is one thing and puts you at risk, but me not protecting you is another.”
“I left the Gullington with you before, while I had the curse,” she countered.
“It’s getting worse.”
They both knew he was right. Early on, the curse hadn’t been so bad, but it was progressively worsening and Sophia knew that there were many risks if she left with Lunis. “Then that’s why we have to do it now, rather than waiting any longer.”
Although she knew that he was reluctant, her dragon obediently knelt and extended his wing so she could climb onto his back and slip into the saddle.
When she was in place, he took off at once, probably wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.
Sophia didn’t look forward to being unprotected from the hallucinations, but she was intrigued by the idea of seeing a hidden land. With the book of maps tucked inside her cloak, she enjoyed the wind whipping through her hair as she opened a portal to the South Pacific.
It shimmered bright and colorful in front of her and Lunis as they flew. Soon they’d step foot on an island that most had never seen or knew existed.
Chapter Fifteen
When they slipped through the portal and flew over the sparkling waters of the South Pacific, Sophia expected to find little islands sprinkled throughout the area, like she’d seen on the map she’d studied all night. However, the blue ocean simply went on for what seemed like eternity.