She should have thrown it away. Instead, she slipped the gold leaf into her palm and closed the book.

Elara scanned it. She should have just stamped it "Returned" and shelved it. Instead, she opened it.

She set the gold leaf down on the table. "He didn't vanish," Dr. Vance whispered. "He found a way in ."

Elara looked at the leaf. It was no longer a crescent. It was a keyhole.

She stopped explaining.