Tap—tap—tap.
The sound of leather boots echoed across the silent library floor.
No one moved at first. Every student was waiting for someone else to trigger the danger, to see what happened when the Librarians gave chase, before committing to any strategy.
Then a sharp piano note rang out above Rita's head.
She didn't waste a second wondering who had played it, didn't glance upward, and certainly didn't gamble on whether the Librarians would see her or not. She bolted in the opposite direction, body shrinking mid-run into a five-centimeter Orchid Mantis, landing lightly as a flower petal. The dagger at her waist shimmered into nothing, leaving a faint mark carved across her petal-shaped leg.
She had made the right call.
Because the instant the piano note sounded, eyes sprouted all over the surface of the bookshelves.
The Eyes of the Library had opened.
Every concealment skill failed at once, and students lit up with glowing halos of white.
