The Library of Whispers stands in the center of the silver woods. It has no walls made of brick. It has walls made of tall, clear glass. The roof is made of polished silver that reflects the purple sky. Everything is very, very quiet. If you drop a pencil here, it sounds like a drum.
Everett leads the way. He tiptoes onto the white stone porch. He pushes the glass doors open.
Inside, the library is beautiful. There are thousands of books, but they do not sit on shelves. They float in the air. They drift around like slow, heavy birds. Some books are small and red. Some are massive and covered in blue velvet.
"Wow," Robbie whispers. He looks up. A green book flies past his ear. It makes a soft whoosh sound.
"This is amazing," Clara says. Her eyes are wide behind her glasses. "Every book is a different story from the history of Blue Ball."
In the middle of the room, there is a large desk. A man sits behind it. He wears a long silver robe that matches the trees outside. He has white hair and a very kind smile. He looks like a friendly teacher.
"Welcome, young Knights," the man says. His voice is smooth like honey. "I am Silas. I am the Curator of Truth."
"We seek the Mirror of Truth," Everett says. He keeps his hand on the hilt of his red sword. He remembers the fox's warning.
"Of course, of course," Silas says. He stands up. He is very tall. "But the Mirror is a dangerous thing. It shows you things you do not want to see. Are you sure you are ready?"
"We are ready," Audacia says. she steps forward. She bangs her oak shield with her hand. "We are the Knights of Chivalria."
Silas smiles. But his smile does not reach his eyes. His eyes look cold, like two pieces of ice.
"Very well," Silas says. He waves his hand. A group of floating books moves away. Behind them is a hallway filled with mirrors. There are hundreds of them. Some are big. Some are small. Some have gold frames, and some have silver frames.
"One of these is the Mirror of Truth," Silas says. "But the others are the Mirrors of Vanity. If you pick a Mirror of Vanity, you become a statue of glass forever. You must choose carefully."
Everett looks at the mirrors. In one mirror, he sees himself as a giant king with a golden crown. He looks very powerful.
"That one looks good," Everett whispers.
In another mirror, Audacia sees herself winning a thousand races. In another, Robbie sees a mountain of candy.
"Wait," Clara says. she pulls out her notebook. The gold letters are blinking. They are trying to tell her something. "Rule Number Fifteen! A lie always looks better than the truth."
Clara looks at Silas. Silas is watching them closely. He looks hungry.
"These mirrors show us what we want," Clara tells her friends. "But the truth is not always what we want. The truth is just... the truth."
Clara looks away from the shiny mirrors. She looks at the floor. She sees a very small, dusty mirror tucked under a chair. It has a plain wooden frame. It is not shiny. It does not show a king or candy. It just shows the four of them, standing in a library, looking a little bit tired.
"That is the one," Clara says. she points to the small mirror.
Silas stops smiling. His face starts to change. His silver robe turns into dark, jagged glass. His skin turns grey. He is not a man. He is a Mirror-Shadow, a spy for Egomania.
"You are too smart for your own good!" the spy hisses.
He lunges at Robbie. He wants the Blue Ball.
"Not today!" Audacia yells.
She throws her shield like a frisbee. It hits the spy in his glass chest. CRACK! The spy stumbles back.
Everett draws his Red Sword of Daring. He swings it in a wide circle. The red light of the sword hits the spy. The spy screams and turns into a puddle of dark ink on the white floor.
The library is quiet again. The floating books settle onto the floor.
Clara picks up the small, plain mirror. As soon as she touches it, the dust vanishes. The glass glows with a pure, white light.
"The Mirror of Truth," she says.
She looks into the mirror. She does not see a queen. She sees a girl who is a good friend.
"We have the second gift," Everett says. He puts his sword away.
They leave the library. The silver woods are peaceful. But in the sky, a single black crow watches them. It flies away toward the dark mountains. The Dragon knows they are winning.