Zoe felt a touch on her shoulder. She jumped, the vision of the golden underworld dropping away, the veil of magic dissipating as her focus shifted.
The Head of the Antiquities department stood by her side, the woman’s gnomish face crinkled in curiosity. “Found something interesting?” She bent to look more closely at the map on the desk.
Her words made Zoe hesitate. She didn’t really know what she’d found, but she didn’t want to share anything yet. Not until she was sure.
“Perhaps, but I need more time.”
“Well, you won’t have it today. You’re needed in the library.”
Zoe’s heart beat faster at the prospect of going to the center of the Ministry, the soul of the maps. She had visited the place briefly when she arrived as part of her induction tour, but it was a mess of charred ruins and
