The Book of Doors
by Gareth Brown
Contents
Coffee in Lyon
Overview
After escaping through the Book of Doors, Cassie, Izzy, and Drummond regroup in Lyon, where shock gives way to urgent questions about who is hunting them and why. Drummond explains the existence of secret “magic” books, the suppressed network that monitors any sign of them, and confirms Hugo Barbary is a skilled book hunter wielding the Book of Control. The chapter pivots when Drummond proposes a drastic solution: he says the only way to put things right is to destroy Cassie’s Book of Doors.
Summary
Cassie, Izzy, and Drummond stumble out of a door and find themselves beside a river in Lyon just before dawn. Shaken and cold after the violence they fled, they walk until they find a small café opening for the morning and sit outside for coffee and croissants, trying to steady their nerves.
As they eat, Cassie and Izzy press Drummond about the attacker from the deli. Drummond identifies him as Hugo Barbary, a brutal book hunter, and acknowledges the horror of what they witnessed. Cassie struggles with guilt over the injured deli worker, while Drummond insists they must recover enough to think clearly.
Cassie demands answers about the books, and Drummond explains that the world contains rare “magic” books that each grant a specific ability. Knowledge of these books is tightly suppressed because they represent power, and they have circulated for about a century through rumor, fortune, and bloodshed.
Izzy admits she searched “Book of Doors” online, and Drummond warns that such searches trigger monitoring: the groups who suppress information also watch for anyone who shows awareness. Cassie and Izzy realize this may have exposed them, and Izzy blames herself, while Drummond says multiple factions could now be looking for them, including private collectors and some government elements.
Drummond explains that Barbary was not drawn by the internet search but by tracking Drummond, and that Barbary used the Book of Control to hurl objects and bodies. Drummond asks to see the Book of Doors, briefly examines it, notes that external writing on such books fades, and returns it with intense focus. When Cassie asks what they should do next, Drummond offers to help make the danger “go away” but says he needs their cooperation: he wants to destroy the Book of Doors.
Who Appears
- CassieHiding in Lyon; questions Drummond, shows him the Book of Doors, hears his plan to destroy it.
- Drummond FoxExplains magic books, hunters, and surveillance; admits Barbary followed him; asks to destroy the Book of Doors.
- IzzyTraumatized but blunt; admits googling the Book of Doors; fears exposure; challenges Drummond’s vagueness.
- Hugo BarbaryNamed as violent book hunter; used the Book of Control; now likely to pursue Cassie for the Book of Doors.
- Café owner (woman in Lyon)Serves coffees and croissants, providing a brief calm refuge after the escape.