She was tall, a head taller than Gyre, and by human standards painfully thin. Her arms and legs were thin, too, and longer than a human’s. Her spindly appearance was offset by her fur, a thick red-brown coat that covered her completely except for hands, feet, and face. She wore no clothing, and her small breasts were tipped by broad black nipples. Her face seemed more human than the rest of her, with an upturned nose, a broad, expressive mouth, and enormous eyes, pupils so wide they were nearly black from edge to edge. Her ears were long and pointed, sticking well out to the sides of her head and twitching with interest. When she spoke, Gyre saw sharp, feline teeth.

“You …” Gyre turned to Kit. “This is your client?”

“More like my handler,” Kit said. “The client is still back in the Tomb.”

“That’s right,” Elariel said. Her voice sounded so human it was a shock to hear it again. “I’m just the errand girl.”

“You …” Gyre shook his head and squeezed his eye shut for a moment. He could hear his heartbeat roaring in his ears. He took shallow breaths, striving for calm. “The ghouls are all dead.”

“I’ll be sure to tell everybody when I get home,” Elariel said dryly.

“I mean …” Gyre opened his eye and stared at her. “That’s what everyone says. What we were always told. Even by the Order.”

“We do our best to keep it that way,” Elariel said. She glanced at Kit, who cleared her throat.

“You understand the problem now,” Kit said. “Just by bringing you here—”

“You can’t let me leave.” Gyre felt his lips curl in a manic grin. “Not when I might spill the secret.”

“It’s possible I could convince Naumoriel you don’t pose a threat,” Elariel said. “But the more you see, the less likely that is. I warned Kitsraea it was a risk.”

“I can’t get the Analytica without him,” Kit said. “This seemed like the quickest way to make him understand. We need to talk to Naumoriel.”

“Nau—” Gyre began.

“The client,” Kit cut him off, waving a hand. “We’re out of choices, El.”

The ghoul sniffed, her ears twitching. “I have told you that your use of nicknames would be considered highly insulting—”

“Elariel.”

“I will contact my master,” she said, her huge eyes flicking to Gyre. “For the boy’s sake, I hope you know what you’re doing.”

The ghoul turned away, bending to touch the semicircle of misshapen arcana. Lights flickered inside the crystalline surfaces, and plantlike tendrils unwound and reshaped themselves into new configurations. The ghoul’s wide, spindly fingers danced across the irregular surface.

Just the things in this room would be the biggest find any scavenger’s ever had. Gyre looked up at the metal lattice overhead, which was slowly shifting its position. It’s all alive—

“You okay?” Kit said, leaning close with a conspiratorial air.