The portal-book was just where they’d left it. Alice held out her hand wordlessly, and Isaac took it. He flipped the cover open, and the letters did their now-familiar crawl into legibility. Alice’s eyes went wide as she read:

Alice looked up from the book into the bearded, grinning face of Mr Black. She tried to shout a warning . . .

Chapter Twenty: The Second Trial

CHAPTER TWENTY

THE SECOND TRIAL

Alice looked up from the book into the bearded, grinning face of Mr Black. She tried to shout a warning, but one huge hand was already on her arm, and the other was around Isaac’s wrist. Alice jerked backwards, reaching out automatically for the Swarm thread, ready to call a dozen of the sharp-beaked little terrors into being . . .

‘Now, children,’ said Geryon. ‘Let’s not make a scene.’

Alice froze. Isaac did too, though in his case it seemed to be from sheer terror. He had the wide-eyed look of a rabbit trying to stare down a pair of headlights. Geryon stepped out from behind Mr Black, hands in the pockets of his tatty old jacket, tutting like a disappointed tutor.

‘I believe you can release our Alice, Mr Black,’ Geryon said.

Reluctantly, Mr Black let go of her, circling round to loom behind Isaac. Alice rubbed her arm – it ached where he’d grabbed her – and said, ‘Master. Sir. This isn’t—’

‘Do you have the book?’

‘Wait. Listen,’ Alice said. She felt like she had this one moment to make him understand, before he made up his mind. She searched desperately for the words that would do it, but her mind felt blank and sluggish. A sob welled up from her chest, and she pushed down hard. ‘I can explain—’

‘Do you have the Dragon?’ Geryon said, and this time there was steel in his voice.

‘No,’ Alice said. ‘He does.’

‘I see.’ Geryon nodded to Mr Black, who patted Isaac’s pockets until he found the book. He extracted it carefully and handed it to the old Reader, who put it under his arm without even glancing at the cover. ‘And you, boy. What’s your name?’

Isaac set his jaw, in spite of the fear Alice could still see in his eyes. He said nothing.

‘He’s Isaac,’ Alice said. ‘And he was helping me. We—’

‘Quiet, my dear,’ Geryon said. ‘If I want something from you, I’ll ask.’

‘But—’

‘I said quiet.’ Geryon glanced briefly in her direction, and something invisible slashed across the space between them.

Alice’s jaw locked, clenching so tight, her teeth hurt, and she dropped to her knees, tears coming to her eyes.

Geryon, turning back to Isaac, said, ‘And whose pawn are you, young Isaac? You don’t look like one of Grigori’s. The Eddicant, perhaps? Gabriel?’

Isaac shook his head, lips pressed together. Geryon sighed.