It wasn’t until they’d attained the relative safety of the fringe of the woods, halfway to the library and well out of earshot of the house, that Isaac pulled up short, leaning against a sapling and puffing hard. Alice wasn’t out of breath, but her shoulders and wrists ached where Mr Black had held her, and her lips still tingled from Isaac’s kiss. She felt herself blushing furiously, and was glad it was too dark for him to see it.

‘What happened?’ she said. ‘What did you do?’

‘I saw that you were in trouble,’ Isaac said.

‘So why did you kiss me?’

‘I’m sorry about that,’ he said. ‘I had to, it’s part of the spell. It makes you immune. Otherwise I’d have had to carry you, and I’m not sure I could have managed it.’

‘Oh.’ Alice brought her sleeve to her lips and absently wiped them. ‘What did you do to Mr Black? How long will he stay like that?’

‘I’ll have to let him go pretty soon. If I use too much power, Geryon would feel it for sure. I probably shouldn’t have done even that much.’ He paused. ‘Did you get the map?’

‘I think so.’ Alice held up the paper square. ‘We can—’

‘Later.’ Isaac grabbed the thing from her hand and tucked it in his jacket. ‘We’d better get back to the library before somebody comes after us.’

‘All right.’

Isaac pushed himself away from the tree and started forward. Alice, following behind, hesitated for a moment.

‘Isaac?’

‘What?’

‘Thank you.’

‘Oh.’ He gave an awkward shrug. ‘Don’t mention it.’

Chapter Seventeen: A Map of the Labyrinth

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

A MAP OF THE LABYRINTH

Alice had worried that they would find the bronze door to the library stuck fast, as she had that first night, but it opened reluctantly when she gave a tug on the ring. With a sigh of relief, she ushered Isaac inside and pulled the squealing portal closed behind her. She lit a match and managed to kindle one of the hurricane lamps. She offered it to Isaac, but he only smiled and put up one hand. A softly glowing ball of white light materialized in his palm and drifted lazily upwards to orbit around his head.

‘That’s handy,’ Alice said.

He shrugged. ‘It’s just a little glow-wisp. I’m sure Geryon would dig one out for you if you asked him.’

Alice stared at the thing for a moment. She hadn’t realized it was a living thing, but of course it had to be. Geryon said a Reader’s power comes from the creatures he has bound to service. So Isaac had found that tiny light in a prison-book, somewhere, and . . . killed it? Alice looked down uncomfortably.

‘Geryon won’t sense it?’ Alice said.

‘Not in the library,’ Isaac said. ‘Ending can keep me hidden.’

She nodded. ‘OK. Let’s see the map.’