“I’m fine,” the girl said, stretching her leg to demonstrate. “It was just a scratch, really.”

“I’m glad.” Alice shook her head. “You were amazing back there.”

Soranna looked at the floor, but she was hiding a smile. “I just bought a little time.”

“I, also, was impressed with your bravery, Sister Soranna,” Dex said.

“I don’t mean to bring everyone down,” Isaac said, “but do we have any idea where we’re going?”

They were walking down the corridor again, although it had turned several times and the doorway to the garden room was no longer in view. Other doorways opened onto corridors or rooms of every description—a smithy, a long row of stables, empty now, a chamber full of row on row of clay pots stoppered with wax seals. By unspoken agreement, the apprentices left all these alone and continued onward.

“I must admit I have lost my sense of direction,” Dex said. “This keep is more like a maze than a proper dwelling.”

“We’re still in the labyrinth,” Alice said grimly. “I can feel it.”

“Are you certain?” Dex said. “The Most Favored told me that Readers do not generally live in their labyrinths, lest they fall under the power of their own servants.”

“I know Geryon doesn’t,” Alice said. “But we’re definitely still in Torment’s domain.” She concentrated on the fabric in her mind’s eye. “It almost feels . . . newer, here. As if the labyrinth grew over this place.”

“Torment could keep us wandering forever, then,” Isaac said.

“He could try,” Alice said. “But I don’t think he will.” Reaching ahead with her newfound senses, she could feel the labyrinthine’s subtle touch on the fabric, guiding their steps. But she could also feel the buzz of another human, and unless there was someone else around, that meant Jacob. “It feels like he’s bringing us to him.”

“That does not reassure me,” Isaac muttered.

“Be cheered, Brother Isaac,” Dex said. “Whatever our fate, at least our quest nears an end. And I believe the auguries to be auspicious.”

Alice wished she were so confident. As the red-hot anger she’d felt after Torment’s threats faded, it was replaced with misgivings. Challenging a labyrinthine seemed foolhardy. Even the old Readers are afraid of them. Her new power, however unusual, didn’t seem like it would go a long way toward evening the odds.

Come on, Alice, she told herself. No jitters, not now.

They rounded a corner and came to a large doorway hung with layers of silken curtains. She could feel the buzz of Jacob’s presence, just beyond.

“This is it,” she told the others. “If Torment comes after us, don’t hold back.”

All three nodded fiercely, even Soranna. A smile came to Alice’s lips, unbidden, followed by a flip-flop of her heart when she thought about what might happen. She took a deep breath, pulled aside the curtains, and stepped through.