Ever since Alice had confronted him, Mr. Black had tried to avoid her entirely. Since he mostly worked in the furnace room, that was not difficult. When she did run into him, she’d found his dark looks tempered with a touch of disbelief, as though he were surprised she’d kept her word about not betraying his part in the scheme to Geryon. If they had to talk, he gave her a wary respect, although she was under no illusion that he was truly friendly.

“Miss Alice,” he said, in his deep rumble of a voice. “So you’re here after all.”

“I haven’t seen you,” Mr. Wurms said querulously. “I’ve things that need fetching.”

“I’m sorry,” Alice said. “I took a bit of a wrong turn.”

Mr. Wurms sniffed, but it was hard to argue with that excuse. Unless Ending was paying you special attention, finding things even in the mundane side of the library wasn’t easy.

“You’ll have to do your own fetching, or wait a bit longer,” Mr. Black said. “The girl’s to come to the house right away. Master’s orders.”

Mr. Wurms gave the long-suffering sigh of the eternally put-upon, but raised no argument. Mr. Black beckoned, and Alice fell in beside him, having to take two hurried steps to match each of his long strides.

“Do you know what’s going on?” she ventured, once they’d left Mr. Wurms behind.

“Something dangerous,” Mr. Black said. “Master’s got all the wards turned up as high as they’ll go; that takes a lot of power.”

“He didn’t tell you why?”

“Nope.” She thought he was smiling, but it was hard to tell under his shaggy beard. “Lucky you, you get to find out.”

Chapter Four: Unexpected News

CHAPTER FOUR

UNEXPECTED NEWS

GERYON SAT IN his study, in one of four high-backed armchairs that faced one another in front of the fireplace. The muddy stain from where Alice had emerged from the swamp was gone.

“Sorry to take so long, sir,” Alice said. “I was deep in the library, and it took Mr. Black some time to find me.” The huge servant had left her at the entrance to Geryon’s suite, muttering to himself as he retreated to his basement sanctuary.

“Fortunately, we have a little time.” Geryon gestured for her to sit. She did, perching on the edge of one of the overstuffed seats, her feet not quite reaching the ground. “I’ve had some interesting news.”

“News?” Her chest tightened for a moment.

Geryon nodded. By this of course he meant news from his world, something that had happened among the Readers. Mere human happenings—that President Hoover had been assassinated, say, or that an earthquake had sunk Rhode Island into the sea—would not concern him. Has he heard something about Father? But his expression was all wrong for that, and she forced herself to be calm.