Ellen’s halo brightened, enough to show that they stood on a small stone platform surrounded by an iron railing. A single gate led onto a narrow stone walkway that stretched off into the darkness. When Alice squinted, she could see that there were lights in that direction, faint and flickering, like the glow of a distant campfire.

“Somewhere in the Alps,” Ellen said. “My master said Esau carved out a valley between the mountains and built his fortress in it, then wrapped it around with wards so the mortals would never find it.” She glanced up at the sky. “And it’s always night here, no matter what happens outside.”

“I wonder how long that will keep working,” Garret said. “Now that he’s dead, I mean. It depends on the power draw—”

Ellen pointed to the distant lights. “That must be the fortress. If this is his front door, it makes sense that he’d keep it at a safe distance.”

Alice walked to the edge of the platform and put her hands on the railing. She was glad she’d worn something warm; the air was thin and chill, and the metal cold against her skin. She pulled on the devilfish thread and summoned the luminescent green glow.

An involuntary gasp escaped her, and her hands tightened on the iron. Beyond the rail was a sheer cliff that extended down for hundreds of feet. She couldn’t see the bottom, and a dizzy sense of vertigo roiled her stomach and pricked at the soles of her feet. Slowly, Alice released the railing and took a careful step backward.

Garret had apparently made a similar discovery. “Nobody is to fall off,” he said. “Unless you can fly. Come on, let’s get moving.”

He strode out onto the walkway, and Ellen fell in behind him. Her halo threw long, twisting shadows. Isaac hurried after them, leaving Alice in the rear with Dex and Soranna.

Dex edged to the side of the platform, looked down, and whistled.

“Don’t fall off, Brother Garret says. Good advice indeed.” She waved Alice forward. “Proceed, sisters. I will watch behind us.”

Soranna looked miserable in the green devilfish light. Alice hesitated a moment, then held out her hand again, and the girl took it gratefully. Together they stepped out onto the walkway. It was comfortably wide, but there were no railings along its sides, and the thought of that awful drop made Alice keep to the very center.

The stone path seemed to go on forever. The platform behind them soon vanished into darkness, leaving only the light of Dex’s lantern, Alice’s hand, and Ellen’s halo bobbing ahead. The lights of the fortress, if that’s what they were, weren’t getting any closer. Soranna’s hand was warm in Alice’s.