It might be hard to find our way through, but I’m sure we can remember the way out. Even as she thought it, though, she knew that wasn’t what the Dragon meant.

This is no simple maze. It is a labyrinth. The lair of one of the labyrinthine, the maze-demons. The Dragon paused. You know such a creature yourself.

Ending. You mean Ending.

Yes. She serves Geryon, as all her kind must serve the Readers. They imprison the books of magic. Inside their labyrinth, they see all and control all.

Geryon said that all Esau’s contracts would dissolve when he died, so we’d be safe.

They should have. But the labyrinthine remains at his post. I do not know why. But if you continue, you will be at his mercy.

Alice paused. Garret and Ellen had started forward again, toward the tower.

What should I do?

Turn back.

I don’t think the others will want to.

If you continue, you will be trapped in the labyrinth. Most likely you will all die. The labyrinthine are not pleasant creatures, on the whole.

Ending seems nice enough, Alice thought defensively. Sometimes, anyway.

Something echoed from her mind, like a distant snort from vast nostrils. Then the Dragon’s presence was gone. Alice kept her grip on the thread, but it was once again as hard as rock, and unresponsive to any of her entreaties.

Wait. I need to know . . .

But she could tell it was pointless, even without waiting for an answer.

Chapter Eight: Into the Maze

CHAPTER EIGHT

INTO THE MAZE

THE WALKWAY LED to an arched doorway in a gloomy-looking tower near the edge of the castle. A few torches cast weak pools of radiance out the windows, throwing long shadows. Inside, Alice could see a stone-floored chamber, with a long spiral stair winding around the inside of the wall. In the center was a messy heap of—

“Books?” Alice said aloud.

“Of course,” Dex said. “Every master must have his library.”

Geryon’s books were at least shelved, even if they weren’t sorted or organized. Here the volumes had simply been dumped in a pile like so much dross. Alice, looking at the folded pages and cracked spines, couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for them.

“No one is to touch anything,” Garret said. “You know how it is. Our masters will send people to clean this place up, that’s not our job. Besides, it could be dangerous.”

Alice took a deep breath. She wasn’t optimistic that Garret would heed her warning, but she couldn’t just do nothing. Isaac might have listened, given his history with the Dragon, but Isaac was apparently not speaking to her.

“Garret?” she said as they paused just outside the doorway. “Can I have a word?”

Garret raised an eyebrow, but gestured her over to the side of the walkway, away from the others. Ellen followed without being invited.