“I don’t think so.” Alice felt for the fabric and tried, but it was somehow too close to rearrange space to her liking. Or maybe there were too many people—creatures—watching; at home in the library, she remembered the bookshelves always did their shifting behind her back. There was still a great deal she didn’t understand about the Dragon’s power. “It’s no good. Have you got anything?”

“Nothing that would be useful against those creatures.” Soranna looked down at her hands. “As I said, I am not a . . . a fighter.”

But Alice was staring at her thoughtfully. “You did something when that awful creature was coming after you, back on the other tower. I saw you step through a solid iron fence.”

Soranna nodded. “The creature is known as the Geist. Summoning it is very difficult, but I can call on its power to pass through objects for a short time.”

“How long?”

“A few seconds, usually. A minute at the longest. I have to hold my breath, since my lungs won’t draw in any air while I’m intangible.”

“A minute . . .” Alice stared at the honking, squabbling flock. “That might be enough.”

“Enough for what?”

“I have an idea . . .”

Chapter Sixteen: Soranna’s Gambit

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

SORANNA’S GAMBIT

SORANNA WAS SHAKING her head, nearly in tears. “I can’t do it.”

“Come on,” Alice said urgently. “It’s not that far!”

“If I trip, or . . . or anything, I’ll be torn to pieces!”

“You won’t! How can you trip when you’re intangible?” Alice was actually curious how one could run while intangible, since running relied on one’s feet making contact with the ground. But she felt this was not the time to raise that question. “I know it’s not the best idea, but it’s all I’ve got right now. I’ll be right here if anything goes wrong.”

“But we don’t need to,” Soranna said. “We can just escape. You can open a path to the exit book, and we can get out of here.”

“I’m not leaving while there’s anybody left to rescue,” Alice said, a bit more sternly than she intended. “I wouldn’t have left you.”

“But I’m not . . . like you,” Soranna said. “If I’d been in your place, I would have left you behind. I’m not . . . brave, or—”

“You can be,” Alice insisted. She looked back at the shack, where the door seemed to be on the verge of giving way. “Listen. We don’t have much time. If you’re not going to help me, I can’t make you, but then you’d better start running, because I’m going to have to try something stupid.”

Soranna looked back toward the doorway where they’d come in, and for a moment Alice thought she really was going to bolt. Then, glancing back at the shack, she bit her lip.