“I have to fix this. I’m not running,” Alice said.

“I know,” Isaac said.

“What?” Alice blinked. “What do you mean, you know?”

“You wouldn’t give up in Esau’s fortress,” he said. “I can’t imagine you doing it here.”

“But this is all my fault,” Alice said. “I let the Ouroborean loose. None of you would be in danger if it wasn’t for me!”

“We have all made mistakes,” Dex said, her cheery smile restored. “What’s important is how we deal with them. I will of course be at your side, Sister Alice.”

“So will I,” Isaac said.

“I’ll help,” Michael said nervously. “If I can. But I have to take care of Jen.”

“But—” Alice stopped. In Esau’s fortress, she’d tried to argue with them when they’d chosen to stay with her. It hadn’t worked then, and she couldn’t see it working now.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ve got . . . kind of a plan.”

“I still think I should be the bait instead of the messenger,” Isaac muttered.

“You haven’t got any protection like Spike,” Alice said. “We’ll be careful, don’t worry. Ashes, you’ll show him the way?”

The cat’s tail swished nervously. “This doesn’t strike me as the best idea. What if nobody’s there?”

Then at least one of us will be safe. “They’ll be there. Just hurry.”

“I should be doing more,” Michael said. His glasses were slightly askew, and his neat hair was ruffled. “I could stay here with you.”

“You get Jen somewhere safe first,” Alice said. “We’ll need you in the end.”

She straightened up and looked at Dex, who gave a broad grin and nodded. “Sister Alice is correct,” she said. “We will need everyone to do their part, if this is going to work.”

Reluctantly, Isaac and Michael took up the still-unconscious Jen and lifted her between them. Ashes led the way toward the rear of the library, in among the portal-books.

Alice could feel the Ouroborean draining the power out of the fabric of the labyrinth. It seemed to be able to sense them too, because it was coming toward them as straight as an arrow.

“Okay,” Alice said. “We need to buy as much time as we can. Just don’t let it get close to you.”

“I understand.” Dex held out a long silver spear, featureless as a giant toothpick. “I will make as many as I am able.”

Alice took the spear. She’d last used Dex’s moon-stuff when she’d confronted Torment. It was fantastically light, hard, and wickedly sharp. The Ouroborean absorbed summoned creatures and shrugged off magical effects, but physical impacts seemed to slow it down. Between Spike’s strength and Dex’s weapons, she hoped they could keep it away for long enough for Isaac to return.

“Here it comes,” Alice said. The labyrinth fabric seized up around her.