“Without power, the memories would have faded by now. But if they question Torment himself . . .” Ending’s tail flicked. “He was half-mad to begin with, and being dispersed and bound will not have improved matters. There’s no way to know what he might tell them.”

“So what are we going to do?”

Light glinted on long ivory fangs as Ending bared her teeth. “Strike first.”

Alice blinked. “Strike?”

“Geryon’s absence has given us a rare chance. I do not know if you are ready, but I think we must take the opportunity. It may not come again.”

Alice felt her pulse quicken. “What opportunity?”

“You asked if your ward would be any use against Geryon, and I said it would not. He would see any such primitive trap well in advance, and in any case his power is sufficient to break it. But there is a trap subtle enough to catch even Geryon, and strong enough to hold him. It is a weapon, crafted by one Reader to use against another. Its maker is dead now, and I believe the others have forgotten that it exists. But I remember.” Ending’s tail lashed. “It has been held beyond my reach. But if you can retrieve it . . .”

“We could trap Geryon?”

Ending nodded. “And keep him there until he agrees to our terms. But you must leave at once. Seven days may not be enough time, and if Geryon returns before you do, his suspicions will be aroused.”

“I’m ready,” Alice said. “Just tell me what I need to do.”

After a little more thought, Alice decided she wasn’t quite ready. With her experience in Esau’s fortress still painfully strong in her memory, she resolved to be more prepared this time. She didn’t have a proper pack, but a little work with knots transformed a pair of sheets into an acceptable alternative. She filled them with food she thought would travel well, a few canteens of water, and an extra shirt and set of underthings.

In addition to her supplies, she took her camping knife, three of the magic acorns charged with life-energy that had proven so useful in Esau’s fortress, and the thick sheets of parchment on which she’d Written her first ward. All this made for quite a bundle, and she shifted it experimentally across her back as she went out the kitchen door again and back into the library, sweating in her leather coat in spite of the cool air.

Ending met her just inside the door, amid a swarm of smaller cats that were her children and grandchildren. The labyrinthine looked Alice over.

“Good,” she said. “You will need this, as well.”

Another cat, a white-and-black one Alice hadn’t seen before, padded up to her with something in its mouth. It was a pocket watch, dangling from a delicate silver chain. The cat set it down, yawned, and wandered off.