“It was the least I could do after your timely rescue,” Estevius said, a bit puffed up with his own heroism. “I must say, you are the least unintelligent human I have ever met.”

A compliment from a turtle? Alice frowned, then sighed. “You haven’t ever met any other humans, have you?”

“A state of affairs that I devoutly hope continues!” Estevius said cheerfully. “Best of luck with whatever adventure your dull mind has dreamed up for you.”

He slid off, head slipping beneath the surface of the river.

Finding the right place hadn’t been difficult. The ice boat was tied up to an actual dock, albeit a very old and weathered one. It was a slab of marble, pitted and worn by the elements, with small, nearly faceless protrusions that might have once been statues. Alice had tied the rope around one of them, and she and Erdrodr had helped Flicker ashore.

Now they stood by the river’s edge, looking up the mist-covered slope of the mountain. It was littered with marble columns and low, fragmented walls. Trees grew up between them, small pines thick with needles, and here and there was a boulder or a patch of fallen rock. Running directly up from the dock was a staircase, made of broad marble flagstones, that switchbacked uphill until it was swallowed in the mist.

Alice had been expecting something more intimidating. Ending had warned her that the Palace could drive her mad. Pyros had told her that the place was a prison, and prisons normally had walls and guards. And Helga had said something about monsters from beyond time and space, but all Alice could see was some old statuary and a bit of fog.

Of course, where magic is involved, appearances don’t mean much. I’m only here to find The Infinite Prison. The last thing she wanted to do was let anything out, especially if it might find its way back through the portal to the ice giants and the fire-sprites.

“Well,” Alice said. “I think it’s pretty clear where I need to go. You two stay with the boat until I get back.”

There was a long pause. Flicker and Erdrodr looked at each other.

“Are you sure—” Flicker said.

“Do you think—” Erdrodr said.

“No,” Alice said. “I told Pyros I would go up there alone, and I said the same thing to Helga.”

“But . . .” Flicker stopped, hair flaring a sickly yellow green. “I mean, what if—”

“We’ll wait here,” Erdrodr said firmly, “until you come back.”

“Thank you.” Alice shrugged out of her pack and made sure the last of her emergency acorns was still in her pocket. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”