“Still,” she continued, forcing herself into a calmer voice. “Even so. His body is badly damaged. He’s kept it going through sheer will. But he can’t keep it going much longer. He’s going to use what he has left to open the gate.”

Alex tried to swallow. He looked at the wooden structure.

“Confused?” Zia said. “But, oh, curious, too, eh? And that’s stronger, really, isn’t it? You want to know. Father saw it in you. You kept the name of God and didn’t tell anyone and tried to learn all by your lonesome. Aw. Father thinks maybe you’d like to learn properly, one day. Which is very forgiving of him, if you ask me. It’s the reason I haven’t popped your head off your shoulders yet. Would you like to learn about this?” She pointed a jaunty thumb over her shoulder at the wooden construction.

Alex looked up from under his brow. He hated that she was right. Even after everything, a large part of him wanted to know about the gate very badly.

“My old brother hasn’t taught you anything, we know that,” Zia said, with another quick glance toward the moon. “But we can’t blame him for not telling you about this one. This one’s ultra-top-super-secret, bunny.

“Storytime, then,” she went on, slapping her hands in a gesture Alex had seen his grandfather make countless times. The longer he spent with Zia, the more he could see an awful resemblance between them. “Has brother dear told you about the weak spots yet?”

“Powerful places.” Alex nodded. “Places where things . . . get thin.”

She rolled her eyes. “Is that it?”

“Yes.” Alex fixed her with a direct stare. “That’s it.” Despite the hopelessness of his situation, he felt a sullen, rebellious anger growing. She scared him, she sickened him—but, above everything else, she simply annoyed him. He yanked roughly at the wire around his arm but stopped when Beckman tightened it to the point where Alex thought it might draw blood. He looked at the fine line trembling between him and Beckman.

“Ooh.” Zia grinned. “Getting mad. Maybe there is something of the family buried deep down inside you after all, Alexan-dah. Though I remain to be convinced it’s worth the effort of digging up. Wasted time on that before with your papa.”

“What?” Alex said.

“Oh yes. Your daddy, rabbit. He was sharper than you, but a wishy-washy weakling in the end. Although, your grandaddy has to take his share of the blame there. Gave the game away too soon, before the boy was ready to understand. Always a spoilsport.