She dared not use her aura to warm up-the sphinx had freed itself from its icy tomb and was prowling the island.

Perenelle had been standing before Areop-Enap’s cocoon looking for any sign of movement when she had smelled the distinctive scent of the creature on the salt air, a rancid mixture of snake and lion and musty feathers. A heartbeat later, de Ayala had blinked into existence before her.

“I know,” she said before he could speak. “Is all in readiness?”

“Yes,” the ghost said shortly. “But we tried this before…”

Perenelle’s smile was brilliant. “The sphinx are powerful and terrifying… but not terribly bright.” She wrapped a blanket more tightly around her shoulders and shivered with the chill. “Where is it now?”

“Moving through the shell of the Warden’s House. A hint of your odor must remain there. No offense intended, madame,” he added quickly.

“None taken. That’s one of the reasons I’ve chosen to stay outdoors tonight. I’m hoping that the gusting wind will blow away any scent.”

“It is a good plan,” de Ayala agreed.

“And how does the creature look?” the Sorceress wondered out loud. She patted Areop-Enap’s thick cocoon, then turned and hurried away.

The ghost smiled delightedly. “Unhappy.”

The sphinx lifted a huge paw and put it down carefully, wincing as the most extraordinary sensation-pain-shot up her leg. She had not been injured in three centuries. Any wound would heal, cuts and bruises would quickly fade, but the memory of her injured pride would never go away.

She had been bested. By a humani.

Throwing back her slender neck, she breathed deeply and a long black forked tongue protruded from humanlike lips. The tongue flickered, tasting the air. And there it was: a hint, the merest suggestion of a humani. But this building was roofless and open to the elements, constantly scoured by the sea breezes, and the trace was very faint. The female humani had been here. The creature padded over to a window. Right here, but not recently. A forked tongue tasted the bricks. She had rested her hand here. The head turned toward the huge opening in the wall. And then the humani had gone out into the night.

The sphinx’s beautiful human face creased in a frown. Folding tattered eagle’s wings tightly against her body, she pushed through the ruined house and out into the cool night.

She could not sense the humani’s aura. Nor could she smell her flesh.