In one motion, the whole flock turned around and rushed toward this new threat. Chips of wood and bark began to fly as the bird-things attacked the tree with beaks and claws, heedless of the branches that slapped and thrust at them.
Alice left the tree-sprite to handle the fight on its own and turned her attention to the shack. Only a few creatures remained by the door, just as she’d hoped. Come on, Isaac. Come on, come on, come on. At the rate the things were tearing her oak to pieces, the distraction wouldn’t last much longer.
As if in answer to Alice’s mental urging, the Siren swept down from her perch on the top of the shack and landed directly in front of the door. The two bird-things still waiting there got the full brunt of her song and toppled over like they’d been pole-axed. The door opened, revealing Dex with her arm around Isaac’s shoulders. One of her legs was badly hurt, so she could only walk with his assistance. Soranna hurried out behind them, glancing nervously at the flock clustered around the beleaguered tree.
They weren’t moving fast enough. Already a couple of the bird-things had noticed them and sheared off. Isaac sent the Siren to intercept them, and they toppled, but the pile of sleeping bodies around the entrance was beginning to stir. He can’t keep them all down. And in spite of the damage the tree-sprite was inflicting, the flock was going to demolish the oak sooner rather than later. They need to run.
Alice yanked hard on the Swarm thread. A dozen of the tiny creatures appeared, then more and still more. The effort left her gasping. She sent them toward Isaac in a unit, flowing over the neat lawn like a living carpet. The Siren intercepted another curious bird-thing, but Isaac’s face was going white with strain. One huge limb of the oak was severed and crashed to the ground, where the furious creatures immediately set about reducing it to splinters.
The swarmers reached Isaac and the others. Alice jumped up from her hiding place in the shrubs, cupped her hands around her mouth, and shouted to them.
“Drop her! Drop Dex!”
Isaac looked up, blinking, but thankfully Dex got the idea at once. She said something to Isaac, and he let go of her hand. Dex spread her arms and let herself topple gracefully forward. Alice was there to catch her, positioning the Swarm in her path like a living mattress. A hundred tiny legs worked in unison, carrying Dex over the grass at a speed that left Isaac and Soranna hurrying to catch up.
Alice dismissed the tree-sprite, who had retreated to the very tip of the tree trunk while the bird-things chopped it to pieces, and concentrated on the Swarm. In a few moments, Dex was by her side, laughing as if she were on some kind of amusement park ride. Isaac and Soranna were close behind, both panting. Alice couldn’t help wrapping her arms around Soranna in a hug, though it made the girl give a startled squeak.
“You did it! I knew you’d make it.”
“I didn’t . . .” Soranna was trembling, hands hovering like she didn’t know where to put them. “I thought . . . they were going to get us.”
Alice let go. “Come on. We have to get to the doorway. Dex, are you all right?”
“My leg is wounded, Sister Alice, but the bleeding is under control for the present thanks to Brother Isaac’s skillful ministrations,” Dex said. “And I must thank you for this most excellent conveyance!”
“Right. Let’s go.”
Dex laughed delightedly. “Onward, mighty steeds!”
The Swarm, with Dex on top, led the way, with the three of them running behind. They angled across the curved surface of the tower wall, aiming for the square hole in the turf where Alice had entered. Behind them, there was a crash as the tree toppled among the flock of bird-things, and a few of them started to look up and take note of where their prey was going.
“They’re coming after us,” Soranna panted.
“I know,” Alice managed, through gritted teeth.
Isaac, head lowered grimly, said nothing. The Siren swooped through the air, and one of the bird-things collapsed, but more of them were following now. Alice and the others had a considerable lead, but the huge, bounding strides of the bird-things carried them forward at a terrific pace.
“They’re catching up!” Soranna said, looking over her shoulder. She stumbled, and Alice grabbed her arm and dragged her forward to keep her from falling.
“Just run!”
“Faster!” Dex crowed, spreading her arms like she was flying. “Whee!”
The doorway was coming up fast, but the bird-things were closing faster. We’re not going to make it!
The Siren blinked out of existence. Isaac turned and raised his hands, tattered coat swirling around him. Tongues of frost shot out from the turf at Isaac’s feet and spread across the lawn.
The first of the bird-things, traveling at a full gallop, stepped onto the suddenly icy ground and found its feet sliding from under it. It was moving far too quickly to stop, and collapsed into a heap, both heads squawking madly. The one behind it tried to go around the fallen creature, lost its footing, and tumbled onto its side. The one behind that went for a jump instead, but was unable to get any traction when it landed and went heads over heels. Bird-things collided in a tangle of necks, flying feathers, and angry, snapping beaks. Another melee developed at once, and the rest of the flock plunged in eagerly, all thought of pursuit abandoned.
Isaac swayed on his feet, his eyes unfocused. Alice grabbed him by the back of his trench coat and pulled him into a run. They covered the last few yards to the doorway, which from this side looked like nothing but a hole, and Alice reached out to take hold of Soranna with her other hand. Dex, getting the idea, grabbed Soranna. The last thing we need is for Torment to send one of us off alone. She wasn’t certain the labyrinthine could separate them if they stayed close together, but . . .
Alice reached out for the fabric, pinching a path between the other side of the doorway and the roof of a distant tower. She felt, just for a moment, the buzzing tension of someone else moving through the labyrinth, and tried to get as close to it as she could. Then she stepped forward, pulling the others with her.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
TOGETHER AGAIN
THEY TUMBLED OUT ONTO the tower roof together, four apprentices and a heap of bouncing swarmers. Alice let go of her thread, and the little creatures vanished with a string of pops like firecrackers. Once she was sure everyone had made it, she let go of her hold on the fabric as well before Torment could interfere.
Then she lay back and concentrated on breathing for a while. Overhead, the stars looked down in cold splendor, and torches flickered and crackled nearby. Someone was laughing, but it was a few moments before Alice had the energy to raise her head and discover who. It turned out to be Dex, and Alice rolled over and crawled to where the girl was lying.
“Are you all right?”
“Just surprised, Sister Alice,” Dex said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “And a touch lacerated about the shins, but that is only a matter of the flesh. I told Brother Isaac that my auguries hinted we would escape, but even so, your arrival was startling.”
Alice looked down Dex’s leg and found the wound, now wrapped tightly in a strip of cloth. A little blood had soaked through, but not too much, so Alice guessed it was okay for the moment. When I get back, I’m going to dig up a book on first aid. She shuffled over to Soranna, who was sitting up and coughing weakly.
“How did we end up here?” Isaac said. “This isn’t the way we came in.”
“It’s a labyrinth,” Alice said. “It’s hard to explain, but I can control it, a little. I thought we ought to get as far away as we could.” She looked down at the stone roof of the tower. “Besides, I think Ellen is nearby.”
“How do you know?” Isaac said.
Alice shrugged. “I can . . . feel her. Sort of.”
He shot her a sharp glance, but Dex interrupted. “Sister Ellen is alive as well? The news continues to improve! After the bridge c
ollapsed, I feared the worst.”
“I think so,” Alice cautioned. “I don’t really know what I’m doing.”
“Very few of us can claim that we do, Sister Alice.”
Alice shook her head. “Soranna? Are you okay?”
“I believe I am,” Soranna said, looking shyly at Isaac and Dex. “Just tired.”
“I am amazed you reached us, Sister Soranna,” Dex said. “That was very brave.”
“I . . .” Soranna swallowed. “Thanks.”
“Alice?” Isaac said. “Do you think I could have a word in private?”
“I thought you weren’t speaking to me,” Alice said.
“That’s . . .” He glanced at Soranna and Dex, and gave her a pleading look.
Alice climbed wearily to her feet and walked away from the other two, and Isaac followed.
“Are you planning to explain yourself?” Alice said, lowering her voice to a whisper.
“I’m sorry,” Isaac muttered. “It’s . . . complicated. Look, this isn’t the time, all right?”
“Fine. But you owe me an answer.” Alice crossed her arms. “What did you want, then?”
“The way you’re doing all this. It’s the Dragon, isn’t it?”
Alice nodded. “Do you know anything about these labyrinthine?”
“A little bit. My master always said to be wary of them.”
“It’s Esau’s labyrinthine, Torment, who has been trying to kill us.”
Isaac frowned. “How do you know?”
“He came to talk to me. Taunt me, I guess. I’m not sure why.” Her brow furrowed. “You have the Dragon thread too. The Dragon hasn’t said anything to you?”
“Nothing.”
“Well, it talked to me. And now it’s giving me this power. I don’t know why it’s helping. Maybe it just wants to keep us alive.”
“If so, it has my support.” Isaac hesitated. “Did Torment say anything about Jacob?”
“Jacob came to see me as well, actually. Or maybe Torment brought him along, I’m not sure.”
“You saw him?” Isaac blurted. “Was he—I mean, what was he like?”
“He seemed . . . addled,” Alice said. “I’m not sure he’s in his right mind.”
“That makes sense. You’d have to be out of your mind to attack your own master, knowing what would happen afterward.”
“Yeah.” Alice paused. “That was a good trick with the iceling. You probably saved us all.”
“Oh. Yeah.” Isaac scratched the side of his nose. “The tree-sprite was good too. And carrying Dex like that. I mean . . .” He paused. “I never said thank you, did I? For coming to get us.”
“No,” Alice said. “But we’ve been a bit busy.”
“Sorry. And thank you.” She thought she could detect a bit of a blush in his cheeks, and felt a touch of heat rising in her own. “I’m glad you found us, Alice.”
Alice cleared her throat. “Make sure you thank Soranna too. I don’t know how I would have gotten you out without her.”
“Of course,” he said, and there was a long silence until Isaac shifted uneasily.
“So,” he said. “What now?”
“I think Ellen is somewhere below us,” Alice said, feeling for the faint buzz through the fabric of the labyrinth. There was a distinct tone that meant human, or possibly intruder, easy to distinguish from the creatures that belonged. “I’m going to go down and see if I can find her.”
“By yourself?”
“Dex can’t walk, and you should stay with her. And Soranna . . . she’s done a great job, but she’s scared. I’ve got the Dragon’s power, so if worst comes to worst I should be able to get away and find you again afterward.”
Isaac’s expression said he didn’t like it, but he couldn’t find any fault in her logic.
Alice crept down the tower stairs with the Swarm thread wrapped around her, hardening her skin in case something leaped out at her. Her greatest fear—and the real reason she’d insisted on going alone—was that Torment would try to separate them again. As long as she had the Dragon’s gift, she could rejoin the other three, whatever the labyrinthine tried to do.
For the moment, the fabric of the labyrinth seemed free of Torment’s touch. Alice descended three levels, walking round and round the wide spiral staircase. The tower contained nothing more than the usual mounds of moldering books. Alice thought she’d done more running in the past few hours than she had in her entire life to date, and she tried to ignore the strident protests from her legs. How long has it been since we got here, anyway? With no sun overhead, she’d completely lost track of time.
A thump brought her mind back to the present, and she slowed as she approached the next level. She could hear footsteps, and then a muffled grunt and another heavy thump, as though someone was moving something heavy. White light played across the stones of the landing, moving and shifting along with the noises. That has to be Ellen’s halo. She paused in the doorway, just out of sight. Better not to sneak up on her.
“Ellen?” she said. “That’s you, isn’t it?”
There was a clatter and thump, and a brief silence. Ellen’s voice was as sharp and strident as Alice remembered. “Who’s there?”
“It’s me, Alice. I’ve come to get you.”
“You—” Ellen paused. “Come out where I can see you.”
Alice stepped up onto the landing, hands in the air. Ellen was standing by another doorway, which was blocked by a barricade of books. Her clothes were ragged, covered in small tears and matted with spots of blood. More blood had dried around a cut on her scalp, and her blond hair stuck up in wild spikes. Over her head hovered the white light Garret had called her “halo,” and her hands glowed with the same brilliance. Alice remembered the beams of deadly radiance she’d hurled at the monsters, and swallowed hard.
“It is you,” Ellen said wonderingly. “I thought . . . something was trying to trick me, or . . .”
“It’s all right,” Alice said. “Can I put my hands down now?”
Ellen relaxed, and the white glow faded away. Then, to Alice’s utter astonishment, the older girl dropped to her knees and began to sob.
Some time later, Ellen wiped her bleary eyes on her sleeve. “Sorry. I’m sorry. It’s just . . .”
“It’s all right,” Alice said.
Alice felt strange, offering comfort to someone so much older than she. Much less someone like Ellen, who had held nothing but cool disdain for her from the beginning. But, Alice thought, Ellen had been lost and alone all this time. At least I had the Dragon.
She guided the teenager over to the pile of books and got her to sit against it, then sat down beside her. For a long time, Ellen was unable to speak, and Alice waited, not sure what to do.
“Did you see . . .?” Ellen hesitated.
“What happened on the bridge?” Alice cleared her throat awkwardly. “I did. And I saw you and Garret, while we were resting. I didn’t mean to, I was looking for Isaac.”
“Oh.” Ellen’s cheeks flamed pink. “Nobody was supposed to know about that.”
“I won’t tell anyone,” Alice said, automatically, then wanted to kick herself as Ellen’s eyes filled with tears again. The older girl sniffed and fought down the sobs.
“It . . . couldn’t have worked out. I knew that. Something was bound to happen, sooner or later. Readers don’t have friends, much less . . . anything else. But . . .” She swallowed. “I suppose you wouldn’t understand.”
Alice thought of the way she’d felt when Isaac had refused to speak to her. “I suppose not,” she told Ellen, keeping her thought to herself. “Are you all right otherwise? Are you hurt, I mean?”
“Not badly.” Ellen touched the cut on her brow. “I got hit by a rock when the bridge fell apart, and I had to fight a few more creatures before I got here.”
“You should come with me up to the roof. The others are waiting.”
“Others?” Ellen blinked. “You found some of the others?”
“All of them, actually.”
“How? I tried looking, but I can’t seem to find anything in this place. You were right, it must be an active labyrinth. I don’t know how, but . . .” She caught Alice’s expression. “What?”
“Nothing. I can explain, but let’s go upstairs first.” Alice let out a long breath. “That way I only have to say it all once.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
DIFFICULT CHOICES
THEY SAT IN A circle on the flagstones of the tower roof. Alice, Isaac, Soranna, Dex, and Ellen. The other four listened silently while Alice explained as best she could about her encounter with Torment and Jacob, the nature of the power the Dragon had given her, and what she knew of its limitations.
“I can’t keep the pathways open for very long,” she concluded. “And it seems to work best at a boundary of some kind, like a doorway. I really don’t know very much about it.”
“Nobody does,” Dex said. “My master, the Most Favored, has a labyrinthine, but she told me that not even the masters understand how the maze-demons’ powers truly function.”
“My master said something similar,” Ellen said. “This is the first time I’ve heard of anyone ever binding one either. I thought they were too powerful for that.”
Alice shrugged. “It’s too powerful for me to use in the normal way, that’s for certain. I think I can only use this power because it wants me to.”
“The binding isn’t supposed to work like that,” Ellen said, frowning. “The bound creature isn’t supposed to retain any volition when it hasn’t been called on.”
“We can figure out what’s going on with the Dragon later,” Isaac said. “For now you should be glad Alice has it.”
“Of course I am,” Ellen said, glaring at him. “We’d all be dead without her. Now that we’ve gotten everyone, we should be able to get out of here.”
The words hung in the air for a moment.
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