Not far from Jamar stood a dozen figures made of white wax, humanoid in size and form but faceless and smooth, like some department store mannequins Cole had once seen. Though they were all different sizes and builds, each one wore a green robe and carried some kind of weapon—a sword, a spear, or a knife. They generally held still, but a few of them shifted, revealing that they could move. One took a moment to stretch, arms raised, back arched.

“Look at this place,” Jace exclaimed breathlessly, eyes wide.

There was a lot to take in. Expertly carved marble statues filled alcoves. Frescoes decorated the ceiling, mosaics enlivened the floors, and tapestries brightened the walls. Gilded accents and enormous jewels embellished the railings and the furniture.

Leaving their other escorts outside, Asia joined them in the castle. She addressed Jamar. “Where will the master receive them?”

“In the Silent Hall,” he said.

She raised an eyebrow. “Does he want us present?”

“Only at first.”

Asia shook her head. “He grows reckless.”

Jamar gave her a chiding look. “He is the master. Our place is not to question him.”

“My place is to protect him,” Asia said firmly.

“Not here,” Jamar corrected. “You control the external defenses. I manage affairs within these walls.”

“Where does that leave Liam?” asked a deep female voice. A giant pig made of stuffed quilts waddled into the hall from a neighboring room, short legs laboring below a rotund body. Even though it was bulky and ungainly, it was quite tall. Cole would have to jump to touch the quilted animal’s snout.

“In charge of the skies and the spies,” Asia answered. “Is he coming?”

“He’s working,” the patchwork pig explained.

“Is any of this work happening in bed?” Asia asked skeptically. “With the lights off? While he snores?”

“Maybe a little,” the pig replied. “He sent me as his representative to help transport our guests.”

Cole met eyes with Mira. He had to glance away for fear her expression would make him laugh. The pig was pretty ridiculous.

Asia exhaled venomously. “They’re not our guests yet. They’re potential enemies. I shouldn’t be surprised that Liam can’t be bothered.”

“He bothered to send me,” the pig said.

“The master is waiting,” Jamar reminded everyone.

The quilted pig knelt down. “I’m Lola. Climb aboard, if you please.”

Jace folded his arms across his chest. “I keep waiting for this to get less weird, and it keeps not happening.”

Cole had to agree. He had witnessed some bizarre sights in the sky castles, but he doubted whether anything could have prepared him for a ride on the back of a quilted pig through the most opulent palace he had ever seen.

“We’re with talented shapers,” Mira said, patting Jace’s elbow. “They can produce all sorts of strange semblances.”

“I’m with the boy on this one,” Asia said. “Liam shows little restraint with his imagination.”

“I’m right here,” the pig said.

“And you’re charming,” Jamar said. “A cozy, swinish pillow.”

“That’s a little better.” Lola sniffed. “You kids climb aboard before my feelings take another beating.”

Grabbing fistfuls of fabric, Cole scrambled up the side of the pig, pressing into her soft side with his knees and feet. It was like climbing a beanbag the size of a haystack. Once on top, he spread his legs wide to straddle the broad back just behind the head. Though understuffed enough to be cushy, the pig still felt relatively stable. The four of them fit on her without any trouble—Cole in the front, Mira kneeling behind him, then Jace, and Twitch in the rear. They would have had to squish together to add another rider.

“Comfortable?” Asia asked, her voice oozing sarcasm.

Cole rubbed his palms over the fabric in front of him. “Actually, yeah. What’s this material? It’s really soft, almost silky.”

“The boy has good taste,” the pig said.

“Let’s get this over with,” Asia grumbled.

Jamar and Asia led them away from the cavernous hall. The pig swayed as she waddled, but Cole felt reasonably secure. They moved through a room filled with musical instruments, including drums the size of hot tubs and a gleaming pipe organ that took up most of one wall. They passed through tinkling curtains made of long strands of tiny bells into a chilly room where everything was carved out of ice—the furniture, the statues, the fireplace, even the rugs.

“Yep,” Jace muttered. “Weirder and weirder.”

“Cool, though,” Cole said, his breath pluming out in front of him.

After more chiming curtains, they entered a spacious ballroom with a polished wooden floor and a gargantuan chandelier. Jamar waved an arm, and the center of the floor melted away to reveal a broad stairway going down and out of view.

“Whoa!” Cole called as the pig toddled to the top of the stairs. On the level floor the pig was fine, but Cole was worried about tipping forward down the incline. “Should we hop off here?”

“Don’t worry,” the pig said. “Stairs are a specialty of mine.”

Lola leaned forward and started sliding on her belly. Gripping with his legs as best as he could and grabbing on to handfuls of fabric, Cole leaned back as they started down, tingles rushing through him. Once they were moving, the ride was surprisingly quick and smooth. After reaching the foot of the stairs, the pig kept sliding for a little ways along the polished marble corridor at the bottom.

“We lost Twitch,” Jace said.

Cole looked back. Twitch was nowhere in sight.

“He slid off my backside at the top of the stairs,” the pig said. “He’ll have to take the slow way with the others.”

After a few moments, Twitch came into view, walking down the stairs beside Jamar, Asia, and four of the waxy, robed guards. He waved sheepishly when he saw the others looking back at him.

“You should have stayed on,” Mira called. “It was fun.”

“I’m not big on unnecessary risk,” he answered.

When the others caught up, Lola crouched down and let Twitch climb back on. Jamar led the way forward.

At the end of the hall waited a large carved door. As they approached, it opened, and they passed through into a long chamber. Two rows of pillars supported the high, arched ceiling. The pillars were carved like stacked heads, and every head had four faces, one on each side. Black veins swirled through the red marble floor, and dark draperies softened the walls.