“That’s it.” Shay snarled and I heard the scuffle of feet.

“Whoa!” Ethan’s body loomed in front of me. “Can’t let you do it, kid.”

“That’s enough,” Monroe said. “There’s the portal. Just go.”

I tried to move again, squinting to see more of my surroundings. The air seemed to sparkle; cold gave way to warmth. Connor’s arms tightened around me as I slipped into unconsciousness again.

Staring at Connor’s puckish smile, I knew I’d seen it before—even if the memory was fuzzy. He returned my gaze, eyes sparkling with mischief. I balled my fist, gauging whether I’d get the most satisfaction out of hitting him in the gut—or just a bit lower. If he wanted to avoid a fight, he’d need to bite his tongue around me.

But Monroe got there first. “Back off, Connor. She could use a little adjustment before she has to deal with your sense of humor.”

“Sir, yes, sir!” Connor stood at attention, but he was laughing.

I was back to being confused. Ethan grunted, still eyeing me warily, but he didn’t make a move. Apparently they weren’t looking for a fight. Having encountered these men only when I was trying to kill them, I couldn’t make heads or tails of their strange, casual banter. Who were these people?

“Anika’s expecting us in Tactical,” Monroe said, not quite masking his own laugh with a clearing of his throat. He turned away and headed down the hall. “Let’s go.”

I practically had to trot to keep up with him. I still wasn’t comfortable with Connor and Ethan at my back. It took a lot of willpower to keep from looking over my shoulder at them, if only to bare my teeth in warning.

The farther we walked, the more confused I became. The hallway curved constantly; we passed many doors, but no corners or turns. Whatever this place was, it seemed to be circular, all of it flooded with sunlight, brightening every minute as morning blossomed into day. I had to blink against the light, which glittered in the air. Even the walls were sparkling. Tiny veins of multi-hued crystals ran through the marble floors and walls, slicing through the surfaces in rivers of color that joined with sunbeams to fill the space with ghostly rainbows. The hypnotic patterns of light held my focus, so when Monroe came to an abrupt stop, I just avoided smacking into him.

We’d reached a point where the curving hallway was interrupted by a broad open chamber with new paths that led off to our right and left. The path on our left, which headed into what must have been the center of the building, wasn’t a hall but glass doors that opened onto a bridge of the same marble. My eyes followed the carved stone walkway and I lost my breath at what I saw. The walls dropped away to reveal an immense courtyard below. It must have been fifty, maybe sixty feet to the ground.

Looks like Monroe was telling the truth about the windows.

The courtyard was filled with . . . glass houses and gardens? They looked like gardens, but there weren’t any growing plants. Then again, it was almost winter. Or was it? How long had I been here?

I looked up and saw that unlike the hallway we’d followed to this point, the courtyard opened up to the sky itself. On the other side of the glass doors, thin flakes of snow drifted lazily to the dark earth below.

A hand touched my shoulder and I jumped.

“Business first.” Monroe was smiling. “I promise you’ll have a tour later.”

“Right,” I said, following him down the hall to our right. A blush bit into my cheeks, and I hoped I hadn’t looked too dumbstruck when I’d been ogling the building.

This new hall was much wider than the one we’d come from, and unlike the first hall it was straight. There were doors on my right and left and two solid wooden ones directly ahead of us. When we reached them, I gasped. Carved in each tall surface was the alchemical symbol for earth—the same triangle that had marked Haldis Cavern on the pages of The War of All Against All.

“She’s done her homework,” Connor said. “Silas will be thrilled.”

Monroe and Ethan ignored him and I bit my lip, trying to remember that I needed to keep my reactions hidden. But all such thoughts fled when Monroe pushed open the doors. We walked into a great room with a single table in the center. It was round and massive, like something that had been lifted out of King Arthur’s court. The walls were lined with books—old and leather bound, like those we’d hunted through at Rowan Estate. The similarity was enough to set my teeth on edge.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw two people standing near a set of bookshelves, talking quietly as they looked over the titles on the spines. And one of the two people was someone I knew. And loved.

Shay’s head tilted as he listened to the girl with him. She looked about my age and had large liquid brown eyes half veiled by wisps of mahogany hair that had escaped from the thick knot caught with a metal clasp at the back of her neck. The girl was the first Searcher I’d seen who wasn’t armed to the teeth, though, like the others, she was dressed in fierce apparel: heavily worn leather pants, thick-heeled boots, and a close-cut tunic of undyed linen. Clothes just like those I was now wearing. Slung low on her hips was a wide belt, from which two strange, slender metal spikes hung. I couldn’t puzzle out what they were. About two feet long, they looked like skinny, bright silver railroad ties that tapered to needle-sharp points. In one hand she held a sheaf of folded papers, which she tapped rhythmically against her thigh.

I bristled when I saw her other hand resting on Shay’s arm. Jealousy’s bite startled me, and its teeth sank in deeply. I didn’t want any other girl touching him. He was mine.