The Palace of Glass Read Online Free Page A

easier.
Of course, if Geryon had been willing to teach her Writing, things might have been very different.
    Ending said the creation of new books was one of the old Readers’ most closely guarded secrets, the source of their power, and that learning it would help Alice undermine her master. But Alice’s patience was fraying. The hot spark of anger in her chest wanted
action,
the sooner the better.
    And now Ending wants to
test
the wards.
A long series of tests, no doubt, and revisions to the spell, and then more tests and more revision. It made her want to scream.
    â€œYou should be proud,” Ending said, as if sensing her mood. “You have come a long way in a very short time, without the instruction of a Reader to show you the path.”
    â€œIt still doesn’t
help
.” Alice waved dismissively at thewards. “Geryon’s not going to fall for a trap like this, is he? How does this get us any closer to what we want?”

    â€œOne step at a time,” Ending said. “Geryon will not teach you Writing because he knows with that knowledge you might threaten him. By learning what he does not wish you to know, you will see the limits of his power. One day—”
    â€œOne day,” Alice said, and groaned. “You don’t know what it’s like. He calls me into his office, and I have to do what he says and act like I don’t know
anything
. And all I can think about is what I’ll do when I get my hands on him . . .”
    â€œI understand,” Ending said, voice low and dangerous. “Believe me, Alice, I understand. But I am a great deal older than you, and I have learned the virtues of patience. We will have our opportunity, sooner or later.”
    Alice had heard it all before. Privately, she thought that someone as paranoid as Geryon was not likely to grant them a perfect opportunity to take advantage of him. If they wanted a chance, they would have to
make
one.
No percentage in hanging about.
Her father’s phrase made something in her chest twinge weakly, and she gritted her teeth.
    â€œAll right,” she said. “How do we test the wards?”
    â€œLater, I’m afraid,” Ending said. “For now you had best return to your duties. I can sense that Mr. Wurms has begun to fret about your absence. We can experiment with your creation tomorrow.”
    Alice got to her feet, her legs complaining of so long spent in a single position. With a brief mental gesture, second nature now, she pulled on a thread at the back of her mind and brought swarmers tumbling into the world with a chorus of tiny
pops
. The little creatures scurried around for a moment, then organized themselves at her mental command, picking the books off their piles and carrying them, three or four swarmers to each. From Alice’s height, it looked like the books had sprouted tiny black legs, following behind her like a line of literary ducklings.
    Ashes was waiting for her as she walked back through the narrow aisles, perched atop the shelves and looking down with haughty yellow eyes. He was a small gray cat—a half-cat, he would insist, as a son of the labyrinthine Ending—who had been Alice’s guide when she’d first snuck into the library. He walked beside her atop the bookcases, padding from shelf to shelf, his swishing tail raising waves of dust in his wake.
    â€œAny luck?” he said.
    â€œI got the spell to work,” Alice said. “Ending says it needs testing.”
    â€œFantastic.” The cat stepped daintily across a narrow gap between shelves. “In another two hundred years, you might make something of yourself.”
    Alice had learned to shrug off Ashes’ needling, which meant little more than that he was in a good mood. “I suppose
you
trained long and hard to do . . . whatever it is you do around here.” She shot him a smirk.
    â€œTraining is for those not graced with natural talent, as all