“I’d absolutely let you die.”
He shook his head. “You wouldn’t be able to leave me behind.”
“I would, too,” she insisted.
“You certainlyshould,” he said softly. “For it’d be terribly stupid to save me, and I didn’t think you were stupid.”
She couldn’t believe she’d ever felt sorry for him. She wanted to pummel him now. “I’m not stupid,” she said angrily.
“I never said you were stupid.” Cyrus was at the door, gripping the handle. “I’m merely pointing out that all signs seem to indicate youmightbe.”
“Oh, you’re truly awful,” she said, glaring at him even as she stalked to the door. “You’re mean and awful and I regret ever feeling bad for you.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Your first mistake was ever feeling bad for me.”
“It’s a mistake I won’t make again.”
He stared in silent amusement as she pushed him aside, turned the knob, took a single step over the threshold—and screamed.
There was no ground beyond the door.
Alizeh pinwheeled backward, teetering violently until Cyrus caught her, steadying her flailing body against his chest. She’d plummeted from the sky too many times in the last twenty-four hours to stomach another such fall so soon.
Her poor nerves were frayed.
“Why is there nothing out there?” she practically cried. “Why is this castle so strange?”
“Alizeh—”
“Is this actually a prison?” Her panic was escalating now. “Have you locked me in a tower? Am I never meant to leave?”
“Alizeh—”
“No”—she pushed at him, pushed at him until he let go of her, until he stumbled a few steps away from her—“Idon’tlike you, and Idon’ttrust you and Iwouldn’tsave you, you despicable, good-for-nothing, unprincipled reprobate—”
He grabbed hold of her shoulders anyway, tried to look her in the eye. “Alizeh, you infuriating girl, listen to me—”
“I certainly will not listen to you— And how dare you call me stupidandinfuriating—”
“The stairs are made of glass.”
Alizeh went suddenly still. She reanimated by degrees, mustering what was left of her dignity as she adjusted her dress and stepped gingerly away from him, after which she peered through the open door and over the threshold, this time looking more closely.
“Well,” she said, taking a sharp breath. “I suppose they are made of glass.” She crossed her arms, unable to look at him. “But that’s a foolish idea, you know, having stairs made ofglass. It’s quite dangerous.”
Cyrus was silent for so long she eventually dared to look up at him, and found him staring at her with the oddest expression on his face. He appeared both pained and confused; she couldn’t quite define it, and she didn’t know what it meant.
Feeling sheepish, she lowered her eyes again, wondering whether he’d changed his mind about showing her magic and seeing Tulan.
“Alizeh,” he said finally.
She did not look up, choosing to stare instead at her feet, which she’d earlier tucked into a very pretty pair of boots. “I do realize I just called you a fair amount of terrible names, but I’d still very much like to see Tulan.”
“Why are you refusing to look at me?”
“Why should I?” she said quietly. “I’ve already seen your face.”
“Alizeh—”
