ZIP BOOTS DIDN’T BOTHER following me up the stairs. He knew as well as I did that safety was at the summit. So I was alone when I emerged on the landing. Alone when I headed toward the door to Aiti’s quarters—ominously open—and bounced off a warding that blocked the empty space.
“Ow.” I rubbed my fingers, which had stubbed themselves against the invisible barrier. Inside, Aiti didn’t even acknowledge me. While I’d been gone, she’d turned her bed and my bed on their headboards to form an upside-down V in the room’s center. Crouching on the top, she resembled nothing so much as an oversized bird.
“Aiti.”
Still no reaction. Meanwhile, her door had been warded so Aiti couldn’t escape but anyone passing by could peer in and snicker. I’d always hated zoos and that was exactly what this felt l
