Duncan swallowed painfully. “Can I drink from the pool?”

The Sphinx’s mouth curled upward a little in an ironic smile. There was the same creaking grate of stone on stone, and another thin tendril of dust spiraled downward. “What does that mean, can you drink? The water is right there. Have a drink if you wish to.”

“You won’t grab me, or hurt me, will you?” His cheeks burned at how cowardly it sounded.

“Of course not. Why would I do that?”

He moved forward and knelt down, reaching out to cup his hands into the water. He saw his own reflection. His hair was disheveled, his face pale and grime-streaked, an ugly scrape across his shoulder. Above him, he saw the reflection of the Sphinx looking down at him. Its smile widened, and he caught a flash of sharp white teeth.

“Of course,” the Sphinx said, “the first thing you should learn here is that everything you see and hear is a lie.”