“The Thorn Maiden,” I whisper. As though in response to her name, something shivers and whispers on the far side of the vault door. “Yes,” the Prince says. “Not her true name, of course; merely her title, rather like your Melted Man. She’s a big one. Not the biggest of our collection, but quite a nasty nightmare in her own right. She was originally created by Soran Silveri, one of the most powerful Miphates ever born.”

