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‘It is beyond our wildest imaginings.’

‘I’m surprised she let you in here, if she’s a vile augur. Given what you did to them in London.’

‘She did question me on the matter,’ Jaxon said. ‘I admitted that I could have chosen my words more judiciously inOn the Merits of Unnaturalness, but that youth and bitterness had got the better of me, strengthened by my hatred of the osteomancers who tormented me when I was a child. I offered my sincere apologies.’

‘Only because it benefits you now.’

‘You wound me.’ He nodded to the top of the column. ‘Behold our tragic namesake, Kassandra.’

A young and barefoot woman stood above us, cast in bronze. She was pulling at her own dishevelled hair, eyes wide, snakes entwined around her arms.

‘Kassandra was a mortal princess of Troy, loved by the god Apollo, who bestowed upon her the divine gift of foresight,’ Jaxon said. ‘But when his advances failed, Apollo cursed Kassandra. She would see the future, but no one would ever believe her predictions.’

Apollo was the same god who had pursued the Cumaean Sibyl. He needed to wind his neck in.

‘Kassandra predicted the fall of her city – but, just as the curse promised, her warnings fell on deaf ears. Now she serves as a warning of what can happen when ordinary people do not heed those with godly insight.’ He glanced at me. ‘On that note, I have beenworking on a theory about the origins of clairvoyance. Would you be interested in hearing it, or are you too busy running errands for amaurotics?’

‘Domino pays more than you.’ I folded my arms. ‘How the hell do you even know about them?’

‘Beatrice told me, of course.’ Jaxon turned away. ‘If you do wish to continue your education, meet me tomorrow morning at the Maderno Fountain at half past nine. Good to see you again, darling.’

He left me standing by the plinths, alone with Kassandra.

Jaxon really was like a poltergeist – notoriously difficult to exorcise. I had driven him out of London, left him to die in Versailles, and the bastard still kept coming back.

After sending a message to Verca to tell her I was leaving, I walked back to the Chiostro del Bramante, digesting what I had learned. By the time I got there, dusk had fallen. I went up to my room, where I sat on my bed and opened Omnia.

Antoinette Órlaith Carter(born 1 May 2002) is an Irish author and former host of the talk showDeepest Truths(2038–2046). She was born inRoscommonto an Irish mother and a French father, who escaped from theRepublic of Scion France. Carter studied atTrinity College, securing her first presenting role in 2025.

In February 2046, Carter joined a group of Irish celebrities, including her friendFiadh Ní Rothláin(2007–2046) and ex-husbandBarry Hourican(1998–2046), to protest an apparent diplomatic visit byAbberline Mayfield. She was among the few survivors of the alleged massacre that followed, and went on to become an outspoken participant in theMolly Riots, during which she distributed a pamphlet,Stingy Jack(2048–).

After fleeing theRepublic of Scion Irelandin 2052, Carter was granted asylum in an undisclosed location. Her autobiography,In the Shadow of the Anchor(2054), was an instant #1New York Timesbestseller.

Carter must remember Dublin in excruciating detail. Even though she had survived, it had turned her from a popular and wealthy celebrity to a hunted rebel. I wondered if her archangel had protected her that morning, while everyone around her was murdered. Perhaps her book went into it.

I took another sip of alysoplasm before I lay on the bed. Even without the aster fatigue, my body was reprimanding me for running on so little sleep for so long.

By the time I opened my eyes again, it was almost nine in the evening. I couldn’t get used to waking up with no sense of who was around me. I checked my phone, finding a new message from Nick:My replacement is on his way. M and I will get the first train to Rome on Thursday.

Jaxon is here, I replied. So is Antoinette Carter.

How are either of them in the free world?

Probably safer to explain in person, but apparently we aren’t the only ones who’ve been thinking of impressive ways to fight Scion.

Any luck with the search?

I’m close, but I might have to refrain from killing Jax.

Be careful around him. You can’t use your gift, and he still has every reason to hurt you, Paige.

I put my phone back down and stood. Before I slept any more, I needed to eat.

It was colder now the sun was down. I had intended to go back to the restaurant, but paused by the door next to mine, seeing a strip of light beneath it.

‘It’s me,’ I said. ‘Are you all right?’

‘Yes.’