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‘What is it you do here?’

Radomír clasped his broad fingers on the table, showing a plain gold ring on his left hand.

‘The Libuše Institute of Prague is the oldest Domino training facility, established almost thirty years ago,’ he said.

‘I hadn’t realised Domino was that old.’

‘It is, although it grew slowly. We have a wide network of recruiters, who find people with potential to go undercover in the Republic of Scion. Veronika is among my best.’ He nodded to her. ‘We assess their suitability and train them to survive. You would not have needed that, coming from inside the empire, but you should have been instructed in combat and sabotage. I understand this was not the case for either you or Nina.’

‘I didn’t even get an assessment, as far as I know,’ I admitted. ‘I think I was a special case.’

Somehow I doubted I would have passed. I had been fresh out of the torture chamber.

‘It is dangerous for operatives to work without proper instruction and preparation. Command is taking too many shortcuts in recent months. Too manyspecial cases,’ Radomír said. ‘This is why we are having problems. Scion is moving fast, so Domino does the same.’

‘What are you grumbling at her, Rado?’ Maria was back with three glasses of beer, each with a layer of foam on it. ‘Don’t mind him, Paige. He’s softer than he looks.’

‘You should not call her by that name,’ Radomír warned. ‘This bounty on her is no small temptation.’ When Maria held out a glass, he made a dismissive gesture. ‘Not tonight.’

‘I tried.’ Maria sat beside me. ‘Where is Yousry?’

‘On his way. He will eat before he arrives.’

‘Excellent. More for us.’ She passed me a beer. ‘Here, sweet. Welcome to the free world.’

‘Thanks.’ I took a sip of the drink, which was so bitter I grimaced. ‘This is vile.’

Maria grinned. ‘I love it, myself, but it is an acquired taste.’ I willed it sweeter and drank again. ‘I’ll get you some wine to wash it down. A nice Moravian red.’

Verca returned alone, while the other woman went to a different table. ‘That was my old friend, Nuray Erçetin,’ Maria told me. ‘She helped with the raid on Chakalnya.’

‘Scion identified Nuray during that raid. We extracted her immediately,’ Radomír said. ‘I am keeping a close watch on the others, to see if they will also need to be removed.’

‘Domino hired us with full knowledge of what we faced in that prison,’ Maria said. ‘Did anyone really expect us to free one man and leave the rest to rot?’

‘You should not have been put on that assignment in the first place.’

‘Enough about work for the time being, please,’ Verca said. ‘We will eat and enjoy ourselves.’ She held up her beer with a smile. ‘Na zdraví, my friends.’

‘Na zdraví,’ Maria and Radomír said, and we clinked glasses. I braced myself and drank again.

Verca had ordered quite a feast to welcome me to Prague. Roast duck and pheasant, steak with a garlic marinade, tureens of mushroom soup, spiced beef sausages, fried cheese, shredded raw cabbage, chicken tossed in breadcrumbs and a thick goat stew, followed by apricot dumplings and an entire honey cake topped with cream and chopped walnuts. I avoided the beef, as always, but soon cultivated a taste for everything else.

Radomír was a man of few words, but Maria and Verca were talkative enough for all of us. They discussed a band that had toured in the city, a ballet they had seen. Verca had a knack for storytelling. She described the local spirits, like the poltergeist of Cernín Palace, and the shade of a thief whose shrivelled arm hung in a church in the Old Town.

I was content to listen while I chipped away at the food and beer. By the time I reached the foamy dregs at the bottom of the glass, it tasted better, which probably meant I was drunk.

‘Well done,’ Maria said, patting me on the back. ‘Let me get you that wine I promised.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Of course – it’s our treat. Verca and I will split it.’ She rose, taking the glass with her. ‘Or perhaps Radomír will peel open the mighty Domino wallet, if we can get him drunk enough.’

Radomír sipped from his glass of water. ‘I need a clear head.’

‘In your entire life, have you ever had fun?’

‘I am too busy. And I do not need drink to have fun,’ he said. ‘But yes, I will pay for this.’