Page 219

I spent my last night in Italy with Arcturus. Ducos set us up behind a screen in the bar, so he could try Italian wine. After that, we listened to a troupe of violinists playing on the street.

As night fell, we found a secluded set of steps and sat on them for a while, watching boats on the Grand Canal. Arcturus drew me into the warmth of his overcoat, so I was snug against his side,only my face catching the chill. Even though I still tensed when the water sloshed too close, I forced myself to sit there and stomach it, breathing through the nerves.

Arcturus stroked my windswept hair. His face was pensive, eyes burning low. He had avoided taking aura for a few days, to keep them dim enough for him to pass as human. His height attracted looks, but it was nothing we hadn’t been able to shake by slipping into the maze of backstreets. This city embraced those who needed to vanish.

I closed my eyes, nestling against him. He kissed the top of my head.

‘Are you all right?’

I nodded. ‘I’m just going to miss you.’

He clasped my hand, which had been resting on his thigh. Both of us wore gloves tonight, given the sudden cold.

At midnight, we returned to the apartment in San Marco. We hadn’t slept together since Orvieto, and I didn’t want to broach the subject, unsure if he would feel like it. But as soon as I had locked the door behind us, I sensed his need through the cord and kissed him.

The sling made me a little clumsy, but we took it slow, both of us craving intimacy. Later, we lay in a sliver of lamplight, the same gold as his eyes.

‘After my torture, I needed you with me,’ I said softly. ‘Now you’ve lost the most important person in your life, on top of what happened in Carcassonne. The last thing I want to do is leave you.’ I brushed his cheekbone. ‘If you want me to stay with you, I will go back to Scion with you. We can forget about Domino and Tinman.’

Arcturus turned his face into my palm.

‘I always want you with me,’ he said. ‘But remember what I told you in the chandlery.’

I thought back. ‘Our lifelines will meet when the æther sees fit?’

‘Yes.’ He interlinked our fingers. ‘Domino needs time to scrutinise the Stiletto Files. Jaxon needs time to establish your joint rule in London. And you need time, Paige. Time to heal, and to prepare for the crescendo of this conflict. It may drag on for many years.’

‘Eliza said the same. I need to stop taking shortcuts, whether that’s in war or with my own body,’ I said. ‘You helped me unlock my gift in Oxford, but I stumbled into all this as a criminal. Domino will give me specialist combat training between assignments for Tinman.’

‘You must find a way to practise dreamwalking.’

‘I’ve thought of one.’

‘Oh?’

‘It might not work.’ I gave him a tiny smile. ‘I’ll tell you when I get back.’

‘I look forward to it.’

I traced his features. Every time I confronted the thought of leaving him, my chest ached.

‘We have the cord,’ he said, reading me. ‘I am always with you.’ He clasped me to his chest, and I nested my head under his chin. ‘The æther bound our spirits. I trust that it will always find a way to reunite us.’

The next day, we returned to the Palazzo del Domino to find the others waiting, except for Eliza, who had already gone to collect Jaxon. They needed to start the journey towards the Fluke.

‘We thought we’d see you off,’ Nick told me. ‘We’re all leaving tomorrow.’

‘Yes. I will be going to Istanbul,’ Verca said. ‘I’ll let you know once the Stiletto Files have been analysed.’

‘Verca,’ I said, ‘thank you for everything. I have no idea how we would have done all this without you.’

‘I am the one who should be thanking you, for stopping the fall of Italy.’ She kissed my cheeks. ‘If there’s ever anything I can do to help, don’t hesitate to call.’

‘I will. And consider yourself a member of the Mime Order.’

‘It’s my honour. Truly.’

She walked into the bar to give the rest of us some time.