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She watched me go through.

Domino had put me in business class, whatever that meant. Soon enough, I was on the plane with my seatbelt fastened.

‘Good afternoon,’ a flight attendant said. ‘Would you like some champagne?’

I raised an eyebrow. ‘Some what?’

‘Champagne.’ He hesitated. ‘We also have water?’

‘I’m fine, thanks.’

He moved on, and I was left to wonder whatchampagnewas, other than a region in France. Clearly this was going to be a long few weeks.

When the plane took off, I gripped the arms of the seat, remembering the fear of the first time. The white screen in front of me, showing the anchor. My father beside me, trying not to meet my eye, knowing his decision might have doomed us both. But that feeling of flight was a pleasure as well – a pull in my stomach, like a kite against its line. I only wished Arcturus could have come with me.

If we were going to defeat Nashira, we all needed to play to our strengths. I would do this for all of us.

And then I would go back to Scion, knowing I was ready to bring an empire crashing down.

I would have liked to sleep, but all I could do was watch the flight map on the screen in front of me, expecting the cord to snap from the strain. Arcturus and I had never been this far apart since we first met, but no matter how far I flew, it held strong. Eight hours later, when the plane landed, I took my holdall from the overhead compartment.

If the Canadian authorities were bewildered by me – a woman with an Irish accent, an Italian diplomatic passport, and the face of a Scion fugitive – they were good enough not to say anything. Steve Mun waited in Arrivals. I shouldered my holdall and walked up to him.

‘Paige. Welcome to Canada,’ Mun said. ‘We’re grateful you decided to come. On behalf of Denise Benally, our new Director of Operations, thank you.’

‘It’s fine,’ I said. ‘Is Nadine here?’

‘Right this way.’

He took me around a corner, to a busier part of the airport. When Nadine spotted me beside Mun, she grinned. She wore stonewashed jeans and a top that slouched off her shoulders.

To my surprise, Zeke stood beside her, looking much the same as he had in Scion, except for his beard and earring. They rushed towards me and enfolded me in their arms.

‘Wow,’ I said, laughing. ‘Look at you both. I hardly recognised you!’

‘I’d say the same for you, but you still dress exactly like you did in Scion,’ Nadine said. ‘Zeke wasn’t sure if you would come, but I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist a challenge.’

‘Yes. Thank you, Paige,’ Zeke said. ‘We know this must be keeping you from London.’

‘It’s all right. I came to an … arrangement with Jaxon.’

Nadine frowned. ‘Really?’

‘I’ll explain later.’

‘Okay.’ She glanced around. ‘I was expecting Warden to be with you.’ I dredged up a tired smile and shook my head. ‘I guess he would have had a hard time scrunching into a plane seat.’

‘We should get Paige to the car,’ Mun said. ‘She’s on Incrida.’

‘All right. Let’s get this show on the road.’

Nadine and Zeke draped their arms over my shoulders. I walked between them, out of the airport, towards the next stage of my reign.

Mun drove us through a snowy night, on the wrong side of the road. It took me a while to stop bracing for a head-on collision. Seeing that I was tired, Nadine and Zeke let me sit in silence, for the most part.

‘Paige,’ Nadine said. I looked at her. ‘You should know that your friend is alive. Julian.’

It took a moment to sink in. ‘Julian Amesbury?’