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‘Very well. Any other questions?’ ‘One more,’ I said. ‘You asked me to assassinate the Grand Overseer. I believe he escaped Versailles by using a dissimulator. Are you aware of a link between him and Domino?’ ‘Certainly not.’ Pivot frowned. ‘This is very troubling. Are you certain, Flora?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘I will look into it as a matter of urgency. In the meantime, I hope you have a comfortable stay.’

‘Thank you.’

Ducos left the room with me. As soon as the door shut behind us, I knew I was in for an earful.

‘You withheld information,’ Ducos said at once, like clockwork. ‘An affair between a clairvoyant and Frère, and you didn’t think to mention it to me?’

‘I only had the voyant’s word for it,’ I pointed out. ‘Wouldn’t you have wanted proof?’

Ducos withdrew into a chilly silence. When we reached the landing below, I turned to face her.

‘I need the financial support you offered,’ I said. ‘How can I prove the Mime Order is legitimate?’

‘You’d ideally need a Domino supervisor to serve as an eyewitness to their activities, as I did for the Nouveau Régime. If we could facilitate a meeting with your interim, that would be helpful.’

‘Eliza has met someone from Domino. An ally of Burnish,’ I said, remembering. ‘After I was detained, he got my friends out of Edinburgh. He could vouch for the Mime Order.’

‘Any idea of his name?’

‘Nick might know.’

‘I’ll enquire. If not, I will advocate for Command to allow Nina to leave,’ she said. ‘We can ensure she gets to London, accompanied by an eyewitness. I know it isn’t ideal, but it’s only a few months. You can make use of our resources, in the meantime.’

‘Good. I need a gun and some decent knives,’ I said. ‘If anyone comes for that reward, I have to be able to defend myself.’

‘I’ll get them for you after the meeting.’ Ducos folded her arms. ‘Even if you are rash, it is becoming clear that we need you. It’s possible that no one in the world knows more aboutAdvena sapiensthan you do, and Scion is casting its shadow farther than ever. We have to contain this war. You can help.’

After a moment, I nodded.

I belonged in London. My love for it was deep and furious as the Thames – but my reign as Underqueen had been one of the hardest trials of my life. Three months of sleepless apprehension, endangered by Senshield, stalked by Hildred Vance. Three months of waiting to be killed or overthrown. Three months of setbacks, ending in a torture chamber.

If I had to stay out here a little longer, to make the Rose Crown easier to wear, so be it.

‘I’ll do it for the Mime Order. I’m still its Underqueen,’ I said. ‘Am I free to go out?’

‘Collect a new phone from the concierge first. Keep it on so I can stay in touch with you,’ Ducos said. ‘Our devices are very secure you shouldn’t need a burner, like you would in Scion but you should avoid mentioning real names or sensitive information. We can’t be too careful at the moment, even in the free world.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You’ll find out at the meeting on Monday. Until then,’ she said, ‘try to stay out of trouble.’

8

THE DEAD OF NIGHT

The Palazzo della Notte had come to life in the time I had been with Pivot and Ducos. People strode between its rooms with brisk purpose, some murmuring in pairs or small groups in the corridors. These must be the organisers, responsible for issuing orders to the people in the field who risked their lives for information.

Anyone here could be working for Grapevine. Harald was dead, but there might be other traitors.

As I headed towards the concierge, I slowed, remembering something Arcturus had told me. To help root out the Mime Order, Nashira had summoned her heir, Vindemiatrix Sargas.

Her principal duty for the last two centuries has been to monitor the free world.

Perhaps Vindemiatrix Sargas was the one behind Grapevine, gathering intelligence for her family. She must have built a significant network of humans or Rephs to watch the free world for her – a network she might also deploy to infiltrate and damage Domino.

I picked up a phone before finding the others on a balcony. They were sitting in the shade of its awning, Nick leafing through a newspaper. It was hot enough to toast bread on the table.

‘Paige,’ Nick said, seeing me.