Page 14 of The Dark Mirror (The Bone Season #5)

14

THE FIFTH CARD

‘I have done with your tricks, dreamwalker.’

Darkness laced my sight. Blinking, I tried to focus on his face, to keep me rooted to the present.

‘Arcturus,’ I said, my voice strained. ‘It’s me, it’s Paige—’

‘Enough.’

His massive hands might as well have been shackles. One moment I had been about to burst with elation, and the next, I was back in the torture chamber, at the mercy of a giant.

‘Tell her,’ Arcturus ground out, ‘to sequester me.’

My vision blurred. ‘What?’

Even though he wasn’t near my throat, I couldn’t breathe. He was asking to be executed.

His grip tightened, and that was it. The dark room slammed its doors around me. I needed to work out what could possibly be going through his head, but my body remembered this position, and fought like an alley cat to escape. I wrestled and kicked against Suhail – no, Arcturus, it was Arcturus – but he kept me where I was. My left wrist burned in his grasp.

I was drowning not just in my own fear, but his.

And I knew, looking into his eyes, that he had no idea who I was. He was somewhere far away.

‘Arcturus, please, I can’t—’ I tried one last thing: ‘Mothaigh an snáithe órga. Féach orm!’

He stilled. I hadn’t finished teaching him, but he knew the sound of my first language.

Little by little, his right hand loosened. No change in his expression, but that small victory offered me a lifeline. Seizing it, I slipped my bad wrist free and reached up to cup his cheek, the way I just had in his dreamscape. Arcturus flinched, but let my hand rest there.

He had never flinched when I touched him before.

‘See me,’ I whispered. ‘It’s me.’ As I brushed a thumb across his cheekbone, keeping the movement slow and light, the vice on my other wrist eased as well. ‘Tá sé ceart go leor.’

If he really thought I was someone else, this would change his mind. Only I would speak to him in Irish.

Terebell must have sensed a disturbance. When she entered the wine cellar and saw Arcturus sitting up, they stared at each other in such disbelief that it might have been comical under different circumstances. Nick was down the stairs like a shot, shoving past Terebell.

‘Warden.’ His eyes widened. ‘Arcturus, let go of Paige, now. Let go of her.’

Arcturus looked from him to me. His gaze sharpened in recognition, in shock.

At once, he released my other wrist, allowing me to scramble out from under him, so quickly I fell off the bed. Nick rushed towards me, but I scooted back until I hit the wall.

‘Don’t touch me,’ I barked. My boots scuffed along the floor. ‘Stay back. Do not touch me.’

‘Okay.’ Nick crouched a short distance away. ‘No one is touching you, Paige. You’re safe.’

I held myself tight and willed the memories down. ( Your wrists are bleeding, Underqueen. All you need do is answer my questions. ) I could feel the manacles again, the hungry presence in the dark.

Terebell marched to Arcturus and seized his shoulders, as if to restrain him. He couldn’t take his eyes off me.

‘Paige,’ he rasped. ‘Is it you?’

I had never thought I would hear him say my name again. Another tear ran down my cheek.

‘Yes,’ I said, heaving. ‘It’s me.’

Arcturus was awake. Not just awake, but fully aware. He remembered me. I felt him deep within – the sweet and comforting return of his presence, sunlight running through my blood. I wanted to go to him, but his grip had rattled me so badly I could hardly think.

Sometimes I forgot how strong Rephs were. How easy it would be for them to crush a human.

‘Warden, stay put and get a hold of yourself,’ Nick said hotly. ‘What were you thinking?’

Arcturus looked at him. He looked at Terebell, who had been stricken into silence. He looked at his own scarred hands, at the salt on the floor and at me, scrunched up in the corner. Before either of us could say a word, the other Ranthen reached the cellar, Maria in tow.

‘What?’ she said in astonishment. ‘Warden!’

Errai just stood there, while Lucida went to Arcturus and framed his face, pressing their foreheads together, the way Rephs seemed to express deep affection. Lesath went to one knee and raised a fist to his chest. Arcturus took all of them in – his old friends, his allies.

‘Where is this?’ He sounded like he had lived through a severe drought. ‘How long has passed?’

‘It’s October, and you’re in Italy,’ Maria said. ‘Welcome to the free world.’

‘Italy.’

His gaze returned to me, the needle of a compass settling on north. I tried to iron out my breathing.

‘Your glow is looking faint, big man,’ Maria said, her brow furrowed. ‘Do you need aura?’

‘Yes.’ Terebell spoke at last. ‘He does.’

Arcturus shook his head.

‘It’s all right. Have a hit of mine,’ Maria said gently. ‘I need to do something useful tonight.’ She shot me a worried look. ‘Nick, why don’t you take Paige upstairs for some fresh air?’

Nick held out a hand. I convinced myself to take it. It was only Nick. I trusted Nick. As he guided me from the cellar, I glanced back at Arcturus. He watched me like I was a sunrise.

As soon as we were back under the stars, the terror and relief overwhelmed me. Nick held me close as sobs racked my frame. Thank you, Liss . I willed her to hear, wherever the ?ther had taken her. Thank you.

The abandoned house was overgrown, with an olive grove behind it. Nick had walked through that grove to check for cold spots, finding none. Now we sat in the parlour, far enough apart that I could breathe.

‘How did you do it?’ Nick said.

‘I dreamwalked into him,’ I said hoarsely. ‘I touched his spirit.’ My eyes felt raw. ‘Liss did a reading for me. The fifth card was Death, inverted. If I hadn’t remembered—’

I couldn’t even say it.

‘He’s okay,’ Nick said. ‘He’s okay, Paige.’

Liss Rymore was in the outer darkness, where no one could spool or bind or disturb her. I wished I could see her once more, to thank her for sharing her gift; for giving me the knowledge that had let me save Arcturus. Every one of her predictions had been right.

‘I thought he was going to kill you,’ Nick said. ‘I don’t think I could have stopped him.’

‘He didn’t know who I was.’

‘Have you had this since the waterboard?’ he asked me. ‘This fear of being touched?’

I nodded. Nick hadn’t been there for those early days, when I hadn’t been able to bear my reflection, or the feel of my own human skin.

‘It was a lot worse in Paris.’ I traced the thin scar on my wrist, where the manacle had cut into me. ‘I’m handling it better now, but I couldn’t stand being held down like that.’

‘Of course not.’

Maria came into the parlour. ‘I’m absolutely fine,’ she said, brushing off our concern before we could voice it. ‘Nothing a nap and a stiff drink won’t solve.’

‘Thank you for doing that,’ I said.

‘I wasn’t going to leave you to do it, not in your state. Nick already used his aura to heal Lesath,’ Maria said. ‘One of the Buzzers clawed him.’

That explained why Nick looked peaky.

‘How is Warden?’ I asked Maria.

‘He’s not saying much. I think he’s in shock, poor thing. We need to get back to Venice before Scion realises he’s gone. Federico brought us a people carrier.’

‘It’s three in the morning. Are you okay to drive?’

‘For now.’ She took a key from her pocket. ‘Nick, I’ll swap with you halfway.’

I collected my holdall and followed Maria to the people carrier. She opened the door to the front passenger seat for me, while Nick got in behind. Once she was in, Maria switched on the dashboard monitor and selected a radio station, so music played at a low volume.

‘I’m not going to ask how you did it,’ she said to me quietly. ‘I assume you don’t know.’

I shook my head.

After a while, the Ranthen emerged. Lucida and Errai took the two seats beside Nick, while Lesath and Terebell guided Arcturus into the back and sat on either side of him.

‘It’s been a long night, my friends,’ Maria said. ‘Is everyone coming to Venice?’

‘Yes,’ Terebell said. ‘Arcturus needs somewhere to recover.’

‘I don’t think we should take you to Domino headquarters,’ Nick said. ‘There’s been at least one security breach, and a few sinister parties are sniffing around for the big secret behind Scion.’

‘Ver?a will find somewhere. I’ll ask her now.’ Maria took out her phone. ‘We’ll be driving for a while, everyone. Settle in.’

Once she had sent the message, she started the car. It jolted along a bumpy path. Behind us, night swallowed the abandoned house, which had almost been a place of execution.

Arcturus drowsed against Terebell, who kept her arms around him. Maria drove out of the countryside and joined the motorway that would take us to Venice. I had thought I was too wired to sleep, but the whole exhausting day soon caught up with me, and I passed out.

The drive took eight hours. I was out for most of the journey, the white aster demanding its due. Now and then, the Rephs spoke in Gloss, though I never heard Arcturus. The golden cord was still frozen.

I suspect the sudden distance between us may have strained it , Arcturus had told me after Oxford. Now we are together, I trust it will strengthen again .

Maria stopped at a service station. While she was paying, Nick got out to check on me. By then, pain was building in my shoulder, which had taken the brunt of my fall down the steps.

After that, Nick took the wheel, letting Maria get some rest. I was sound asleep by the time we reached Venice. One of the Rephs wrapped me in a coat and lifted me into the water taxi. From then on, there were only flashes of awareness – the grand foyer of the Palazzo della Notte, then Ducos and Ver?a, and one more glimpse of Nick before it all went dark.

I woke in my own bed in Venice, tucked under fresh sheets. My eyes were puffy, my shoulder hurt like hell, and I was stiff and sore all over. When I attempted to search the ?ther, my head started to throb, forcing me to stop. But I knew Arcturus was here. We had found him.

Nick had left a box of painkillers on the nightstand. I necked a couple and eased out of bed, stopping for a moment to listen. For the first time since Paris, I could hear rain.

In the bathroom, I inspected my injuries. I had too many scratches and grazes to count, an impressive bruise across my left hip, another on my knee, a third spanning my shoulder and collarbone. When I touched the place where the purpling was deepest, I grimaced.

One day, I might go a few solid months without nearly getting myself killed. Until then, a few scrapes were a small price to pay for Arcturus.

I ran a bath, making the water as hot as I could stand it. It took a while to wash and untangle my hair. Every time I moved, it strained my overtaxed muscles. Inch by aching inch, I dried off, brushed my teeth, and put on a shirt and jersey, followed by dark trousers Nick had told me were called jeans, an American style that had never reached Scion.

He was in the bar, working on a data pad. When he saw me, he released his breath.

‘You slept for two days,’ he said. ‘How are you feeling?’

I edged into the other chair, trying to find a way to sit without hurting my hip or tailbone.

‘Like I fell down a set of cement steps, got thrown off a cliff, and had to swim through my worst fears, all to find Arcturus in a coffin,’ I said. ‘It’s safe to say that was among the worst nights of my life.’

‘It’s over now. We got him.’

‘So we did.’ I raised a faint smile. ‘A heist for the history books.’

‘Possibly your finest work, Underqueen. Even if I hate that you insisted on going alone.’

‘You all would have been killed.’

‘ You could have been killed,’ Nick pointed out. ‘Any of those Buzzers could have taken a chunk out of you. We should have gone back to Naples and reconsidered our approach.’ I glanced away. ‘You took precautions, but I worry you still think your life is expendable.’

‘This wasn’t a suicide mission like Senshield. I know everyone thinks I have a death wish, but it’s not like that.’

‘Tell me what it’s like, then.’

I had to think about that for a while. Arcturus had broached this subject with me in Paris, but we had never plumbed the depths of it. I had been too defensive, too stuck in my ways.

‘I survived the Imbolc Massacre,’ I eventually said, ‘when so many people didn’t, Nick. Not just that, but Alsafi and Burnish both chose me over themselves when they saved me. I have to make my life count for something, the way you want to spend yours getting justice for Lina. Maybe that’s why I push myself so hard – why I take so many risks – but trust me, I’ve no intention of dying before Scion falls.’

‘Or after, I hope.’ Nick pressed my hand. ‘Alsafi and Burnish made that sacrifice for you , sotnos, not someone you still need to become. They thought you were already worth it. And you are.’

A lump filled my throat.

‘I don’t like the sound of those falls,’ Nick said. ‘Can I give you a check-up later?’ My neck objected to my nod. ‘I wanted to examine Warden, but Terebell wouldn’t hear of it.’

‘Don’t take it personally. Nashira has always refused to let humans study their anatomy, to stop us making weapons that could hurt them. The Ranthen share her beliefs on some things.’

‘Like the fact that Rephs shouldn’t be with humans.’

‘Yes.’

There was a brief silence, during which I poured a glass of orange juice and sipped.

‘Warden did let me take a sample of his ectoplasm,’ Nick said. ‘He felt that since the Sargas have used theirs in machinery, our side should understand it, too.’

‘You must be over the moon,’ I said. ‘Any deductions?’

‘It’s fascinating. I can already make a few observations, like the fact that Rephs don’t seem to have any genetic material that I recognise. It’s like something … carved them into being.’

‘Is their blood acidic or alkaline?’

‘It’s neutral.’ A smile lifted the corners of his mouth. ‘I knew you were more interested in science than Evelyn Ancroft would admit.’

‘It’s hardly my fault that most of my teachers were anchorites,’ I said. ‘I heard that Rephs can’t contract illnesses. Do you think it’s true?’

‘It must be. The human body isn’t meant to be in water for too long. The skin breaks down, the organs fail. Weeks down there, and he just looked asleep.’

I tried not to remember.

‘From what I can tell, his body would obliterate any pathogen that got into it. A virus wouldn’t even know where to start,’ Nick said. ‘I can’t see any way that Rephs could harbour or transmit illnesses.’

Except the one that turned them into Buzzers.

‘That’s nice for them.’ I tucked my hair behind my ear. ‘He’s … all right, then?’

‘I couldn’t see any obvious injuries, but his movements seem very stiff, and he’s lethargic.’

‘They severed him from the ?ther. That can be fatal for a voyant, let alone a Reph,’ I said. ‘They carry the ?ther inside them, so the shock is much worse. I don’t think any of them have ever recovered from it before.’ I paused. ‘Did Ver?a find the Ranthen somewhere to stay?’

‘Ducos did.’ Nick sought my gaze. ‘We all wanted you to be there when Warden told us what happened. He agreed to wait for you. Are you ready to see him?’

I dug my fingertips into my arm until it hurt.

‘No,’ I said. ‘But let’s get on with it.’