Page 28 of The Dark Mirror (The Bone Season #5)

Cadoc Fitzours, the other dreamwalker. He looked much the same as he had in Paris, except that he was dressed almost exactly like a Reph, down to his doublet and black leather gloves. His chin seemed a little sharper, his cheeks hollow, his lips almost as dark as mine.

They hadn’t been like that in Paris. He must be taxing himself to the limit for Nashira.

A group of people had gathered in an ornate room, including Sala and Jaxon. This had to be the Palazzo del Quirinale. Two days had passed while I lay in the jailhouse, and Cade had arrived, ready to exact his vengeance. Sala had decided not to take me to the Quirinale.

Cade was flanked by two Rephs. One was unfamiliar, though clearly a Sargas, from his pallor and thick golden hair. The other, I recognised with a jolt as Kornephoros Sheratan.

‘President Sala. I am Castor Sargas, blood-heir of the Rephaim,’ the former said. ‘I come on behalf of the Suzerain.’

Castor wore a livery collar set with amber, like the ones Nashira and Gomeisa had used to show their authority in Oxford. He was as daunting as his predecessor, Kraz Sargas. His face had been carved as if by a sculptor, his long hair drawn back from his cheekbones.

This Reph had once ruled the Residence of Balliol. From what Arcturus had told me, he had got his kicks out of tormenting the amaurotics.

‘This is Kornephoros,’ Castor went on. ‘He is Warden of the Sheratan and blood-consort of the Rephaim, superseding the flesh-traitor, Arcturus Mesarthim.’

So Nashira had replaced both Arcturus and Kraz, the two Rephs I had taken from her.

Kornephoros smiled, something I fervently wished Rephs would never do. Their faces weren’t made for that particular expression.

‘Castor Sargas,’ Sala said. ‘What is it you want from me?’

‘I think you know, President Sala. Why have you broken our treaty by allowing humans to return to Capri and Ischia?’

Nick was standing close to her. A few members of the Council of Kassandra had gathered on either side, along with some amaurotics, who I assumed were her ministers.

‘Because the Prime Minister and I have no intention of letting you take Italy,’ Sala said. ‘A treaty I signed in fear of my own life, and that of my colleagues, is meaningless. You succeeded in claiming Norway, but Operation Ventriloquist goes no farther on these shores.’

‘I suspected you might say that. After all, you are a unique case, President Sala. A clairvoyant at the head of a country,’ Castor said, his eyes ablaze. ‘Do you not fear our dreamwalker?’

‘President Sala has a binder at her side.’ Jaxon stepped from the ranks. ‘As a member of the Sargas family, you are no doubt familiar with the art, Rephaite.’

‘Indeed.’ Castor considered him. ‘The Suzerain taught you personally, as I understand it, Jaxon Hall. How disappointing, to see you on the losing side.’

‘Come on, Jaxon.’ Cade smiled. ‘Do you really think a boundling is any match for me?’

He used his Breton accent now, not having any reason to hide it.

‘Most boundlings would be fazed,’ Jaxon conceded, ‘but these ones are mine. And they have faced a dreamwalker before.’

The vision wavered. It must be taking Nick an extraordinary amount of strength to project it to me.

‘Paige,’ Cade said. ‘You know where she is, then?’

‘I do hope so,’ Kornephoros said, his deep voice startling the humans. ‘I owe that oathbreaker a death.’

Shit.

‘Paige is already dead,’ Nick said. ‘She died in the airstrike on Paris.’

Cade gave him a look of intense scrutiny. For a sickening moment, I thought he could see me. Nick must be wearing his dissimulator, or the Rephs would know his face from the screens in Scion.

‘No,’ Cade said. ‘You wouldn’t be trying this unless you had backup. And I dreamed of her.’

Jaxon was clearly intrigued. ‘You dreamed of her?’

‘The ?ther has sent me visions all my life. I will face Paige Mahoney in the Colosseum,’ Cade said. ‘All of that aside, I can sense her. She’s about two hundred feet away.’

Fuck.

‘In the meantime, I’m glad to have found you here, White Binder,’ he continued. ‘The Suzerain has every intention of claiming your life for your betrayals, and for the loss of Versailles.’

Jaxon kept smiling in the face of the threat. Nashira really was out for his blood, then.

‘You may have your own thin protection, President Sala,’ Castor said, ‘but if you wish to rise in opposition to Operation Ventriloquist, there will be grave consequences for your people. Those consequences will become apparent before the hour is up. I will give you one more chance to accept Rephaite rule of Italy. Join the Republic of Scion.’

Sala stood her ground as Castor took a step towards her. He dwarfed all of her bodyguards.

‘In the days of Ancient Rome, humans would sacrifice to the gods to ensure the pax deorum. We only seek a return to those days,’ he said. ‘In Scion, tribute is paid through the Bone Seasons. Do as your ancestors did, and show respect to your gods, President Sala. All of the clairvoyants in Italy, in exchange for the lives of your amaurotic subjects.’

Beatrice Sala drew herself up. She was a small woman, but in that moment, she seemed tall as a Reph.

‘I will not throw my own kind to the wolves,’ she said. ‘This is Rome. The wolves are on our side.’

‘Then expect our wrath,’ Castor said. ‘Ira deorum, President Sala.’

The vision evaporated, leaving me shaking on the floor of my cell. My head pounded as I sat up.

‘Paige,’ Arcturus said. ‘What did you see?’

‘Nick sent me a vision. Cade is here,’ I said. ‘So are Castor Sargas and Kornephoros. They know I’m here. We have to—’

Before I could finish, the door crashed open, the bolt snapping in half. Lesath ducked inside, followed by Lucida, Errai and Pleione. They wore the blank masks they had sometimes used for anonymity in London, making them look even more daunting than usual.

‘Wardens.’ Lesath cocked his head. ‘Did the humans imprison you?’

‘The Council of Kassandra mislikes our alliance with Paige,’ Arcturus said. ‘It appears they see us all as enemies.’

‘Of course.’ Pleione planted a gloved hand on her hip. ‘As ever, humans are intractable.’

‘Underqueen.’ Lucida had noticed me. ‘Why are you in there?’

‘Take a guess,’ I said curtly.

Lesath wrenched the bars of our cells apart as if they were paper straws. He came to me first, making short work of the handcuffs.

‘Sala has told Cade where to go,’ I said, ‘but Castor said there would be consequences.’

‘That is quite apparent,’ Pleione said. ‘A number of cold spots have opened in Rome.’

‘What?’

‘One cold spot could be random,’ Terebell said, ‘but not several. There must be latent Rephaim nearby.’

‘How could they have formed that quickly?’ I said. ‘What the fuck is going on?’

‘The Sargas must have planned this in advance,’ Pleione said. ‘They anticipated defiance here.’

I strode into the other cell and removed the poppy anemones from Arcturus, allowing Lesath to break his chains. When I went to Terebell, our gazes met. If she was going to kill me for touching Arcturus, now was the perfect opportunity, while I was close enough to strangle. He wouldn’t be able to stop her before my throat was in her grasp.

Hoping for the best, I snapped the stems of the flowers. Lesath came to deal with the chains. And still Terebell did nothing but look at me.

‘Your blade, Terebell.’

Pleione offered an opaline sword. Terebell took it and rose, looking down at me in a way that reinforced my human frailty. I waited, expecting her to slice through my neck.

‘You said there must be latent Rephs here,’ I said. ‘How could there be?’

Terebell did not reply.

‘Grapevine may have a presence in Italy,’ Arcturus said. ‘Its agents could have assisted the Sargas in planting our fallen here, as Cathal Bell was a collaborator in the conquest of Ireland.’

The words hit on something. In that moment, I was torn between memories of Dublin and Paris.

Compromise another of our fortified havens, and not only will we be more likely to become Emim, but those that already exist will no longer be drawn to a congregation of us , Kornephoros had told me. Our strongholds are a beacon. Without them, the Emim will scatter across your world.

‘Wait,’ I said. ‘I think I understand what’s happening. It’s an invasion from the inside. If the politicians refuse to play ball with Scion—’ My mind was racing. ‘They’ll go for the heart, like they did in Dublin. Use the Buzzers to devastate the capital, weakening it enough that the Second Inquisitorial Division can breeze right in. There would still be a ground invasion, but they’d face a hell of a lot less military resistance if the Buzzers clear a path first. It will set an example for anyone else who wants to resist Operation Ventriloquist.’

‘If you are right, it would be a significant deviation from the secrecy the Sargas have upheld for two centuries,’ Lesath said. ‘The whole of Rome is about to witness the might of the Netherworld. Why should they choose to reveal themselves?’

‘I don’t care about the motive right now. We have to stop this,’ I said. ‘Terebell, are you able for a fight?’

‘Yes,’ Terebell said.

‘Good. I’m going after Cade,’ I said. ‘You deal with the cold spots.’

‘We will need you in our party, Underqueen,’ Pleione said. ‘You may not be able to attack the Emim with your spirit without risking death, but the pressure from your dreamscape will keep them at bay. You can defend the rest of us.’

‘Pleione is right,’ Arcturus said. ‘We stand a greater chance of success with you, Paige.’

‘I can’t miss this opportunity to kill Cade. If he escapes—’ I thought back. ‘He did say he knew I was here, and that he was going to face me. If he wants a fight, he won’t leave yet.’ I gave them all a weary look. ‘Fine. I’ll come. You really can’t do anything without me, can you?’

Before they could answer, I left the jailhouse.

The mist had thickened while I was in there. To my surprise, President Sala was already in the plaza, marching towards me with about half of her entourage from the Quirinale, including Nick, Mistry, and a man I recognised as Gilberto Draghetti, the Minister for Defence. Maria and Ver?a came after them, emerging from one of the buildings.

‘Paige.’ Sala stopped in front of me. ‘Fitzours escaped the perimeter.’

‘No one could have seen that coming.’ I folded my arms. ‘What happened?’

‘He arrived in person, with Rephaim. They murdered Lorenzo,’ she said. That explained why there was blood on her face. ‘None of my guards’ bullets would stop them.’ She gripped my shoulders. ‘Can you find Fitzours again?’

‘There may be a more pressing concern.’

Nick shook his head. ‘More pressing than two Rephs murdering the Prime Minister of Italy?’

‘Yes,’ I said grimly. The six Ranthen came to stand behind me, unsettling the other humans. ‘President Sala, I think there was a hidden layer to Operation Ventriloquist. A consequence to breaking the Treaty of Orcus.’

‘Explain yourself, quickly,’ Sala said, beckoning the Minister for Defence. ‘What is it?’

‘Look, you’re not going to understand much of this, so I’ll keep it simple. You can ask questions later,’ I said, addressing the whole group. ‘There are gateways to another world opening in Rome. They’re going to spit out flesh-eating creatures called Emim, or Buzzers, which will kill every living thing in their path. You can’t reason with them.’

‘The Ranthen can assist in you in repelling the Emim, President Sala,’ Arcturus said. ‘First, we must sequester the latent Rephaim that have lured the Emim here. Once it is done, we can herd the remaining Emim back into the cold spots and seal them into the Netherworld.’

Sala stared at him. ‘Underqueen?’

‘Oh, now everyone needs my expertise,’ I bit out. ‘Okay. The Buzzers are coming for the bodies of unconscious Rephs. They’re Rephs, by the way.’ I jabbed a thumb over my shoulder at the Ranthen. ‘We need to behead those bodies, and the only way to do that is with a certain kind of blade, of which we have two. Everybody with me so far?’

‘What are you talking about?’ one of the amaurotics demanded. ‘Are you insane?’

‘Mattia, please.’ Sala took a deep breath. ‘Never mind the specifics, Paige. What can I do?’

‘First, everyone needs to get inside and stay there. Find a way to force people off the streets,’ I said. ‘Then you can help us reach the bodies. Can your soldiers keep the Buzzers off us?’

‘Yes,’ the Minister for Defence said, recovering. ‘What sort of weapons should they use?’

‘None of your weapons can destroy the Emim,’ Arcturus said, ‘but they do have a corporeal presence.’ He had put on a mask of his own. ‘Your soldiers can wound and slow them with concussive force, fire, acid and bullets. Do not be conservative with your ammunition.’

‘So that’s grenades and rockets, flamethrowers, sustained gunfire. Treat them like they’re tanks,’ I said. ‘You can protect your soldiers with salt. Buzzers can’t enter a salt circle.’

‘We have gritting to clear ice from the streets,’ the Minister for Defence said. ‘Will that work?’

‘Yes,’ Arcturus said. ‘Make sure the circles are unbroken.’

The Minister for Defence stepped aside with his phone, speaking in rapid Italian. Now I could hear the distant shouts of panic. It was starting.

‘If you stop this,’ Sala told me, ‘you will have my vote of confidence as Underqueen.’ She took a small black device from one of her bodyguards. ‘My clairvoyance is not the sort that can be used in combat. I will evacuate the government to a secure location. Some of the Council will come with me, but anyone with a suitable gift will assist you.’

‘President Sala,’ one of the others said, ‘we cannot mobilise based on the word of this one—’

‘Credimi, Fatima. Sa di cosa sta parlando.’ Sala clipped the device to my jacket. ‘Keep this on. I’ll be able to see and hear you, as well as track your movements.’

‘My weapons,’ I said. ‘Where are they?’ Sala motioned to another bodyguard, who came forward with my holster and boot knife. They wouldn’t do much good against the Buzzers, but having them gave me some courage.‘I’ll take that nice rifle of yours, if you please,’ Maria said. ‘I’m sure you can find a spare.’ The guard passed it to her without argument. ‘You should leave now, President Sala. The Mime Order will handle this.’

‘I will return as soon as I hear from you.’ Sala looked me in the eye. ‘Save this city, Underqueen.’

She let her bodyguards usher her away.

‘Okay,’ I said to the Ranthen. ‘How do we find the latent Rephs?’

‘We can go after the Emim. They will be drawn to the resting places,’ Pleione said. ‘I can also follow the nearby spirits’ lamentations.’

‘You’re a whisperer?’

‘As you would say.’ Her eyes glowed. ‘The songs flow in three directions.’

‘And we only have two opaline blades,’ Terebell said. ‘We cannot split into more than two groups.’

‘Here.’ Lesath drew an opaline sword and presented it to Arcturus. ‘Talitha Chertan offered this in tribute, Warden. We convinced her to join the Ranthen.’

Arcturus considered it. I remembered him using a blade like that in Versailles.

‘You guard it for me, cousin,’ he said. ‘I am yet too weak to wield it.’

Lesath sheathed the sword without question. I felt another surge of appreciation towards him.

‘Since only Pleione can act as a guide,’ Terebell said, ‘we must guess the locations, so we can spread our forces.’

I looked at Pleione. ‘Can you not tell exactly where they are from here?’

‘No,’ Pleione said. ‘I must allow the spirits to show me.’

‘One of the sibyls’ recent visions was of the Trevi Fountain, just north of here,’ Ver?a volunteered. ‘There is an old archaeological site underneath it, which might serve as a crypt. I know it well, if you need someone to lead you. I was a tour guide when I lived in Rome.’

‘Of course you were.’ Maria hefted the rifle, grimacing as she moved her left arm. ‘Paige, do I get a commission for finding the most useful member of the Mime Order to date?’

‘Accompany the sibyl,’ Terebell said to Lucida and Lesath. ‘If her instinct is wrong, follow the Emim. Arcturus, Errai and Paige, you come with me and Pleione.’

‘I’ll go with Ver?a,’ Maria said.

‘Good. Use your fire,’ I said. ‘Where are Eliza and Jaxon?’

‘They went after Fitzours,’ Nick said. ‘I’m with you. Warden, will visions work against the Buzzers?’

‘Possibly,’ Arcturus said. ‘They see as we do, to our knowledge.’

‘We need a car,’ I said.

‘I have one,’ a familiar voice said. I turned to see Rohan Mistry. ‘I can’t say I fully understood your instructions, Underqueen, but I’ll do whatever I can to help.’

‘I appreciate the offer, but you’d be wiser to lock yourself indoors and wait this out.’

‘I can summon poltergeists,’ he said. ‘Will they help?’

‘Yes,’ Arcturus said. ‘The Emim are vulnerable to apport.’

‘It’s settled, then.’ Mistry took out a fob. ‘My car will take five people. Where are we going?’

‘Pleione will guide you. Maria, there’s a guzzler parked over there,’ I said. ‘You could hotwire it.’

‘Consider it done.’

She left with the other group. Somewhere on the streets, a siren began to whine, sending a frisson through my body.

‘We should hurry.’ Mistry headed for the entrance. ‘Those are civil defence sirens, installed in case of any threat from Scion. The people know to find shelter when they sound.’

‘You shouldn’t fight,’ I told Arcturus.

‘I can seal the gateways while the rest of you hold off the Emim,’ he said. ‘You can use the pressure from your dreamscape to repel them – but do not overtax yourself, Paige. And do not abandon your body.’

I had made the mistake of dreamwalking into a Buzzer once before, and had only survived because Arcturus had used the golden cord to pull me out of its dreamscape. I never meant to do that again, but I could still play my part. This time, I would be his bodyguard.

Rome was already falling into chaos. A terrible cold filled its streets, rubbing my cheeks raw. It reminded me of the chill of Oxford, which had lingered all year, no matter the season. Mistry ran from the Forum and climbed into a sleek grey car. I got into the back seat.

‘Mistry,’ I said, ‘why are you helping us?’

‘Because you clearly know how to stop this, and I have no idea.’

‘You were the person who put me in touch with President Sala, weren’t you?’

‘I knew she’d want to meet you.’ He started the motor. ‘Where am I driving?’

‘Follow me,’ Pleione said, appearing beside the car. Mistry jumped. ‘I will lead you, summoner.’

Nick and Arcturus joined us. Shaking himself, Mistry peeled after the other three Rephs. ‘Don’t worry if you lose sight of them,’ I told him. ‘I can keep track of them in the ?ther.’

‘Noted,’ he said.

It was only now I truly realised how fast Rephs could move. Mistry sped up, shadowing Pleione. Errai and Terebell were hot on her heels. Around them, the streets were already overrun with confused people, all hearing a warning that no one had seen fit to clarify.

Above us, the sirens continued to drone. I tried to stop myself from sliding back to that last night in Paris, but my breath came short. Arcturus took my hand, and I held fast, letting him ground me.

In Dublin, Scion had planted soldiers among us, their guns concealed in bags and coats, showing no sign of their allegiance. I should have seen this coming. I had destroyed Oxford and Versailles, and now the Sargas would show us what happened when they didn’t get their way.

An automated voice began to speak in Italian. ‘A military threat to Rome is being announced,’ Mistry told us. ‘This is our established procedure in the event of attack. But these creatures you describe will be difficult to explain, should we survive this.’

Nick drew his jacket back, revealing a pair of pistols. ‘Nashira must not care who sees the Buzzers.’ He took out some ammo. ‘Does that mean she’s ready to reveal herself?’

‘Perhaps,’ Arcturus said. ‘Or perhaps she means to teach the world to fear the Emim first. Then she will present herself as a saviour, as she once did to the government of England.’

‘Not if I have anything to say about it,’ I muttered.

Mistry stopped the car with a jolt as a woman ran across the street in front of us, followed by a crowd of panic-stricken people. His eyes widened when he saw what had scattered them.

A Buzzer was in front of us, in broad daylight, right in the middle of Rome.

The fog made it hard to see in full, but its white eyes locked on mine, glowing like full moons. It lunged at a man, catching him in its great scythes of claws, and ripped him in half.

‘What—’ Mistry had a fixed stare. ‘What just happened?’

I gripped the back of his seat. ‘Are you full-sighted?’

‘Yes.’

The Buzzers’ corrupted auras stopped the full-sighted from seeing them well. Mistry must have watched the man disappear into darkness, then come out in two pieces.

Nearby, a few vehicles smashed into each other in their haste to escape. Mistry sprang back to life. As he circled around the Buzzer, it swung for the car, its claws raking across the window, smearing blood in their wake. Mistry took a sharp left turn and drove along the bank of the Tiber. I could see Terebell, her blade glinting in the pale sunlight.

Just ahead were two more Buzzers, neither of them paying attention to the Rephs. They outpaced us with ease, their stretched limbs lengthening their strides. A third Buzzer leapt from a rooftop, colliding with a man on a moto.

Mistry stopped the car at the end of a bridge, the brakes squealing. There was another Buzzer ahead of us, blocking our way across the Tiber. Several bodies were scattered around it, and a lamppost had fallen across the pavement. A pair of voyants faced the beast, gathering spirits to spool. Mistry scrolled the window down, sweat beading on his face.

‘Antoinette!’

‘Rohan.’ Carter came to the car, sporting a nosebleed. ‘It’s bedlam out here. Where are you headed?’

‘Paige knows how to stop this. Her allies can—’