Page 4 of The Dark Mirror (The Bone Season #5)

4

YELLOW LIGHTS

Maria made me a cup of tea, but went for a whiskey herself. She nursed it as we sat on the balcony, watching Prague. Late in the evening, it glowed as if with many bonfires, lit by all its golden streetlamps; the light smeared and pulled by my exhaustion.

Now I was sobering up, my nerves were threadbare. Until now, only Nick and Ducos had been aware of my relationship with Arcturus. I had known Maria for more than three years, but we had only been friends for a few months, and this was a big secret to lay on her.

‘That night in Candlewick,’ Maria said slowly. ‘I left my coat at the meeting. When I came back for it, you were alone with Warden, and you looked flustered. Like I’d disturbed you.’

‘That was our closest shave.’

‘I would have guessed at once if he was human, but I cast the possibility straight out of my head.’ She looked at me in complete amazement. ‘You and Warden. You and a Reph. You.’

‘Not sure how I feel about how shocked you sound.’

‘I don’t mean it badly, sweet. You’re just so serious and focused, especially since you became Underqueen, and you’ve never seemed interested in anyone. And Warden is—’

‘Warden.’

‘Yes.’ She drank some whiskey. ‘Warden.’

We sat in silence for a while, listening to a street performer.

‘It’s never really crossed my mind to think of Rephs that way,’ Maria said. ‘I will confess to a crush on Pleione, but she didn’t seem to notice my attempts to flirt with her. Probably for the best, since I prefer my significant other to have more than one facial expression.’

‘Fair enough.’ I shot her a quizzical look. ‘Why Pleione?’

Maria considered. ‘Something about the way she sits, like every chair is both a lounger and her throne. It speaks to me. But I digress,’ she said. ‘How long was this going on?’

I sipped the tea, if only to steady my hands. Even now, revealing this felt like betraying Arcturus.

A secret, held within, can become a poison .

He had told me that himself. Perhaps I could take it as his blessing.

‘It wasn’t serious at first,’ I eventually said. ‘We had a moment, in Oxford. I thought I was about to die. I wanted to be held, and … he was there.’ Maria nodded. ‘We spent a few nights together in London. It helped me cope. I ended it before we left for Manchester.’

‘You hid that very well. Why call it off ?’

‘Rephs are forbidden to touch humans. That’s why they all wear gloves,’ I said. ‘I worried that Terebell would find out and stop financing the Mime Order.’

‘I assumed they had poor circulation. What happens if they break this law?’

‘They’re ostracised. Warden would have had no one, not even me. They’d have made sure of it.’

‘And I thought I played with fire.’ Maria drank a little more. ‘You claim it wasn’t serious, but it must have been, for Warden to stake everything on it. For you to risk our funding.’

There was no judgement in her voice.

‘It always … meant something to me,’ I said, with difficulty. ‘But we never put a name to it. I think I was afraid to do that.’

‘Because you don’t find this sort of thing easy,’ Maria said. I shook my head. ‘I have some experience of torture. Trusting anyone after that, especially with your body, is very hard.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘It was a long time ago.’

But she knew. She remembered.

‘We had another night in Paris. And then Scion captured him,’ I said. ‘I tracked him to the ?le de la Citadelle. He told me it had all been a lie, right from the beginning, so he could mine me for information.’

I tried not to remember his eyes on that night, as cold as they had been when I first saw him.

‘But you have doubts now,’ Maria said.

‘The more I think about it, the more it doesn’t add up. If he’d told Nashira where the Mime Order was, she would have destroyed it by now.’ My fingers tightened on the mug. ‘Even at the time, I thought she was coercing him. But then he went to hit me, and—’

‘He hit you?’

‘No, he stopped himself. He said he didn’t want to … dirty his hand.’

‘Oh, Paige.’ Maria breathed out. ‘All right. Let’s think about this. If he didn’t betray you, what happened?’

‘He’s either imprisoned or worse.’ I pressed my temples. ‘I should have tried harder to get him out. He would never have abandoned me.’

‘But he did, sweet. None of us could reach you in the Archon,’ Maria said. ‘Trying to save you would have been collective suicide, and even Warden knew it.’

‘You were with him while I was in there,’ I said. ‘Did he seem upset?’

‘You know what they’re like. So hard to read, but … Paige, I think he was devastated.’

I swallowed.

‘We stayed at the Mill while you were imprisoned,’ she said. ‘One night, I went up to the roof for a smoke and found Warden standing by the parapet, looking towards the Archon. The next day, he said he wanted to offer himself to Nashira in exchange for you. I discouraged him, since I knew you must have gone in for a reason. Warden saw the sense in that, but I don’t think he slept at all while you were captive.’

Arcturus must have felt echoes of my fear through the cord. He had known what they were doing to me.

‘We should consider the possibility that there is something else going on. Maybe something you’ve forgotten. Maybe something you haven’t learned yet,’ Maria said. ‘Either way, Command may know something. Warden was classified as a Domino agent, wasn’t he?’

‘He was my auxiliary.’ I was tired again. ‘You can’t tell anyone about this. Not even Ver?a.’

‘I swear it on the ?ther. Does anyone else know?’

‘Nick.’

‘All right. It goes no further,’ Maria said. ‘Do you definitely want to come to Italy?’

‘I’ve no choice. I need Domino.’

‘You do have a choice. You’re out of Scion. If you want to leave it all behind – the Mime Order, all of this – then fuck Domino and their contract, and fuck the meeting with Command. I’ll help you disappear.’

‘All our friends are still in there. You wouldn’t think I was a coward?’

‘Never. You destroyed Senshield,’ she said. ‘You’ve already given more than enough.’

I could see in her face that she really meant it.

‘Give it some thought.’ She rose. ‘You have a few days to decide.’

She took my empty mug and made to leave the balcony.

‘Maria,’ I said, ‘how did you get Ver?a out of Sofia?’

Maria stopped.

‘You were fifteen,’ I said. ‘You couldn’t have had much to barter.’ She glanced at her right hand, which had rings on the thumb and all but one finger. ‘You don’t have to tell me.’

‘No. You shared something with me.’ She rested her other hand on the door. ‘When my mother found out she was dying, she gave me an antique gold ring – an heirloom she had concealed from my father, passed down from our clairvoyant ancestor. She told me to sell it, so I could escape him.’

‘What was her name?’

‘Ekaterina.’ Her voice was soft. ‘I took the ring when I left home. It was all I had, apart from the gun they put in my hands. It was worth enough to give me a foothold, so I could begin to live as myself, as Yoana. But I found I wanted to keep it, because it was from her.

‘Ver?a told you how we met. They needed the last train out of Sofia. By the time we got Debora to the station, it was about to leave. I gave the ring to one of the guards in exchange for letting them on to the train: Ver?a, Debora, Tanveer and Ev?enie.’

‘You could have gone with them.’

‘I won’t pretend I didn’t sometimes wish I had.’ Her smile was bleak. ‘I cried over that ring in my cell. But in the end, Mama gave me the means to save four lives, including that of the woman I was going to love. That was her gift to me. So I don’t mourn the ring any more.’

It was probably the exhaustion (and the wine), but I welled up, feeling a surge of tenderness towards her.

‘You’re brilliant,’ I said. ‘And I’m proud to be your friend.’

‘Please. We’re supposed to be soulless criminals.’ Maria slid the door open. ‘Go on, get some sleep. I’ll still be here and brilliant in the morning.’

I changed into a clean slip and brushed my teeth. By the time I padded back to the living room, Maria was sound asleep on the couch, a phone tucked under her hand. Careful not to wake her, I left the wolfish casting by the kettle, where she would find it in the morning.

Maria had stood by me when the syndicate had railed against my rule. She had come with me to find Senshield. I was sure she would keep my secret. For too long, I had doubted the wrong people. Arcturus might have suffered for that.

My memories of Paris rushed back. I remembered his eyes in the Sainte-Chapelle – flat and empty, just like they had always become when I possessed him. But that made no sense. Arcturus was no medium; he couldn’t have been controlled by a spirit. Only by a dreamwalker.

I was too drunk and drowsy to unravel it. Heavy with forgotten time, I got into bed and curled around a pillow.

The moonlit tin-glazed Prague. I gazed at the stars, thinking of the vast world beneath them.

Maria was right. For now, I remained a ghost, presumed dead, still able to walk unseen. It would be easy to hide for the rest of this war, however long it lasted, so nothing could ever hurt me again.

I hadn’t chosen this path. Scion had detained me, that fateful day in March. In Oxford, it had either been fronting a rebellion for Arcturus or being murdered by Nashira. Not much of a choice at all.

But I had chosen to fight Nashira at the Bicentenary. I had chosen to be Underqueen. I had chosen to resist Scion. For better or worse, I had chosen Black Moth. I had pursued and accepted the Rose Crown, and with it, a lifelong duty to London. I owed it to my subjects to reclaim my throne. Without it, I had no real power to my name. My words would not ring with the might of a citadel.

Without it, I would just be Paige.

The wine sent me to sleep. Deep in the night, Maria got up to use the bathroom, and I stirred, thinking I was in Paris. I reached across the bed and found nothing.

If you can hear me, answer me. Even if it’s only to say you hate me . I willed him to answer . Please just tell me you’re alive.

No answer.

It was like he had never existed at all.

It was a few days before we heard from Radomír. I slept for most of it. Maria would wake me for meals and short walks, but otherwise, she let me rest. While I was in my dreamscape, I tried to break the pallor off the walls, to no avail. It was set as deep as lichen.

On the fourth day, I forced myself through a cold shower. I still felt like shite, but at least I might be able to stay awake for longer than an hour. I dried my hair and dressed warmly.

Maria made us both lunch. As she finished serving it up, I gazed out of the window.

‘Maria,’ I said, ‘can you show me how to get on to Protean?’

She brought a wooden platter of food to the table.

‘Yes,’ she said, ‘but you need to brace yourself, Paige. The Scionet is a walled garden, curated by the Ministry of Principles. Protean is the opposite, vast and ungovernable. It can be useful, but I read too much, too quickly, and I sometimes wish I hadn’t.’

‘What did you read?’

‘Over a decade of news. I missed a great deal while I was in Scion.’ She sat opposite me. ‘Tuck in.’

I helped myself to the cucumber salad and skewers of grilled lamb with yoghurt. As it turned out, Maria was both an excellent cook and a spice enthusiast. As I ate, I suddenly thought of the tasteless stew Arcturus had made in Paris, smiling before I could stop myself.

Maria noticed. ‘Good?’

‘It’s great.’ I cleared my throat. ‘So you don’t think I should look?’

‘Not yet. There will be time to fill the gaps in your knowledge, and you should use all the tools at your disposal,’ she said, ‘but at present, I think you have more than enough on your plate.’ She speared a slice of charred pepper. ‘On that note, have you made a decision?’

‘I have.’

She raised her eyebrows in question.

‘I’m not abandoning the revolution. The fight against Scion is who I am now,’ I said. ‘I’ll meet Command to ensure their support, and to see if they have any idea what happened to Warden. I’ll fulfil my contract, then go back to London. I’ll let the whole empire know I’m alive.’

‘And there she is.’ Maria smiled. ‘It’s good to have you back, Underqueen.’

Radomír summoned us the next day, right on schedule, to head to Italy. Maria went out early to buy me a set of clothes and a bag for the journey. I drank a coffee and ate breakfast before I dressed in the new sweater and trousers.

‘Sorry,’ I said to Maria. ‘I’ll owe you the money.’

‘You’ll do no such thing. Like I said, I’ve been saving my salary for the Mime Order.’ Maria picked up an overstuffed day pack. ‘I’m looking forward to a little break in Italy.’

‘I can’t imagine it will be much of a holiday.’

‘Let me dream, please.’ She opened the door for me. ‘I requested a gun for you, but I suspect Radomír will have to decline. You’d need a licence, and you have no legal identity in Czechia. Domino has to abide by the law in the free world. Can you use your spirit?’

‘If necessary.’

‘Good.’ She locked the door behind us. ‘Let’s get back to business, Underqueen.’

Malá Strana shone under the afternoon sun. I tried to soak up every fine detail, so the memory of it would keep me warm in Scion. We made our way across a grand bridge, where statues and lanterns rose on either side of the crowd.

Now Maria mentioned it, it was unsettling to not have a revolver at my side. There might not be Vigiles out here, but there were other dangers, like the bounty on my head.

The Libu?e Institute was an impressive building on the Smetana Embankment, boasting a turret with a pointed spire. Its bricks might once have been red, but had faded to a rich pink, interspersed with sandstone. The words libu?in institut v praze were carved above the iron door, which Maria approached. There was no indication of its purpose. Just another door that could lead anywhere.

‘Domino personnel call it the Boneyard,’ Maria said.

‘Why?’

‘It’s a name for a stack of domino tiles, but I suspect gallows humour, too. Many agents who pass through these halls never return.’ She tapped a code into the keypad. ‘If headquarters were ever to fall, this place would take over. There’s a third branch in Istanbul.’

‘And we thought we were alone in London.’

‘It will take many hands to uproot the anchor.’

She led me into a cool interior. The entrance hall had carved marble walls and a domed glass ceiling, all presided over by a statue of a woman on a throne.

‘Libu?e, who foresaw the creation of Prague,’ Maria said. ‘Domino is mostly amaurotic, but it’s rather nice that they named this place after a voyant, even if they oppose Scion for reasons that go beyond our protection.’

‘I can’t get my head around this.’

‘That our existence is legal here?’

‘Yes.’ I gazed up at Libu?e. ‘That there are places where we’re respected, commemorated.’

‘It has been a wholesome experience, after years of everyone wanting to kill us.’

On the other side of the vestibule, Ver?a was talking to a fellow voyant, a woman in her early thirties, with deep brown skin and dark braided hair. Both wore tailored suits. Seeing us, Ver?a touched her elbow and came over, her patent heels clicking across the floor.

‘I thought I would come down to see you off,’ she said. ‘Radomír will be here soon.’

‘He’s coming now,’ I said.

‘How do you know?’

‘I forgot to mention that Paige can tell exactly where you are at all times, provided you’re within a mile of her,’ Maria said. ‘And that’s the least of your privacy concerns.’

Ver?a smiled, folding her arms. ‘You do have some interesting friends, Maru.’

‘I’ve sensed auras like yours before, but neither of the voyants could explain their gift,’ I said to her. ‘Do you know what you are?’

‘I have no idea. I see visions, like Libu?e, but they come to me in flashes, so they rarely make any sense. They also give me the most terrible migraines.’

Maria grimaced. ‘Three days of bed rest after the last one, wasn’t it?’

‘Yes, that was awful.’ Ver?a looked curious. ‘Where did you meet others with my aura, Paige?’

‘One was in Paris, the other in London.’

‘That is intriguing.’

Renelde would be with Le Vieux Orphelin in Paris. As for Danica, she had relocated to Scion Greece. I doubted I would ever see her again.

Radomír emerged from a doorway, wearing a heavy coat. ‘Yousry finally called in,’ he told us. ‘He was in an accident on his way into Prague. A speeding car ran him off the road. That’s why he didn’t come to dinner.’

‘Shit,’ Maria said. ‘Is he badly hurt?’

‘He will be in hospital for some time. Another courier, Harald Lauring, is going to take you to Command. We’ll meet him in Salzburg.’

‘I’ve met Harald a few times,’ Ver?a said. ‘He came to deliver a message a couple of weeks ago.’

‘Yes, he trained here. My car is outside.’

‘Taking us to him yourself, Rado?’ Maria said sweetly. ‘It’s almost as if you can’t wait to see the back of me.’

Radomír waved off her comment on his way out.

‘I’m happy I could meet you, Paige,’ Ver?a said. ‘I wish you luck in Scion.’

‘Thanks. Stay safe, Ver?a.’

‘And you.’

Leaving Maria to say her own goodbyes, I followed Radomír out of the building. He unlocked a silver car and opened the door for me, letting me climb into the back.

‘Salzburg is four or five hours away, depending on traffic,’ he said. ‘You should be careful in Italy, with this red notice on Incrida. The Czech government will not help Scion, but Italy may be tempted by a bartering chip, with the nearby threat from Scion France.’

‘Is there any way to get this notice removed?’

‘Perhaps by disproving the charges.’

‘Which are?’

‘Murder, arson and formation of a terrorist organisation. It frames you as a threat to the public.’

That was nothing new. Frank Weaver had spent months trying to convince people that I was dangerous.

‘Maria requested a firearm for you,’ Radomír said. ‘I cannot grant this request until your status in the network is verified. You should enquire with Command.’

I nodded. Until then, I would have my spirit, at least.

Maria dumped her pack in the boot before joining me. As Radomír started the car and drove, I glanced at the spires of the Libu?e Institute, hoping I would live to visit Prague again one day. Just as I was getting used to this place, I was hurtling somewhere else. Still, it was a comfort to be moving in the right direction, with someone I trusted.

It disturbed me to realise I was measuring my comfort level by how close I was to Scion, not how far away.

Radomír was a sensible driver, staying below the speed limit. Now and then, his earpiece lit up, and he spoke in soft Czech. At some point, I started to nod off, leaning on Maria.

‘You asked about going back to Scion,’ Radomír said to her. ‘I discussed it with Yelyzaveta, and the choice is yours. You are welcome to return to the Libu?e Institute once you have seen Command – but unless they have any work for you, you are free to go, if you prefer. I only urge you to exercise caution. Your luck may only last so long.’

‘I don’t know,’ Maria said. ‘So far, it’s lasted me thirty-six years.’

‘With that attitude, you will not see the next one.’

‘Perhaps not. But that prospect is less frightening than you think, for those of us who know the secrets of the other side.’

I woke a while later, when Maria gave me a gentle shake. ‘This is our stop,’ she said. ‘We’re early, so Radomír says we can take a break. Do you want to stretch your legs?’

‘No. I’ll stay here,’ I murmured. ‘Still knackered.’

‘Rest. You need it.’

She strode across the street to a supermarket, leaving me alone in the car. I peered out of the window, seeing golden lights in a public garden. It must be the middle of the night.

The virtual map on the dashboard showed that we were now in Austria. We had been heading west, towards the last place I had seen Arcturus. The cord still didn’t stir.

Maria soon returned and sat beside me, handing me a paper bag. ‘Hungry?’

‘Thanks.’

‘A pity we didn’t stop in Vienna. Best coffeehouses in Europe, if I remember correctly,’ she said. ‘Then again, I may not. I was quite drunk in Vienna.’

‘Oh?’

‘I wanted to learn more about clairvoyance, and I’d heard that London was the place to do it. I found a smuggler who claimed he could get me into Scion,’ she said. ‘A Dutch voyant named Jorien was making the same journey. We had given most of our money to the smuggler, but we spent our last week in the free world together, having the cheapest fun we could. Anything we wouldn’t be allowed to do in Scion.’ She popped a can open. ‘The smuggler abandoned us halfway, and Jorien was shot dead. I barely made it into France.’

‘You really went through the wringer to get to London.’

‘And now you know why I would prefer to avoid smugglers.’

We ate and drank in silence. I realised how little I was speaking at all of late, too confused or drained to follow conversations.

Once we had curbed our appetites, Maria got back out and switched on her electronic cigarette. I paced up and down the street, trying to stay awake.

When Radomír returned, a car was trailing him. It stopped on the other side of the street, and the window slid down, revealing a pale amaurotic in his forties. He wore a hardshell jacket over a fleece.

‘Harald,’ he said, giving me a nod. ‘I will be taking you to Command. Hello again, Nina.’

Maria retrieved her bag. ‘How are you, Harald?’

‘Well enough. Sorry to hear about Yousry.’

‘Yousry will be all right,’ Radomír said. ‘He has survived worse. I will visit him tomorrow.’

‘Send him my best. Dovizhdane,’ Maria said to him. ‘Thank you, once again, for bringing me to Prague. I would never have reunited with Ver?a if you hadn’t seen a spark in me.’

‘Less of a spark than a furnace. Please try not to burn any bridges with Command.’

‘We will do our best.’

A third car suddenly pulled up. Ver?a climbed out of the right side, a jersey thrown over her blouse and trousers.

‘Wait.’ Maria frowned. ‘What’s happening?’

‘Sorry, Radek,’ Ver?a said. ‘We came as quickly as we could.’

She strode towards us with a holdall. Harald looked at Radomír. ‘You didn’t mention another passenger.’

‘Command called my secretary just after we left,’ Radomír said. ‘They learned of an Italian employee at the Libu?e Institute and asked if I could send Veronika along. I have no idea why.’

Harald nodded, but his mouth thinned. Ver?a opened the boot and tucked her bag into it.

‘I missed you, too,’ Maria said gravely.

‘Stop it.’

‘I will see you in a few days, Veronika,’ Radomír said. ‘Flora, Nina, I wish you the best for your onward journey.’

He returned to his car, while the one that had brought Ver?a flashed its headlamps and drove off. Harald watched us pile into the back seat.

‘Put us out of our misery, Harald.’ Maria put her seatbelt on. ‘Where in Italy is headquarters?’

‘I can’t tell you,’ Harald said.

‘Even though we’re going there?’

‘If we are detained before our arrival, none of you must be able to disclose the location.’

‘Is there a risk of that?’ Ver?a said. ‘I had no trouble when I last drove to Italy.’

‘Things have changed since the fall of Spain and Portugal. Italy has tightened its security, with checkpoints and patrols along the border, keeping watch for Scion scouts,’ Harald said. ‘Given that a red notice has been issued against a member of our party, we should try to avoid official attention. I will take you on foot through the Alps.’

‘On foot?’ Maria said in exasperation. ‘Harald, none of us are dressed for mountaineering.’

‘It’s hiking.’

‘Says a man who clearly exercises.’

‘You are all dressed warmly, and this method of entry is necessary, to protect Paige. A border patrol may choose to respect the red notice and take her into custody, so Italy can use her to bargain with Scion.’ He glanced at me. ‘You have become a person of great interest, Paige Mahoney.’

‘I know,’ I said. ‘At this point, even I can’t deny that I’m interesting.’

‘Yes. Besides, I assume that you and Nina do not have passports, which Italy would expect.’

I shook my head. Scion had issued me with a white passport a decade ago, but it would have been destroyed.

‘Fine. The mountains.’ Maria looked weary. ‘The things I do for you, Underqueen.’

I raised an eyebrow. ‘Aren’t you wanted by now, too?’

‘Definitely in Scion, but I don’t seem to have an international reputation just yet. Give me time.’

Harald drove in silence through the dark. At some point, I surfaced from yet another doze, feeling a tilt as we started to move uphill. Maria had wrapped her arm around me, so I could rest my head on her shoulder while I slept.

Ver?a was looking at her phone, her face lit by its glow. ‘I’m glad I could come. You might need an interpreter, and Radomír has a few messages that ought to be delivered to Command in person,’ she said. ‘Strange that Domino suddenly wants Italian personnel to attend the meeting. At least you won’t have to keep any secrets from me now.’

‘True.’ Maria glanced at her. ‘You said the casting reminded you of something. Has it come back to you?’

‘Yes, the Capitoline Wolf. It’s a sculpture in Rome, showing Romulus and Remus, the founders of the city. They were sons of Rhea Silvia – a priestess of the goddess Vesta – and Mars, the god of war. But I don’t know if the casting pointed to it, Maru I was not the querent.’

‘But you know the querent, and the querent knows you. The ?ther only sends messages we have the means to understand,’ Maria said. ‘In my case, you could be the means.’

‘What do you think it would signify?’

‘The god of war, a specific city, yellow eyes … I’m starting to wonder if Scion has set its sights on Italy.’

‘I have been wondering the same.’ Ver?a brushed a loose ripple of hair behind her ear. ‘I feel as if I should warn my family, but I’ll wait for the meeting. I don’t want to frighten Debora.’

‘The casting may not be as important as we think. For all we know, the wolf could simply have been a sign that we’re going to Italy.’

‘I hope so.’ Ver?a hitched up a smile. ‘I am glad I can show you my other home, in the meantime.’

‘I can’t wait to see it.’

They were quiet after that, allowing me to drift off again. As I sank into that leaden sleep, I could have sworn I heard other voices, speaking from a buried past.