30 No Hard Feelings
CASTELPORZIANO
26 October 2060
I woke to the sound of a heart monitor. My body felt so heavy, I doubted I would ever move again, but I managed to crack my eyes open.
‘Paige.’
I blinked, my lashes thick with sleep. Nick was at my side.
‘Arcturus,’ I rasped. ‘Where is he?’
‘He’s okay, sotnos.’
A sound of relief escaped me, turning into a groan when a deep cold seared across my back.
‘Cade attacked you,’ I said.
‘I won’t pretend it didn’t hurt, but he only glanced off my dreamscape.’ He kept his voice slow and clear. ‘Paige, you’re at the presidential estate of Castelporziano. You’ve been out for three days. A Buzzer clawed your back, one of your heel bones is bruised, and I’ve put your left arm in a sling, to help prevent any further damage to your wrist.’
That explained about half the pain. I tried to recall what had happened, through the migraine that clotted my temples, the sludge of sedatives.
‘Terebell,’ I said, after a pause.
‘She’s gone.’ There were dark circles under his eyes. ‘The Buzzers took her to the Netherworld.’
I let it sink in, a bitter taste in my mouth.
Terebell had been a fixture of my journey. From the night she had first protected me in Oxford, she had always been there, even if we had never been friends. And now she was gone, senselessly murdered, just as I had thought we might be reaching a place of mutual respect.
‘The Ranthen have no leader.’ I closed my eyes. ‘That’s it. The Mime Order is finished.’
‘No. The rest of the Ranthen survived,’ Nick said. ‘They’ll honour her wishes.’ The heart monitor was going haywire. ‘Paige. Listen to me. Operation Ventriloquist has failed in Italy.’
I took a few unsteady breaths, helped by a cannula under my nose. It might not have been a military incursion, but for the first time in history, Scion had failed to claim a prize. Vance and Gomeisa had gambled and lost.
‘The Buzzers weren’t leaving,’ I murmured. ‘Sala was going to destroy the Colosseum.’
‘She didn’t need to. Something … happened down there, in the hypogeum,’ Nick said. ‘We don’t know exactly what, but the Buzzers were all killed at once. Mistry convinced Draghetti to stop the bombing.’ He held out the pendant. ‘This is yours.’
If I had kept it with me, Terebell might not be gone, but it had shielded him. He lowered it back over my head, so the wings rested between my collarbones.
‘I’m giving you some more painkillers. Just rest.’ His voice faded as a chill streaked down my arm, stemming from the back of my hand. ‘I’ll tell Warden and Pleione you woke up.’
A tear ran down my cheek. I wished for the white aster, the drug that would let me forget.
My sleep was restless. When I stirred again, Arcturus was sitting on the edge of the bed, his eyes dim. Seeing me wake, he touched my cheek.
‘Paige.’
I reached for him with my good hand.
‘I’m sorry,’ I whispered. ‘I’m so sorry.’
He closed his fingers around mine.
‘She was devoted to the cause,’ he said quietly. ‘We will ensure her courage is honoured. And find her.’
It took me a moment to understand what he meant. The Buzzers had taken Terebell, which meant that she was certainly one of them by now.
‘She saved me,’ I said. ‘I was … so tired. Kornephoros and Gomeisa would have taken me.’
‘You are the beating heart of this rebellion. She knew it.’
‘None of this was worth us losing her.’
‘If Scion had succeeded in taking Italy, the violence and loss would have been far greater, and far harder to end. I believe Terebell would sooner have secured this victory than seen Scion take the whole of Europe.’
‘Kornephoros said he did it because I broke my oath.’
‘He would have said that only to torment you. Do not let him.’
I swallowed.
‘She knew you for longer than I can even imagine,’ I said softly. ‘I can only ever touch a small part of your existence, in comparison.’
‘Terebell and I had both lost hope in Oxford. She was first to see how you awakened mine once more. If she had not accepted my decision to be with you, she would have killed you in the Tullianum.’ He stroked my hair. ‘You heard us speaking Gloss after she learned the truth. One day, I will show you that memory, so you may know what she told me, and what she thought of you. Were you a Rephaite, I believe she would always have approved.’
A lump filled my throat.
‘Whatever part of my existence you have touched,’ Arcturus said, ‘is the best of me, Paige Mahoney.’ He leaned down to kiss my forehead. ‘Rest, Underqueen. You are still needed.’
It took me a while to get out of bed. My skull felt brittle, I couldn’t put much weight on my heel, and the wounds on my back were slow to heal, leaving me unable to dreamwalk. That was probably for the best. I had pushed my gift so hard that I needed to give it a rest for a while.
Cade might yet return. He would have access to the best treatment in Scion, if they had been able to get him there fast enough. Nashira might kill him, or she might work to keep him strong.
I could only watch and wait.
Nick kept me updated while I rested under his vigilant eye, and that of Sala’s personal doctor. For now, Pleione was staying in the free world, while Lucida had returned to France. Errai and Lesath had left for London, to inform the Ranthen there that their beloved leader was gone.
As for the people of Italy, they were trying to understand what had unfolded in their capital. The day after the attack, Sala had announced the death of the Prime Minister and claimed that a citywide incident was being investigated. Once she had all the facts, she would make a detailed statement. The social network Gazebo was flooded with speculation, tributes to the dead, and blurred pictures of the Buzzers.
Castelporziano was nestled in a forest. Arcturus helped me take a few walks. My muscles were tense from the slashes – a stiffness that mimicked that of a corpse. I needed to keep my body moving.
Arcturus had always been reserved, but now he was barely saying a word, even to me. I let him grieve, knowing he would open up in his own time. My only small comfort was that Terebell had known about us. Otherwise they would have parted with a lie between them.
One afternoon, we sat under an oak, listening to the birds. My left arm was snug in a sling.
‘Arcturus.’ I looked up at him. ‘How did we escape?’
He was silent for some time.
‘I do not understand what happened,’ he said. ‘The Colosseum was to be destroyed. The Emim surrounded us. And then the golden cord appeared to change, and so did you. A force came from your dreamscape – akin to the pressure you release when you dislocate your spirit, but far more powerful, charged with ethereal light. Many voyants in the vicinity sensed it. Maria compared it to a shockwave in the ?ther. When I woke, the Emim were piled up around us, hollowed out, stripped of their spirits. Only their physical shells remained.’
I stared at him.
‘Mistry heard them all fall silent. That was how he persuaded Draghetti to revoke the order to destroy the Colosseum. The Sargas loyalists fled,’ Arcturus said. ‘None of us had ever felt a force of that magnitude. It came from you, Paige.’
I tried to remember the way it had felt.
‘I think it was us,’ I said. ‘Not just me.’
‘You would not let go of me for hours, even though you were unconscious,’ he said. ‘We must ascertain what happened. I will consult the other Ranthen once the dust has settled.’
‘Once you have a new leader?’
‘Yes.’
I rested my head on his shoulder, and his arm tightened around my waist. We sat that way until the sun went down.
After another day of convalescence, my stubborn headache faded. A few hours after Nick conveyed this to Mistry, the Council of Kassandra summoned us both to a meeting. A black car took us back to Rome, where the Prime Minister of Italy was lying in a nearby morgue, along with over three hundred others, including Cardinal Alexandre Rocha. Most people had gone inside when the sirens went off, but many others had been caught on the streets.
The Council had assembled in the Basilica Arcana. Maria waited by the door for me. She had a few cuts and bruises, but had otherwise escaped the fight unscathed.
‘We have matching slings. On the same arm,’ she observed. ‘It’s like showing up in identical outfits. I don’t know if it’s adorable or mortifying.’
‘Mortifying, I think,’ I said. ‘How are you?’
‘In one piece, thanks to you and your party trick. I expect an explanation later.’
‘I’m not sure I can give you one.’
‘Another mystery to solve. We’re going to have a long few years.’ She nodded me in. ‘The Council has requested that you stand beside Jaxon. My deepest condolences.’
Inside the Basilica Arcana, Rohan Mistry greeted us with a nod. I was still thoroughly impressed by his nerve. Beside him, Carter sat with folded arms. The archangel was nearby, watching over proceedings.
Jaxon was on the marble sun, fingers clasped on top of his cane. I went to his side, neither of us speaking. I detested him, but he had chosen not to let me fall to my death.
‘Good afternoon,’ President Sala said. ‘I cannot express my relief that you all survived the attempted conquest of Rome. We mourn our friend, Erika Sato, who died while defending a group of civilians. May the ?ther embrace and carry her.’
The sentiment was echoed in murmurs. From the way Carter looked, Sato had been one of the sibyls.
‘Despite this appalling loss,’ Sala went on, ‘we have a great deal to celebrate. For the first time in history, an incursion by the Republic of Scion has been stopped. And by voyants.’
A loud round of applause followed.
‘Scion will return,’ Sala said, her eyes like dark stone, ‘but we have time to prepare. Since their attempt to crush us failed, they must wait until the Second Inquisitorial Division has anchorised Spain and Portugal. This victory would not have been possible without the Underqueen and her Ranthen allies. We mourn for Terebellum, Warden of the Sheratan.’
Terebell had been weaker than usual when she fought Kornephoros. If not for the Council of Kassandra binding her with poppy anemone and exposing her to pure alysoplasm, she would have stood a better chance of beating her cousin. She might still be here.
‘I have brought us all together here to discuss the outstanding matter of London,’ Sala said, before I could decide whether or not to hold my tongue. ‘Now more than ever, we must work together against the anchor. The Mime Order is the most important of the European syndicates, the largest organised group of voyants within the Republic of Scion, and is holding strong in the heart of the empire. We have unanimously agreed with our sponsors that this organisation deserves our financial support, but only with the right leadership.’
I lifted my chin.
‘Under the tyranny of Haymarket Hector, the London syndicate almost crumbled,’ she said. ‘Jaxon Hall prevented that by removing him. Rohan also informs me that Jaxon was a valuable member of the team who put a stop to the conquest.’
Jaxon inclined his head. ‘My boundlings should take the credit, Beatrice. But thank you.’
‘Yes, Jaxon, you showed courage. Nonetheless, we believe the evidence offered by Dr Nyg?rd – the memories of the Underqueen, as delivered by Arcturus Mesarthim – to be authentic. While oneiromancy is an unprecedented gift, you personally acknowledged its existence in the third edition of your pamphlet, On the Merits of Unnaturalness .’
‘As a possibility,’ Jaxon said, his tone icy. ‘A theory.’
‘We have every faith in your instincts, Jaxon,’ Mistry said, offering him a smile.
I decided, in that moment, that I liked Rohan Mistry very much.
‘Jaxon, you have aided Scion. We understand you did this to gain knowledge for your fellow voyants,’ Sala said, ‘but the memories Paige provided call some of your methods into question. You have also expressed contempt for the Council of Kassandra. Now, it is true that Paige has also made some questionable choices. Nonetheless, her alliance with the Ranthen has proven essential. Half of us now favour her as Underqueen, while the other half favour you. The Triumvirate is divided on this issue. Antoinette has cast her vote for Jaxon, while I have cast mine for Paige. The tiebreaker is Rohan.’
Carter gave Jaxon a nod, not sparing me a glance. I felt a twinge of exasperation.
‘Both of you have won a scrimmage, earning the right to rule London,’ Mistry said. ‘If possible, I would prefer that the Council of Kassandra did not interfere with the established laws of the syndicate, as upheld by the Spiritus Club. I therefore recommend – and firmly believe – that you should rule the syndicate together, as Underlord and Underqueen.’
Jaxon and I looked at each other, then at the Council of Kassandra.
‘Absolutely not,’ I said. ‘You’ve accepted that he worked for Scion. He sold his own kind.’
‘As a means of earning their trust, to—’ ‘Where is the proof of that?’ ‘Paige, if you refuse this, you rule without our blessing.’
And without their funds.
The money I needed to honour Terebell, and ensure our alliance could weather the storm.
‘Most of the Council of Kassandra prefers Jaxon as the older and more experienced candidate, who controlled a successful part of London for years, and has provided money to our enterprise,’ Mistry said. ‘But you saved Rome, and it may be that we need the Ranthen. You are also the voyant with whom Le Vieux Orphelin has a firm alliance.’
‘Each of you comes with your advantages,’ Sala said. ‘Why squander them?’
She really was a fine politician.
‘Ignace won’t accept Jaxon as Underlord,’ I said. ‘He was in the prison Jaxon oversaw.’
‘Le Vieux Orphelin will accept you. He already has,’ Sala said. ‘And you will still be Underqueen.’
There was a long and tense silence. Jaxon drew himself up, his grip on his cane tightening.
‘Shall we discuss this in private, Paige?’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘I think we must.’
The guards opened the doors for us, letting in a flood of sunlight. We walked out of the Basilica Arcana and up a dusty path to Palatine Hill, finding an open-air terrace that afforded us a dazzling view of the Forum.
‘Well done, Jax,’ I said coolly. ‘You came very close to pulling off your little coup.’
‘No hard feelings, darling,’ he said. ‘But is this not your coup as well?’ I looked away. ‘I had the whole Council in my pocket. In a matter of days, you plucked half back out. It bodes well for our reign.’
I would have folded my arms at that moment, had one of them not been stuck in a sling.
‘As little as I enjoy the thought of sharing my throne with the person who stole it, it might be fun,’ Jaxon mused. I ground my jaw. ‘I always meant to rule the syndicate with you beside me. Between us, we have secured an impressive amount of coin for the Mime Order. Your work for Domino, the Ranthen assets, my savings from various schemes – together we could escalate this humble rebellion into a splendid revolution. A revolution with panache.’
‘You do not want revolution,’ I said. ‘And I do not trust you with the Mime Order.’
‘I will never betray the syndicate, no matter what name or form it takes.’
‘You can’t expect me to believe that. Not when you sold out everyone in Oxford, all for—’
‘Oh, the Inquisitor take you, you little hypocrite. Do you really suppose that I expected Nashira to slaughter the entire city?’
His tone was suddenly cold. My entire body tensed, trained to react to his anger.
‘I imagined that she might punish the humans,’ he said, ‘but not that she would let the Emim kill them all. In fact, I expected her rage to fall squarely upon Arcturus and his Rephaite accomplices, and I had no reason to care about them. For all I knew, Arcturus was as heartless as the rest, and his so-called rebellion was a ruse, designed to root out the disloyal. I was, and remain, astonished that Nashira chose that option.’
Jaxon was a consummate liar. I shouldn’t buy into this.
Except that I had seen his dreamscape. It looked like Nunhead Cemetery, where he had unlocked his gift, allowing him to make his way to the highest circles of power in London. But now I remembered one fine detail, staining his safe place, as difficult to clean as blood.
Every one of those graves bore a number. A number for each human killed in the Novembertide Rebellion.
Even a dreamscape could be tainted.
‘Do not stand in judgement of me, Underqueen. I have stomached that for too long,’ Jaxon said curtly. ‘If someone had offered you a chance to sow discord between the Rephaim, ensuring your escape, you know you would have taken it. Look me in the eye and tell me you would have been any nobler, were it not for Arcturus. That you would have put a Rephaite above yourself. That you would have wasted an opportunity to reclaim your old life.’
He was right. More than once in Oxford, I had considered betraying Arcturus. I had outright threatened him with it. And part of me knew I had meant every word.
‘I didn’t think so.’ Jaxon looked out at the city. ‘As for what happened with Cordier, I told her to separate you from Arcturus, and to keep you safe. Nothing more or less.’
‘You believe we can negotiate with Nashira. That endangers the Mime Order,’ I said. ‘How are we going to rule together when my entire campaign is based on overthrowing her?’
‘I’m not an idiot, darling. An idealist, but not an idiot,’ Jaxon said. ‘At present, Nashira would crush the syndicate at the first hint of its whereabouts. I believe we should remain open to negotiating with her, at some point in the future, but that would be a joint decision. If you insist that the Mime Order continues to work with the Ranthen—’
‘I do insist.’
‘—then I will let go of my hopes for peace with their enemy, and hope they prove capable of protecting us. Trust that I am willing to join your revolution, if only so that voyants will no longer be forced to live at the mercy of amaurotics.’ His face softened. ‘Do you know the story of Persephone and Hades?’
‘No,’ I said, ‘but I’m sure you’re about to regale me with it.’
‘Hades was the ruler of the underworld in Ancient Greece. He took a fancy to Persephone, the goddess of spring,’ he said. ‘When Persephone was picking a narcissus flower, Hades opened a chasm in the earth, which swallowed her up, into the realm of shadows beneath.’
Those gods really were terrible.
‘Persephone was the daughter of Demeter, who oversaw the harvest,’ he continued. ‘Realising her child was gone, she let the earth wither. The harvests failed; the flowers died. The gods intervened, and it was agreed that Persephone would be allowed to leave the underworld. But Hades had tricked her into eating a handful of pomegranate seeds, binding her to the domain of the dead. And so, for all eternity, Persephone was queen of the underworld. For half the year, she lived with Hades. For the other half, she lived above.’
The temptation of it was an ache, as sudden as it was intense. The sunlight and the dark.
I might have both, if I took this plunge.
‘You’ll never admit it, but I know you. I have seen the side of you that thrives in conditions of chaos. You don’t just want to sit on a throne. Not with a gift – and a spirit – like yours. You belong in the vanguard of this war,’ Jaxon said. ‘You are restless and wild, yearning for a chance to spread your wings. The Ranthen trusted you to rule, but they don’t know what it’s like to be twenty and mortal, because they never were.’
I dared not meet his eye, because I knew he would convince me.
‘You were away for a summer. Take a few months longer,’ Jaxon said gently. ‘You can be Persephone, the queen who comes and goes with the seasons – just as you leave your body, both dead and alive. I will be Hades, bound to the underworld, ruling for us both. Do we have a deal?’
My jaw tightened.
Jaxon Hall had manipulated me since I was sixteen years old. He was a cold-blooded narcissist whose charm was as dangerous as his gift, and who loved nothing but London.
He wasn’t a good man. I doubted he would ever become one. But good men did not make good Underlords, and I knew Jaxon would. He was born to delegate. If he was surrounded by people I trusted, like Nick and Maria, they could temper his crueller instincts.
‘Even if I agree to this,’ I said, ‘I do not forgive you for what you did to me and Arcturus this year. I never will, as long as I live.’
‘I don’t seek forgiveness, darling. Unlike the late Cardinal Rocha, I do not believe in sin.’ He tapped his cane. ‘Speak with the Ranthen, if you must. I will await your answer.’
I started to leave, then stopped.
‘Jaxon,’ I said. ‘What was in the box Colin left me?’
‘Something that I do not understand. If you consent to our partnership, I will send it to your French allies. Then you can inspect it upon your return to Scion.’
‘No. Give it to Arcturus,’ I said. ‘If I agree to any of this.’
‘Of course.’
I walked down the hill, leaving him to gaze at the city.
Isaure Ducos waited beside the entrance to the Forum. Her car was parked nearby.
‘The Colosseum appears to have suffered extensive damage. They think it will take a decade to repair,’ she said. ‘But I also hear you’re the reason it wasn’t destroyed altogether, so perhaps we can call that personal growth.’ She gave me a nod. ‘Good to see you alive. May we speak?’
The Chiostro del Bramante was full of Domino associates, called to Rome to help evaluate the situation. Cardinal Rocha had already been identified as a member of Grapevine, along with an archaeologist named Giovanna Amato. Both had aided the Sargas in concealing the Rephs’ bodies around the city, and both had been killed by the Buzzers.
The Pope had survived. No comment, apparently.
Ducos showed me inside. A tall man in a tailored navy suit awaited us. He was about the same age as Spinner, with dark brown skin and eyes, and hair shaved almost to his scalp.
‘Flora.’ He extended a manicured hand, which I shook. ‘Match. I’m a member of Command. We understand Italy owes you a debt. Have you recovered?’
‘Mostly,’ I said. ‘How can I help you, Match?’
‘First, I thought you might like to know that Jaxon Hall has given us the Stiletto Files, as we’ve dubbed the information harvested by Alice Taylan. For a price,’ he added, pursing his lips.
Of course. If Jaxon couldn’t have me in a cell, he was going to fill his pockets to the brim.
‘Veronika Norlenghi has volunteered to transport the files to the Yerebatan Institute for urgent analysis,’ Match went on. ‘Whatever Alice was able to discover in the Westminster Archon, we’ll know it soon.’
‘That’s good to know,’ I said. ‘I’m glad you got something out of it all.’
I said it with wholehearted honesty. Burnish had not died in vain.
‘We have a proposal for you. It relates to your outstanding contract with Domino.’ He motioned to the courtyard. ‘Will you hear it?’
‘Sure.’
‘Thank you.’
There were quite a few people in the courtyard. One of them sat with Ducos, drinking coffee. When he saw me, he stood.
‘Hello.’ I raised an eyebrow. ‘Steve Mun, wasn’t it?’
‘Yes.’ He looked embarrassed. ‘Good afternoon, Paige.’ I sat down beside Ducos, and he did the same. ‘I’d like to start by offering my sincere apologies for what happened in Wroc?aw. We clearly made a bad impression, but we really did only mean to speak with you.’
‘Right. Except your man Spinner tried to forcibly extract me and my associate from Venice.’
‘The Bureau has been driven to desperate measures. We don’t have enough information about what we’re facing here,’ Mun said. ‘If it helps, I don’t work exclusively for Tinman. I’m a liaison from one of its sister networks in Asia, which specialises in counterintelligence against Scion. We’d still like to speak to your associate, if you’d—’
‘No.’
There was absolutely no way I was letting them near Arcturus.
‘Domino has already spoken to him,’ I went on. ‘If you’d like any information, you can ask Command for it. But I’d be interested to know what you want from me first, Steve.’
‘Of course.’ Mun reached for his briefcase. ‘We’ve been tracking a hostile network called Grapevine, affiliated with the Republic of Scion. Over the last few years, we’ve identified several individuals who we believe are involved, and who pose a significant danger, given their positions of influence, but we haven’t been able to prove their complicity.’
‘How do you think I can help with that?’
‘Margaux Taylan told us what you were doing in Paris. You spied on the Grand Inquisitor of France by possessing his spouse, Luce Ménard Frère,’ he said. ‘Is that true, Paige?’
I said nothing.
‘If it is,’ he said, ‘you’re exactly the sort of person we need. We’re looking for concrete evidence of collaboration with Scion. If you were in their skin, I bet you could find it.’
‘You believe in extrasensory perception, then.’
‘I do.’
‘What would I get in exchange for my services?’
‘You’ll be paid. We’ll provide you with any training you need, and cover the cost of surgery on your wrist. We can drop supplies and weapons to your rebels in Scion.’
‘Where would I be sent?’
‘Your base would be with an associate in Canada.’ He took out a laptop. ‘She recorded a message for you. I understand you know each other.’
He turned his laptop towards me. When I saw the associate, I sat forward, my lips parting.
I listened to everything she said.
‘I’m going to need specifics about my pay,’ I said to Mun. ‘And a lot more information about the kind of support you can offer the Mime Order.’
‘We can negotiate on your behalf, Flora,’ Ducos said. ‘You don’t have to decide now. Steve is here for the next week.’
‘Yes,’ Mun said. ‘I am sorry again about Wroc?aw. I do hope we can work together, Paige.’
When Ducos gave him a nod, he left, taking his briefcase with him. She looked at me.
‘What do you think?’
‘I can’t believe you’re even putting this to me,’ I said. ‘Why would I touch Tinman with a bargepole?’
‘Because we have the upper hand. Tinman need to make nice, and they’re willing to share their intelligence, which would allow us to learn more about what Scion is doing in the free world. A joint enterprise like this may pave the way towards a working relationship,’ Ducos said. ‘You would officially be on loan from the Domino Programme. As a condition of this loan, their current Director of Operations will be fired. You will have our protection, funding and additional support for the Mime Order. Sala is also behind you.’
‘Sala just said she wanted me to be Underqueen,’ I said. ‘Now she thinks I should go abroad?’
‘We understood that you would have a co-ruler in London, who has agreed to hold the fort in your absence.’
It seemed like everyone already thought I would agree to this arrangement.
‘If Fitzours survived your fight, he is likely to go farther afield,’ Ducos said. ‘If he does, Tinman has agreed that you can pursue him as a matter of urgency. If you help neutralise the threat of Grapevine, you might stop this madness from spreading any farther than Europe.’
‘Can you guarantee they won’t harm me?’
‘They’d have no reason to do that if you’re working for them. I’ll make welfare checks at regular intervals, so Tinman knows we’re keeping a sharp eye on you.’
I drummed my fingers on the table.
‘Warden is in a bad way,’ I finally said. ‘I don’t know if I can leave him.’
‘Sala informed me that Terebell was killed. I was sorry to hear it,’ Ducos said. ‘With her influence, I hoped we might find a way to peace with the Rephaim.’
‘Me, too.’ I released my breath. ‘Can I get back to you?’
‘By all means, but Scion knows where you are, so we’d like to get you both to Venice.’
I nodded, wanting to be gone. This place held too much grief.
None of us said much on the journey. I dozed against Arcturus in the back, with Ver?a on his other side. The others had joined us for the ride, craving the peace and quiet of Venice.
Ver?a had been the one to activate the retracting floor of the Colosseum. Once she had shown the Rephs into the hypogeum, she had realised they might need a second way out, broken into the control room, and waited for a chance to isolate Cade. She had mistimed the trap by a second, resulting in my fall – days later, she was still apologising – but I was glad she had done it. Maria was right. She had proven invaluable to the team.
At some point, Ducos turned on the radio. Ver?a leaned in to listen.
‘Sala is saying that she intends to make a presidential address on the fifth of November.’
I shook my head. ‘What the hell is she planning to say?’
‘I really don’t know.’
‘Neither do we,’ Ducos said. ‘Let us hope she’s found a middle ground between telling the truth and sounding relatively sane.’ She lit a cigarette. ‘There is irrefutable proof, at least.’
Maria frowned. ‘What sort of proof?’
‘The remains of the Buzzers.’
We all exchanged glances.
‘Yes,’ Maria said. ‘That sounds like proof enough.’
Venice was swathed in fog again, and cold rain flecked our faces as Noemi took us along the Grand Canal. It was almost dusk by the time we disembarked at the Palazzo del Domino.
Nick went up for his debriefing, the first of several Pivot would hold. Maria and Ver?a headed into the warmth of the bar, wanting to enjoy their last few days together. Ducos led Eliza to the concierge, while I took Arcturus to my room, which had been left untouched.
‘I am glad to be here again,’ Arcturus said. ‘I hoped to see more of this city.’
‘I can show you around, if you have time.’ I shut the door. ‘What will the Ranthen do now?’
‘We must elect a new sovereign. It may take several weeks, if not longer.’
‘You should put yourself forward. Terebell would have wanted you to be her successor.’
‘I cannot lead the Ranthen.’
‘Why not?’
‘If I did, I would always have to be with them. I would never be able to see you, Paige.’
That sent me into a long silence. I wished I was unselfish enough to tell him it didn’t matter, that he should sacrifice me for the cause. But we had played that game before.
‘It has to be someone who cares about humans,’ I eventually said. ‘Does anyone spring to mind?’
‘Personally, I would favour Adhara Sarin or Marsic Sheratan.’ He sat on the bed. ‘I will return to Scion to confer with the others. Do you plan to remain in the free world?’
‘I need to talk to you about that.’ I joined him. ‘I got two offers yesterday. One was from the Atlantic Intelligence Bureau. They want me to help investigate a circle of suspected Grapevine agents. The pay will be handsome, and they’ll cover surgery on my wrist.’
‘Do you mean to accept?’
‘I was going to tell them where to shove it, but then I found out Nadine would be my associate. She did some big interview after she got back to Canada, and Tinman employed her. I owe her for standing up for you in London. For keeping the Mime Order in place.’
‘Would Nick take over as interim Underlord?’
‘That’s … the other thing.’ I took a deep breath. ‘Will you promise to hear this out?’
‘Yes.’
‘The Council of Kassandra wants me to rule with Jaxon, as Underlord and Underqueen. It’s never been done, but I think it’s legal, provided both participants consent to a joint rule.’
Arcturus searched my face.
‘Yeah.’ I looked away. ‘I know.’
‘Jaxon orchestrated our separation,’ he said. ‘You have suffered a great deal because of him, Paige.’
‘So have you. I feel sick to my stomach even contemplating it, especially given what Terebell thought of him. But … there are reasons I’m considering the idea.’
He waited.
‘Nick is my mollisher,’ I said, ‘but he won’t want to be Underlord. He likes to be the fixer, not the head that wears the crown. He also needs to work out here until January. As we’ve seen, my other mollisher is even less interested in ruling. Neither of them asked for this.’
‘Jaxon mistreated you for years,’ Arcturus said, his voice low. ‘He collaborated with Nashira.’
‘He is clinging on to some absurd notion that Nashira will change her mind about voyants, but the syndicate is his purpose. I don’t believe he would intentionally endanger it. He’s wanted the Rose Crown since he was a child, and part of me thinks I should just let him wear it. That way, he won’t be a thorn in my side for the rest of my life. I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder for ever, expecting him to usurp me, because one day, he will succeed. We already know I can’t kill him, so I have to live with his existence.’
‘You do not have to give him the Rose Crown.’
‘I’m not. I would still be Underqueen,’ I said, ‘but Jaxon would rule with me. He would bring coin to the table, and the full endorsement of the Council of Kassandra, which includes President Sala. I don’t think we have the luxury of turning down that kind of support.’
‘They wish for him to be Underlord, even after the memories you showed them?’
‘Yes, because Jaxon Hall knows how to keep people eating out of the palm of his hand, even if it’s poison. But Terebell is gone because we were outgunned and outnumbered,’ I said quietly. ‘In the end, beggars can’t be choosers, and we are the underdogs of this war.’
Arcturus seemed to consider.
‘Could you rule beside him?’ he finally asked.
‘With support. I was his right hand before,’ I reminded him. ‘Could you stand to work with Jaxon?’
‘If you wished for this alliance, then I would do all I could to facilitate it, for your sake. We could introduce checks on his power to satisfy the Ranthen. But if this is the wrong choice, it may cost us a great deal, Paige.’
‘I don’t see another way that secures us enough money to make our side a real threat.’
We were silent for a while. I rested my head against his arm, suddenly exhausted.
‘I don’t want to go to Canada,’ I said. ‘I don’t belong out here.’
‘You do. You were born in the world beyond Scion.’ He laid a hand on my knee. ‘You took the Rose Crown to spur the syndicate into action, but it is not in your nature to wait in the wings. We must stop Vindemiatrix before her network grows too powerful. Killing the root will take a long time, so we must cut off the stems, wherever they grow.’
‘Then you think I should go?’
‘Only you can decide.’
‘Not helpful.’ I sighed. ‘I’ll talk to the others tomorrow.’
‘As you wish. For now, you ought to sleep,’ he said. ‘No decision can be made without rest, Underqueen.’
He stayed with me while I ruminated, thinking my head sore. Even when he fell asleep, I lay awake at his side for a long time. I pictured the sixth card in my reading, Eight of Swords. A woman surrounded by blades, unable to move in any direction without slicing herself.
There was no right and easy choice to be made here.
By morning, I had still not come to a decision. Leaving Arcturus to rest, I went for a walk around the city, my breath clouding in the crisp autumn chill.
If I went back to Scion right away, I would never come back out to see Nadine. I was making one return journey into the free world. If I was going to hit Grapevine, it had to be now.
But I would be so far away from Arcturus.
He had lost Terebell. He had been tortured for months. I wanted to be there for him, as he had been for me. But he was right about the importance of stopping Vindemiatrix Sargas in her tracks, and no matter what happened, no matter the cost, our revolution still came first.
Nick and Eliza were coming to see me at noon. By then, the fog had lifted, and sunlight bathed the city. I waited on my preferred bench on the waterfront.
‘Can I sit with you?’
Eliza had arrived early. I gave her a nod, and she joined me on the bench.
‘Do you hate me, Paige?’
‘No,’ I said. ‘You’re the one who has every right to hate me.’
‘You didn’t leave by choice.’ She sighed. ‘I can’t believe Jax had you abducted.’
‘Can’t you?’
‘Okay. Maybe I can.’
A seagull landed near my boots and picked at some dropped food.
‘I would never have considered giving him the Rose Crown,’ Eliza said, ‘but then I saw him on the screens. The Vigiles had orders to shoot him on sight. I couldn’t imagine why Nashira would issue a kill order if he was still working for her.’ She glanced at me. ‘I heard the Council wants you to rule together. What do you think we should do?’
‘I don’t know.’ I watched the seagull. ‘Did you tell him where the Mime Order was hiding?’
‘No,’ she said, ‘but he knows, Paige.’ My heart dropped about a foot. ‘After the airstrikes, he told me that he’d worked it out. That we could only be in the Beneath.’
Jaxon had known for weeks, but hadn’t given the game away. He hadn’t told Nashira.
‘I don’t like it out here,’ Eliza said. ‘It’s … not the same, is it?’
I shook my head. When I leaned into her, she wrapped my hand in hers and squeezed.
After a while, Nick joined us on the bench. He passed us both coffees.
‘Thanks,’ I said. ‘How was Pivot?’
‘She told us about the offer from Tinman and agreed to cut my contract short so I can go with Jax,’ Nick said. ‘We’ll lose my share of the money, but I think it could be worth it, in my case.’ He sighed. ‘I can’t offer to rule with you, sotnos. My migraines have been getting worse. I can be your fixer. I can keep Jax under control. But I can’t be Underlord.’
Eliza linked his arm. His face was pinched.
Nick had always respected his limits. I needed to do the same, or he would buckle.
‘I can’t fucking believe we’re considering Jax,’ I muttered. ‘Just as we all managed to escape him.’
‘He will be watched around the clock. He will rule by your values,’ Nick said quietly. ‘Once you’re back, we can judge what he’s done. And we can decide what to do with him.’
‘And if he goes to Scion?’
‘I’d kill him with my bare hands before I allowed that to happen, Paige. So would the Ranthen.’
‘If they even let him live long enough to take the throne. They might break the alliance, for all I know,’ I said. ‘It depends who they vote in as the next leader.’
‘It should be Warden,’ Eliza said.
‘He doesn’t want to do it.’ I looked at Nick, who gave me a nod of encouragement. ‘Because we’re together, and he has to keep that a secret. For both our sakes.’
‘You and—’ Eliza stared at me. ‘You and Warden?’
‘Yes.’
She managed not to crumble under the weight of this revelation, but she did look as if she might fall off the bench. Nick and I watched her go back over it all.
‘You don’t have to say anything.’ I patted her hand. ‘I know it might take a while to digest.’
‘I’ll say.’ Eliza snorted. ‘You really are a woman of extremes, Paige. Not one date in our whole time in London, and now you’ve gone and scored a Reph.’
I cracked my first smile in a few days. It felt good to have the secret off my shoulders.
‘I keep wondering if I ever saw Warden in Oxford.’ She used her coffee to warm her hands. ‘I used to have flashbacks, when I was younger. It’s why I started taking the aster.’
‘How did you forgive Jax for leaving you with those dealers?’
‘I didn’t, Paige. I just see how much worse he could have been,’ she said. ‘It’s a low bar, but when you’re raised among criminals, it’s how you end up judging people.’
‘They mourned you in Oxford. The performers left you little trinkets.’
‘Then I need to amount to something, for them.’
‘You already have.’ I breathed out a flurry of fog. ‘If I accept this job offer, I can bring money back. A lot of it.’
‘We need it. We’ve made plans, but we have to be able to afford food and weapons. With your coin from Tinman and support from President Sala, we have a proper shot at scaring Scion.’
‘Jax won’t win everyone over.’ I tightened my fist. ‘Wynn and Vern will probably leave the syndicate, along with the other vile augurs. They’ll need safe passage out of London. Ivy will never forgive me. I doubt Le Vieux Orphelin will be too happy with me, either.’
‘I’ll go to Paris to explain.’ She hesitated. ‘Is Warden coming with us, or going with you?’
‘I need him to represent me in France for a while. He also has to be involved in electing a new leader. He’ll try to get some of the Ranthen to stay with you in London, if they can stand to be around Jaxon.’
The three of us sat together for a long time.
‘This might be the hardest choice I’ve ever made,’ I said. ‘And I’ve made some tough ones.’ I lowered my gaze. ‘I’ll be so far away from you all. And Warden—’
I couldn’t finish the sentence.
‘We’ll look after him,’ Nick said. ‘I promise.’
‘All of this could take a while,’ Eliza said gently. ‘We need to get our fighters up to scratch, get ourselves properly armed and keep making alliances. We can’t rush this fight against Scion. You can afford to stay in the free world for a bit longer, Paige. And to help Nadine.’
‘You put all these pieces in place, sotnos. Look at how far you’ve already come.’ Nick grasped my hand. ‘Let us carry the weight for a while. Go out there, and then come back to us.’
A tiny nod was my only reply.
‘We’ll let you think.’ He stood. ‘Whatever you decide, we’ll support you.’
They both left me alone. The queen of the underworld, who had gone away for a whole summer.
I was already Persephone.