Page 29 of The Bone Season

‘I’ve heard there’s a wall. After that, it’s probably just countryside.’

‘Has anyone ever tried to escape?’

‘Yes.’

Her shoulders were tense. I tore off a scrap of bread.

I wasn’t surprised no one had succeeded. You couldn’t plan a jailbreak if you were fighting a constant battle for your next mouthful.

‘How long were you in the Tower?’

I glanced up. ‘I didn’t go to the Tower.’

‘Then you must have only been caught a few days ago.’ When I nodded, Liss blew out her breath. ‘You’re lucky. They collect voyants for each Bone Season over a decade.’

‘Nashira said. It seems like a bit of a palaver,’ I said. ‘Why not just send us here as they catch us?’

‘It’s so they can curate an interesting variety. And the Rephs are good at taming us,’ Liss said. ‘They know every way to break a human. Even one year in the Tower would break the strongest person. After that, anything seems like a release, even a place like this.’

‘What are the Rephs, exactly?’

‘None of us really know.’ She dabbed some bread in the broth. ‘Whatever they are, they never let us forget that humans are inferior. We broke the ethereal threshold, so we’re responsible for the Buzzers.’

‘Buzzers?’

‘Emim. That’s what we’ve always called them,’ she said. ‘The red-jackets came up with it. They’re the ones who have to fight them.’

‘How often?’

I was asking far too many questions, but I needed knowledge.

‘Depends. They attack a lot more in winter, so you’ve just missed the worst time of year,’ Liss said. ‘A single tone from the siren calls the red-jackets to arms. If the tone starts to change, you need to get inside. It means the Buzzers have breached the city.’

‘Have you seen them?’

‘No, but I’ve heard stories. The red-jackets like scaring us.’ The firelight played across her face. ‘They say the Buzzers can devour your spirit – erase you from the æther, as if you never existed. Others say they’re skeletons that need skin to cover themselves. I don’t know how much of it is true, but they do eat flesh. Don’t be surprised if you see a few missing limbs out there.’

It should have unsettled me, but this place still felt disjointed from the real world.

Liss adjusted the curtain. As she moved, a pile of folded purple silk caught my eye.

‘You’re the aerialist,’ I said.

She smiled at me over her shoulder. ‘Did you think I was good?’

‘Very good.’

‘That’s how I earn my flatches here. Lucky for me, I picked it up quickly.’

‘I think I saw you after the oration, too.’

‘I was curious to see who each Reph would choose.’ She sat back down. ‘This place is already rustling with speculation. That’s why I got you in here quickly, before everyone realised who you are. Your aura was … a talking point.’

I nodded without elaborating.

Julian had not believed I was an acultomancer. I doubted Liss would, either. The lie was even less likely to work on a soothsayer. Passing myself off as an oracle was my best shot at secrecy.

‘Well,’ Liss said gently. ‘Are you going to make me guess?’

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