Page 31 of The Bone Season

‘Wethinkthat means he’s the head of his family. Not that I’ve heard of many other Mesarthims.’ She nodded to the pot. ‘More skilly?’

‘I’m fine. Thanks.’ I watched her slide our bowls into a tub of water. ‘It can’t have been easy to live with a Reph. But it doesn’t look easy to live out here, either.’

‘It isn’t,’ she said, ‘but I refused to give up my humanity.’ She glanced at me. ‘Rephs aren’t human. No matter how much they look like us, they’ve got nothing here.’ She tapped her chest. ‘If you ever mean to earn their trust, you’ll have to cut away your kindness.’

Before I could ask, the curtain was torn aside. A lean male Reph stood in the doorway.

‘You,’ he barked at Liss. Her hands flew to her head at once. ‘Get up and dress, lazy filth. And with aguest, I see! Are you a queen?’

Liss stood. All her strength was gone, leaving her small and fragile. ‘I’m sorry, Suhail,’ she said. ‘40 is new here. I wanted to explain the rules.’

‘40 should already know the rules.’

‘She only just arrived. I—’ Liss backed into the corner of the shack. ‘I didn’t think I was performing tonight. Have you spoken to the Overseer?’

‘I do not answer to humans.’

‘Of course not. Forgive me.’

This Reph didn’t have the blank stare that some of the others did. Every crease of his chiselled face bled contempt. He looked as if he was made of dull gold, with a long sheet of hair, platinum blond.

‘The other aerialist is injured,’ he said. ‘The red-jackets expect their favourite jester to replace him. Unless you wish to suffer this evening, youwillperform.’

Liss nodded. Her shoulders pulled towards her chest, and she looked away.

‘I understand,’ she said. ‘I’ll get ready.’

Suhail finally seemed to notice me. He gave me a sneering look before ripping the curtain down on his way out. I helped Liss gather it.

‘He seems nice,’ I said drily.

‘Suhail Chertan.’ Liss was shaking. ‘The Overseer is always a bit tense under his greasepaint. He answers to Suhail if we do something wrong.’

She brushed at her eyes. Thinking she was crying, I gently took the curtain from her hands. The cuff of her shirt was smeared with blood.

‘Hey,’ I said. ‘Did you cut yourself ?’

‘It’s nothing. He just took a bit of my glow.’

‘What?’

‘He fed on me.’

I was sure I had misheard her.

‘He fed on you,’ I repeated.

‘Did they forget to mention that Rephs feed on aura?’ Liss let me see her face at last. ‘That part must have slipped their mind.’

She had bled from both eyes. Just like the tasseographer when Pleione fixed her gaze on him.

‘That’s not possible,’ I murmured. ‘That would mean they weren’t just voyant.’

‘They act like gods.’ Liss reached for her silks. ‘We harlies are their libations, but you jackets – you don’t get fed on. That’s your privilege.’

Rephs feeding on aura made no sense. It was a link to the æther, unique to each voyant. I couldn’t imagine how they could use it for survival.

But the news was a stark light on this place. This was why they took voyants into their fold; why the performers weren’t bumped off if they failed their tests. The Rephs didn’t just want them to dance.

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