Page 202 of The Bone Season

‘No. I am grieved to hear it,’ Warden said. ‘When did it happen?’

‘Three days ago. There was a disturbance in the House.’ Pause. ‘He was discovered in Tom Tower. Is that not a curious thing, consort?’

‘I trust it absolves me. That is the one place in this city I will not go.’

‘You are wise. The chains still hang.’

The silence was painful.

‘Kraz was beyond saving. No word must be allowed to escape into the Rookery,’ Nashira said. ‘I have trusted you to watch over 40, yet she continues to find ways to indulge her criminality. Did she have anything to do with this, Arcturus?’

‘Not to my knowledge.’

‘She is brazen enough. You have been too lenient a keeper.’ Pause. ‘If you think to repeat your treachery, know that I will not spare a single life. Not even yours. Is that understood, Arcturus?’

‘I am well aware of my position, Nashira.’

Out of nowhere, she struck him across the face. I felt the hot sting of it across the golden cord, as clearly as if she had done it to me.

‘That was for your lack of respect,’ she told him. ‘Do not forget yourself.’

‘Forgive me.’ He looked up at her. ‘I have had twenty years to reflect on my folly. 40 has proven to me that you are right about humans – but she has not left the Founders Tower. I would not wish you to misidentify the perpetrator, whose actions must be punished.’

There was another brief silence.

‘Very well,’ Nashira said.

Her voice was softer. She took hold of his chin, looking him in the eyes.

‘Her possession of 12 in the citadel was a pleasant and reassuring surprise,’ she said. ‘You have nurtured her gift well, Arcturus.’

‘Only for you.’

‘We will see at the Bicentenary. Should the event go smoothly, all suspicion of you will be lifted. You will be welcomed back into the fold, and all those who question your integrity will be castigated for it.’

‘It will be done. Will you claim her in the shadows, or before the emissaries?’

I frowned.

‘The latter,’ Nashira said. ‘Let them all see her bridled at last.’ She let go of him and placed a small vial on the mantelpiece. ‘This will be your last dose of amaranth until the Bicentenary. I believe you need time to reflect on your scars. To remember why you should look to the glory of the future, not the failures of the past.’

‘I will endure whatever you ask of me.’

‘You will not have to endure it for long. Soon I will have the power we need to fortify our rule, and the season of conquest will truly begin.’ She turned towards the door. ‘See to it that no harm comes to her, Arcturus.’

The door closed.

Warden stood. For a moment, I had no idea what he would do. Before I could ask him if he was all right, he swung open the parlour door and left. I went to sit beside the fire and listened to the silence.

Sunset turned slowly to night. By one in the morning, rain was thundering from black clouds – a summer tempest, thickening the air. I cracked open a window before I lay in the dark, my eyes wide open.

Warden had ensconced himself in the Old Chapel, where no human was permitted to go. It was his sanctuary. But he and I had both thrown any concept of privacy to the wind.

I got off the daybed and tied the sash of my nightshirt. Barefoot, I left the tower.

A chill wind howled through the cloisters. Even in the summer, the cold never left. I probably should have put on a coat, but I wanted to feel the night on my skin.

As I walked, I heard a muffled sound, soaring above the rain. I followed it to a vast pair of doors, which stood ajar. The entrance of the Old Chapel.

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