Page 235 of The Bone Season

‘Just go, Nell!’

Aludra glanced at the bullet holes in her jerkin with irritation, as if Nick had used a toy gun. Nell snatched her supplies and sprinted north.

‘There you are,’ Aludra said to me. ‘I still owe you for your display in the chapel.’

I took aim at her. ‘Sure you want me to dent the family pride again, Aludra?’

Without a word, she drew a blade. In unison, Zeke and Nick opened fire on her. It slowed her approach, but she kept coming. She must have stewing in hatred for months, waiting for a shot at me. Rephs had plenty of time to nurture their grudges.

Nick ran out of bullets. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and extended a hand towards her. The æther hummed as he sent a vision.

‘An oracle,’ Aludra observed. ‘It has been some time since I fed on your kind.’

Her eyes changed.

Nick dropped his gun in shock, blood seeping into his tear ducts, the cords in his neck straining out.

‘Nick,’ Zeke said, grasping his shoulder. Nick gripped his knees, trying to hold himself upright. ‘Paige, what is she doing to him?’

‘I destroyed your heir, Aludra. I’ve just done the same to Merope,’ I warned. ‘Don’t think I won’t do the same to you. Back off, and I won’t shoot.’

‘We can recover from the pollen,’ Aludra said. ‘Did the concubine give it to you?’

‘Warden did.’

‘So he betrays his own kind yet again. The blood-sovereign should never have pardoned him,’ she said. ‘The Sargas may forgive, but do not think you can insult the Chertan and escape with your life, 40.’

She ran at me. With my hands raw with cold and my senses unbalanced, I missed, sending the precious dart into the night. Nick reloaded and fired just in time, and Aludra buckled, riddled with bullets. I reached into my backpack for another dart, but Zeke pulled me away.

‘We have to move, Paige,’ he said, his voice muffled. ‘What are these things?’

‘Rephs,’ I said. ‘All you need to know is that they’re strong as rocks, feed on aura, and don’t take kindly to humans. Best practice is just to run.’

‘What did you shoot at them?’

‘Pollen,’ I said, earning a bewildered look. ‘How long do we have left?’

‘I’d stop asking,’ Nick said. We broke into a run. ‘You won’t like the answer.’

Once we were past the Broad, we saw no more Rephs. They must be trying to round up the arsonists. I hoped Julian was heading for the meadow.

We passed Amaurotic House, which was unlocked, and took a left into the ghost town. At the end of the street, a figure came racing towards us. I caught him by his red tunic and slammed him into the wall.

‘Going somewhere, Carl?’

‘Get off me!’ Carl was drenched in sweat. ‘You’ve killed us all. We have to hide. The Rephs will let them into the city any moment now.’

‘Who?’

‘The Buzzers,’ Carl shouted, his breath fluttering white. ‘You’ve broken their trust in us. They’ll do what they did last time we rebelled!’

‘We accounted for that, you fool. The Rephs won’t kill the emissaries.’

‘You poisoned the others. I can’t fight by myself.’ He shoved at me, almost in tears. ‘I knew there was something wrong with the soup. This place is all I’ve got in the world. You are not taking it, Paige—’

‘Come on,’ Zeke urged.

‘Carl, there’s a world beyond Scion. I know,’ I said tightly. ‘I came from it.’

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