Page 78 of The Dark Mirror

‘You’re going to find him, Paige. By tomorrow, he’ll be with you.’

The thought lightened my breathing. I had to believe it, or I would never get up again.

Once the Ranthen had come back, we piled into two cars. Naturally I found myself wedged beside Errai, who gritted his teeth every time my arm brushed him, even with both of us wearing full sleeves. Terebell slid a small glass bottle from her coat and held it out to me.

‘As requested.’

I took it. Inside was something like a marble, resembling smoked glass. ‘This is his ectoplasm?’

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘It has vitrified. Do not squander it.’

‘Thank you.’

Rephaite blood lost its light and hardened once it had been outside their bodies for a while. I hoped my idea would still work.

Federico drove us through Naples and past Vesuvius, to the other side of the bay. After about two hours, we got out on a low cliff overlooking Capri, beside a crumbling outpost where four hydromancers waited. According to them, there had been no movement all night.

Terebell sent the other Ranthen off to scout, then turned to me. Capri was now close enough that I could see a spine of tall rocks near its southern coast, silhouetted against the blaze of sunlight. Keeping my gaze on it, I took out the gem of solid ectoplasm.Though its glow had faded, touching it chilled my fingertips. I swallowed it with a sip of water.

I had been afraid that nothing would happen. The ectoplasm had gone dark, and this was a long shot.

Instead, the cord sang back to life. A flash of gold across the water. The needle of our shared compass, catching the sunlight at last, so I could see where it was pointing.

‘Underqueen,’ Terebell said. ‘What do you sense?’

‘Arcturus is there.’ A weak laugh escaped me. ‘Heisthere.’

‘Good.’ She followed my line of sight. ‘Now we know we are not risking everyone for nought.’

The sensation was already waning, but I felt him. No emotion, no movement – just his presence, but heavier, like a weight on the end of a line, pulling me towards the island. I stared at those peaks in the sea.

There are no coincidences, Maria had said, and I believed it now. After six months apart, Arcturus and I had somehow both ended up in Italy. Nashira really had left him on that island.

Now to be the clever mouse that sprang the trap and lived.

Command had issued us each with a wristwatch, preloaded with a detailed map of Capri. I strapped it on and studied the map until my eyes were raw, while Federico called a friend, who brought his fishing boat, theErcole.

The patrol ship had stopped next to the Grotta Azzurra. Federico refused to take us to the exact spot, since we knew Scion had been there. Instead, he would drop us off at a ruined fort on the western coast. From there, we could proceed to the small town of Anacapri, where any guards or soldiers were likely to be stationed. If we found them, we would leave someone there as a lookout while the rest of us searched the outskirts.

North of the town, an overgrown trail – part footpath, part stairway – threaded down to our destination, the Grotta Azzurra. Verca suspected that newcomers to the island would have missed it, or overlooked its potential, since there was an easier way up toAnacapri. I would take this path with her and Nick and comb the area for any trace of Arcturus.

If we had failed to find him by dawn, we would take shelter for the day, then venture out for a second attempt, as Verca had recommended. Once we had ruled out one side of the island, we would make our way to the other, taking the narrow Phoenician Steps.

The longer we lingered, the greater the risk of detection, and I couldn’t stomach the thought of Arcturus being a prisoner for any longer. I wanted to get this done overnight.

We sat beside the old tower and watched. Terebell and Errai paced along the rocks, talking in Gloss.

‘Can you feel anyone?’ Maria asked me. ‘Any dreamscapes?’

‘Too far to tell.’

Verca shielded her eyes from the sun. ‘I don’t see any patrols.’

‘Yes, because this is definitely some kind of horrific trap,’ Maria said. ‘Like the protest in Edinburgh.’ Her expression hardened. ‘If Hildred Vance isn’t behind this, I’ll eat my boots.’

‘Wells said she was in a frail condition,’ I said.

‘Vance could win a battle on her deathbed. I promise you, if that woman is breathing, she’s a threat.’

---