Page 24 of The Song Rising

I hesitated.

“No,” I said. “If Terebell is ever going to trust me, I need to start proving I can make decisions on my own and that they can pay off. She doesn’t ask me for permission when she decides to do something.”

“She could cut off the money if something goes wrong.”

“If it does, I’ll call her bluff. She needs us, too.” I reached for my gloves. “Let’s go.”

We met the others in the dockworkers’ slum. Maria and Glym waited in an empty shack with an ashen Jimmy O’Goblin, mime-lord of II-1. His hair was a mess and he smelled faintly of alcohol, as always, but at least he was upright.

“Afternoon, Underqueen,” he rasped.

“It’s twoA.M., Jimmy.” My breath came white and thick. “We think we’ve found Senshield’s core.”

“That was quick,” Maria said.

I imparted to them what Danica had told us. Glym listened with a frown.

“We need to go for it,” Maria said immediately. “It’s worth the risk if we can kill this thing.”

“I agree,” I said. “Jimmy, it’s in your section. Have you ever noticed any Scion activity around this warehouse?”

“Not usually,” Jimmy said, rubbing his eyes, “but since yesterday there’s been swarms of Gillies all around it.”

I spread the map on the floor between us, and Jimmy described what we were up against. The warehouse, as well as being guarded, was surrounded by a fence, with only one entrance gate. It was too high to scale, the links too tough to cut, and approaching in the open was likely to get us shot.

“But there is one option, Underqueen.” Jimmy flashed his wine-stained teeth at me. “One way you could get inside without being seen . . . but you’d have to be mad to try it.”

I leaned closer. “Let’s assume I’m mad.”

“All right. You know how bleedin’ cold it’s been lately?” I nodded. “There’s an old service ladder behind the warehouse that leads down to the Thames. Normally you wouldn’t be able to access it, but with the weather being what it is, the river’s frozen in that area.”

I raised my eyebrows. “You’re not suggesting we walkacrossthe ice?”

“That is a truly mad idea,” Maria said, looking impressed.

“Mad,” I admitted, “but not bad.”

My hands pressed together, so I felt my pulse in my fingertips. I had fought to be Underqueen so I could make decisions, but now I had to trust myself to make the right ones.

“The ladder comes up near a hidden gap under the fence. Local junkies dug said gap a few years ago,” Jimmy said. A grubby finger tapped the site on the map. “I can send you a local who knows exactly where it is. Mad it may be, but I reckon it’s the only way you’ll get in undetected.”

I was swiftly becoming convinced by the idea. “There should be back-to-back Novembertide celebrations; Weaver will have to allow a reprieve from curfew. That will give us plenty of cover,” I said. Everyone nodded. “I say we send in a small, armed team—today. We get into the underground facility, locate this ‘core,’ do as much damage to it as we can—or at the very least find out what the hell it is—and get out of there.”

“When you saywe. . .” Eliza started.

“I’ll lead the team.”

Glances were exchanged. “Paige,” Nick said, “remember what we agreed. About your staying behind the frontlines.”

“Dani said I could possess one of the engineers to see inside the facility. I’m better up close.”

“You haven’t used your gift that way since the scrimmage. If you insist on going, you should ask Warden to train with you today.”

“He can’t.”

“Why not?”

I gave him a look that said we would talk about it later. His mouth thinned, but he didn’t push it.

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