Page 88 of The Song Rising

She stiffened. “Do you have your mask?” I handed it over, and she followed him up the stairs.

Eliza brushed past with a warming pan. As I reached for the handle of another oak door, my sixth sense tingled. Three dreamscapes: one human, two Rephaite. How had I not noticed? Breathless, I pushed it open and found Nick and Lucida sitting on faded armchairs beside a fire—and in the corner, watching the flames dance in the hearth, was Warden.

Nick got to his feet and offered a weak smile. I wrapped my arms around him. “You’re freezing,sötnos,” he said, holding me close.

“I’m so happy to see you, but—” I let go of him, realizing what the presence of the Rephaim meant. “You and Lucida should be in the Beneath.”

“It’s okay,” Nick said. “Terebell sent some reinforcements. Pleione and Taygeta are there.”

I relaxed a little. Taygeta Chertan was Pleione’s mate—one of the Ranthen who had arrived to support me at the scrimmage. She was just as intimidating as Terebell, with a penetrating stare and a sharp tongue, which made her perfect for keeping the syndicate in line.

“How do things stand in the Beneath?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer.

What little gladness had come into Nick’s face when he saw me disappeared. “It’s . . . bad,” he said. “We need to get them out of there. For all our sakes.”

If he didn’t want to give me specifics, it must be hell in the crisis facility.

“Where’s Ivy?” I said. “Did she go into the Fleet?”

Nick returned to his armchair. “Glym announced that you’d sentenced her to join the toshers to protect the syndicate, which renewed a certain degree of support for your rule. Not that they’ve forgiven you entirely,” he added, “but they feel slightly warmer toward you now than they did a few days ago.”

They had been ready to eviscerate me a few days ago, so that wasn’t saying much.

“Róisín came forward to take Ivy’s place out of concern for her health, which most of them grudgingly accepted. She was due to leave when we realized Ivy was gone.” I raised my eyebrows. “One of the toshers said she’d asked him where she could find their king, then gone back into the sewers with food enough for a few days. She left this on her bunk.”

He passed me a rolled-up scrap of cigarette paper. The note was written in a spiky, quaking hand.

You can’t save us all, Paige.

“It’s not a pleasant thought,” Nick said, “but I don’t think there was another way.”

Unwillingly, I remembered those dark, oppressive tunnels, the silence broken only by the drip of water.

“There wasn’t. Not if Ivy was going to live.” I pocketed the note. “I’m going to get her out of there.”

“Róisín went after her. For now, they have each other. Once you’re back and Senshield’s gone, you’ll have enough power to bargain for their lives.”

“And hopefully a few more supporters.” I glanced at the two Rephaim. “I take it you found Adhara Sarin, and that’s why you’ve been allowed to return?”

“Yes,” Warden said. “Terebell is attempting to forge an alliance with her, assisted by Mira and Errai. She elected to send the rest of us back across the veil to support you.”

I looked at him for a beat too long, searching his face for injuries. He looked just the same as before he had left.

“Which leaves us free to help you,” Nick said. “So fill us in. What did you find in Manchester?”

I almost didn’t want to burden him with this, but I couldn’t lie to him. “Well,” I said, “Dani was right. They are manufacturing portable scanners.” I retrieved one of our prizes from the hallway and laid it on the table. “Only . . . I don’t think she realized howmulti-purposethey’re intended to be.”

Nick slowly rose to his feet.

“This is—” He swallowed. “But this is a gun. You’re sayingthisis equipped with Senshield?”

“It will be, once it’s activated.”

“Nashira is preparing for war,” Warden said.

I looked up at the sound of his voice. Nick turned to face him. “War with who, exactly?”

“Clairvoyants.” Warden cast a detached look over the rifle. “This version of the scanner gives Scion a means of slaying unnaturals without risk of collateral damage. If it came to physical combat with the Mime Order, they would be able to fight back without injury to amaurotics. It means they can safely carry out martial law with no danger to ‘natural’ denizens.”

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