Page 204 of The Bone Season

‘Yes.’

‘You take amaranth for them.’

‘She used a poltergeist.’

A fresh chill bloomed in my palm. My scar no longer hurt, but that had been a glancing blow. I couldn’t begin to imagine the pain he must have endured in that tower.

I thought about reaching for his hand, inches from mine on the keys.

In the end, I decided not to take the risk.

‘I had to be cautious,’ Warden said. ‘I have tested you, Paige. Your compassion and patience. I was not reticent with you because I disliked you, but because I feared you. Yet for the first time in twenty years, we all took an interest. Even before you arrived.’

‘You saw the footage?’

‘Yes. You eluded capture far longer than the others. The more I learned, the more I hoped. A survivor of the Imbolc Massacre, trained to fight, with a rare gift, a strong will, and a hatred of Scion. There are no coincidences. Every thread in the æther has its purpose.’

‘Tell me what you want from me,’ I said. ‘No more riddles, Warden.’

‘The prisoners would never trust a Rephaite to organise or lead them. They would think it was a trick. It must be a human,’ Warden said. ‘I need you to help me tip the scales of justice – to bring this place down, as I could not without you. Will you, Paige?’

Even now, I had a seed of doubt. Too many people had abused my trust.

But the only way his actions had ever made sense was if he was telling me the truth.

‘I think I could,’ I said. ‘I think … I want to.’

‘Even though you must stay here for another two months,’ Warden said. ‘Even though you and I must cohabit and train in that time.’

‘Even then.’ I tilted an eyebrow. ‘It’s not like there’s any other way out, is there?’

‘You could still risk crossing Gallows Wood.’

‘No, thank you. I want to survive,’ I said. ‘We take over the train.’

‘Yes. On the evening of the Bicentenary, it will bring a number of Scion emissaries to this city, to witness the glory of the Bone Seasons – among them Benoît Ménard, the Grand Inquisitor of France. The train will also take them back to London.’

‘Do you know what time?’

‘Not yet, but Michael is a keen eavesdropper. He will discover the schedule. What matters is that all of you can leave,’ Warden said. ‘Your escape will show that the reign of the Sargas will not be eternal.’

He spoke as if this was really possible. I thought of Liss, at the end of her tether, hope dying in her eyes. I thought of Julian, his conviction.

Let’s show them that even after two hundred years, they still have something to fear.

‘Maybe we can do better than just a jailbreak,’ I said, very softly. ‘I’m a criminal. Let’s apply a little more chaos.’

‘I rather hoped you would say that.’

‘Really?’

‘Nashira knows you are the Pale Dreamer. You have the potential to wield the might and misrule of the syndicate against her. You saw her determination to avert the union between Dublin and London.’

‘You’re romanticising it a little. It’s full of petty criminals and backstabbers.’

‘That is dependent on its leaders. It has the potential to become something much greater,’ Warden said. ‘The syndicate would not exist without Scion. It was an unexpected complication, a hitch in her plan to conquer this world. More than your reputation, she also fears your gift, even as she prepares to claim it. You have already used it against Suhail and Aludra.’

‘Which means I could also use it against her,’ I said, catching his drift.

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