Page 60 of The Bone Season

‘I’m exhausted,’ I said. ‘Shall we get some rest while we can?’

‘Good idea,’ Julian said.

Liss gave me a small nod. She blew out some of her lamps before we all got as comfortable as we could. I rested my head on my arm.

I couldn’t sleep. The pain in my shoulder was sharper than ever, and Bone Season XVIII played on my mind. If Nashira reacted that strongly to dissent, it was no wonder Liss didn’t want to fight back.

A terrible sound pulled me upright. It cranked and creaked, working itself up into a tremendous scream. My body reacted to it at once: a prickling in my legs, a thumping heart. Julian jolted awake.

Footsteps thundered through the passages. Liss was up at once, pushing her deck of cards into a pocket.

‘You have to go,’ she urged. ‘Run straight back to your residences.’

‘Come with us.’ I stood. ‘Just sneak into one. You’re not safe in—’

‘Do you want to get a slating from Aludra, or the Warden?’ she shouted over the siren. ‘I’ve been doing this for years. I’ll be fine. Goon, both of you!’

Julian only hesitated for a moment. I didn’t know what Warden would do to me if I was slow in returning, but from her track record, Aludra might just kill Julian for the same transgression. We ducked out of the shack and ran.

PORT MEADOW

I was slower than usual. By the time I passed the Residence of the Suzerain, my run had turned into a limp. Several red-jackets were standing guard outside its gates, armed with rifles and flamethrowers.

Magdalen was the farthest residence from the Rookery. It stood between the shadow and the lamps. When I was halfway there, the siren changed. A Buzzer must have breached the city.

I almost fell against the door. Moments after I knocked, the night porter appeared, her face drawn. She pulled me inside and slammed the door shut.

‘You weren’t supposed to be out there.’

‘Sorry.’ I caught my breath. ‘He didn’t hurt you, did he?’

‘Of course not.’ She shot me a hard look. ‘Go straight to the Founders Tower.’

I left her to secure the door, noticing its iron bolts and drawbar. Still breathless, I crossed the first courtyard and stumbled into the dark cloister, where I stopped, my skin beading with sweat.

Behind the thick stone walls of the residence, the sound of the siren was duller. Beneath it, I heard someone running along the other side of the cloister. I wanted to check the æther, see if I could sense the Buzzers, but my head still ached from attacking Aludra.

Liss would be fine. She must have heard that siren many times. I took a moment to collect myself, then faced the steps to the Founders Tower.

The parlour door was unlocked when I arrived. I sidled inside and stepped quietly on to the flagstones.

Not quietly enough. Warden was in front of me at once, eyes flaming.

‘Where have you been?’

‘Outside,’ I said stiffly. ‘Why, where have you been?’

‘I ordered you not to leave.’

‘You said I was in no fitstateto leave. You should be more specific.’

I could hear the insolence in my own voice. His expression never changed – all his displeasure was confined to his eyes.

‘You will speak to me with the proper respect,’ he said, ‘or you will not be allowed to leave at all.’

‘I’ll let you know if you earn my respect.’

Warden stared me down. I was playing with fire, but pain and fatigue had snapped my restraint.

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