Page 75 of The Bone Season

‘No. I was only visiting London when I was arrested.’

‘Where are you from?’

‘Kent.’ David smiled. ‘You ask a lot of questions, Paige.’

‘Isn’t that the point of this?’

‘Maybe. I also just wanted to meet you. I hoped someone from my order would be a good ally,’ he said. ‘Birds of a feather, and so on.’

‘Depends what you’re trying to achieve.’

‘You first.’

‘I want to get out of here in one piece.’

David cocked an eyebrow. ‘You don’t want to know more about this place first?’

‘Not particularly. It’s a prison.’

‘You seriously don’t care that humans aren’t alone – that there’s another world we never knew about before?’ The corner of his mouth twitched. ‘You’re a difficult woman to impress, Paige.’

I hung the mug on a finial.

‘I care,’ I said. ‘I’m just not sure it’s wise to linger.’

‘Then let’s help each other. Have you sniffed out anything of interest?’

‘Not much.’

‘That’s fine. I’ll start.’

Our destination turned out to be the towering derelict between Magdalen Walk and Radcliffe Square, named on the map as the Vault. Several of its windows had no glass, and the door of the south porch – framed by twisting columns – was charred, with a gap at the bottom.

‘There’s a hidden balcony on the steeple. The view is great for stargazing,’ David said. ‘And from what the Overseer told me, you’re used to heights.’ He ducked under the door. ‘Watch out.’

Graffias was coming down the street, leading three undernourished amaurotics. I cursed under my breath and went after David.

Inside, I beheld a scene of destruction. There had been a significant fire in here. Some of the ceiling had collapsed, the scorched beams flattening the pews, and stained glass shimmered on the floor, mingled with dust and ash. I picked my way through the rubble.

Scion forbade all religion, deriding it as unnatural. In London, most places of worship had been converted into Vigile stations or district halls, but you could still find them in this state, left as warnings to anyone who dared to defy the anchor.

‘There are stairs,’ David called to me. ‘Over a hundred, by my count.’

‘Fine, but this had better be worth it.’

In my exhausted state, it took me a while to get up all those steps. When I emerged at the top, a high wind caught my hair, whipping it around my face.

David rested his arms on a stone balustrade. The view of the spires was spectacular, even if the dim light made it hard to see too far. Beyond the gas lamps, all was dark, except for those dazzling stars.

‘I like this place.’ He pulled a roll of white paper from his pocket and used a match to light it. ‘Not sure the Rephs even know about it.’

I joined him on the balcony, where the slight glow of the city lit our faces.

‘You found yourself a bolthole quickly,’ I said.

‘Pleione lets me wander. I’ve spent most of this week exploring the city.’

‘Aside from your test.’

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