Page 101 of The Dark Mirror

I had the range to sense him and the means to be his match, in theory. To do that, I would have to fully inhabit Black Moth, who had killed a man by cutting his throat. The day Cade possessed Arcturus, he had tainted my gift; I was already stained by it. I could fight dirty to settle this score.

A heavy fog rolled into Venice from the Adriatic Sea. By six in the morning, I was sitting in an armchair by the window, watching the streetlamps glow through a silver veil. I had forgotten to puton an aster patch before I slept, and felt as if the mist had reached into my skull.

Arcturus might be waking up soon. I had never wanted so much to be with him, and never been so worried about seeing him again.

In Paris, we had come so close to overcoming all the barriers that had stopped us from committing to each other. The reserve, the mistrust, the uncertainty – all of it had faded there. He and I had made ourselves a bubble in that house, and it had burst, leaving us both vulnerable. His armour would be thicker now than it had ever been.

I went back to bed for a while longer. I had battled the exhaustion with the stimulant in Naples, and now the white aster was taking revenge. By the time I found the will to get up, it was almost ten.

The fog reminded me of Paris. I could dress more like myself in the cold, and that small comfort gave me fresh determination. I tucked a black turtleneck into belted woollen trousers.

Despite the red notice and the bounty, which must be there as a precaution, Nashira and Cade must really think I was dead. That meant I could get the jump on them. I would punish them for making a fool of me. I would make sure they never touched Arcturus again.

The grand fireplace in the bar had been lit, and a buffet had been set up for breakfast. If I was going to stand a chance against Cade, I had to keep my strength up. I piled my plate high before I took a seat at the table closest to the flames.

Maria came up with a plate of her own. ‘Do you want to be alone, Paige?’

‘You’re grand,’ I said.

‘I won’t ask how you’re feeling.’ She sat down. ‘Did you sleep?’

‘Not much.’

‘I did some tossing and turning myself. Deathwatch,’ she sighed. ‘At least Senshieldsoundedreassuring.’ She picked up a knife. ‘Warden did well. I wouldn’t have been that composed.’

‘He’s keeping a stiff upper lip for the Ranthen. You saw how they are.’

‘Errai is a nasty piece of work, isn’t he?’

‘Ignore him. He’s just uptight.’ I pushed my breakfast around my plate. ‘I should have realised Cade was a dreamwalker. There must have been signs.’

‘Maybe you forgot them.’ Maria dabbed chocolate spread on a pancake. ‘How are you feeling about not being the only one?’

‘I’m still digesting it.’

‘Tell me a little more about your nemesis. I’ve always wanted a nemesis,’ she added thoughtfully. ‘I suppose it should be Hildred Vance.’

‘Cade is from Brittany. He was in Oxford as a spy for Ménard,’ I said. ‘I didn’t know that when I met him, but I did get the sense that he was up to something.’ I shook my head. ‘He knew Nashira wanted to kill me for my gift. He was in the audience when she tried.’

‘Did he help you with the rebellion?’

‘No, but he didn’t hinder us, either. When he had a chance to betray us, he didn’t take it.’

‘And yet he does appear to be working for Nashira, despite knowing how badly she wants to be a dreamwalker.’ Her brow knitted. ‘A man with a dangerous ability and no apparent fear, willing to risk his own life to further her cause. This may be a problem, Paige.’

‘I’m going to stop him.’

‘You need your memories back first. Cordier could still be out there, and she’s dangerous. I know you don’t want to push Warden, but—’

‘He isn’t ready.’

‘You haven’t asked him.’

‘I don’t need to. I know.’ I stirred my coffee. ‘And what I’d be asking him isn’t … a small thing. He’d need to create a shared dream, to see exactly what I saw. It’s intimate.’

‘But you want to be intimate with him again, don’t you?’

I glanced over my shoulder, as if Terebell could be listening.

---