Page 209 of The Dark Mirror

‘No. The rest of the Ranthen survived,’ Nick said. ‘They’ll honour her wishes.’ The heart monitor was going haywire. ‘Paige. Listen to me. Operation Ventriloquist has failed in Italy.’

I took a few unsteady breaths, helped by a cannula under my nose. It might not have been a military incursion, but for the first time in history, Scion had failed to claim a prize. Vance and Gomeisa had gambled and lost.

‘The Buzzers weren’t leaving,’ I murmured. ‘Sala was going to destroy the Colosseum.’

‘She didn’t need to. Something … happened down there, in the hypogeum,’ Nick said. ‘We don’t know exactly what, but the Buzzers were all killed at once. Mistry convinced Draghetti to stop the bombing.’ He held out the pendant. ‘This is yours.’

If I had kept it with me, Terebell might not be gone, but it had shielded him. He lowered it back over my head, so the wings rested between my collarbones.

‘I’m giving you some more painkillers. Just rest.’ His voice faded as a chill streaked down my arm, stemming from the back of my hand. ‘I’ll tell Warden and Pleione you woke up.’

A tear ran down my cheek. I wished for the white aster, the drug that would let me forget.

My sleep was restless. When I stirred again, Arcturus was sitting on the edge of the bed, his eyes dim. Seeing me wake, he touched my cheek.

‘Paige.’

I reached for him with my good hand.

‘I’m sorry,’ I whispered. ‘I’m so sorry.’

He closed his fingers around mine.

‘She was devoted to the cause,’ he said quietly. ‘We will ensure her courage is honoured. And find her.’

It took me a moment to understand what he meant. The Buzzers had taken Terebell, which meant that she was certainly one of them by now.

‘She saved me,’ I said. ‘I was … so tired. Kornephoros and Gomeisa would have taken me.’

‘You are the beating heart of this rebellion. She knew it.’

‘None of this was worth us losing her.’

‘If Scion had succeeded in taking Italy, the violence and loss would have been far greater, and far harder to end. I believe Terebell would sooner have secured this victory than seen Scion take the whole of Europe.’

‘Kornephoros said he did it because I broke my oath.’

‘He would have said that only to torment you. Do not let him.’

I swallowed.

‘She knew you for longer than I can even imagine,’ I said softly. ‘I can only ever touch a small part of your existence, in comparison.’

‘Terebell and I had both lost hope in Oxford. She was first to see how you awakened mine once more. If she had not accepted my decision to be with you, she would have killed you in the Tullianum.’ He stroked my hair. ‘You heard us speaking Gloss after she learned the truth. One day, I will show you that memory, so you may know what she told me, and what she thought of you. Were you a Rephaite, I believe she would always have approved.’

A lump filled my throat.

‘Whatever part of my existence you have touched,’ Arcturus said, ‘is the best of me, Paige Mahoney.’ He leaned down to kiss my forehead. ‘Rest, Underqueen. You are still needed.’

It took me a while to get out of bed. My skull felt brittle, I couldn’t put much weight on my heel, and the wounds on my back wereslow to heal, leaving me unable to dreamwalk. That was probably for the best. I had pushed my gift so hard that I needed to give it a rest for a while.

Cade might yet return. He would have access to the best treatment in Scion, if they had been able to get him there fast enough. Nashira might kill him, or she might work to keep him strong.

I could only watch and wait.

Nick kept me updated while I rested under his vigilant eye, and that of Sala’s personal doctor. For now, Pleione was staying in the free world, while Lucida had returned to France. Errai and Lesath had left for London, to inform the Ranthen there that their beloved leader was gone.

As for the people of Italy, they were trying to understand what had unfolded in their capital. The day after the attack, Sala had announced the death of the Prime Minister and claimed that a citywide incident was being investigated. Once she had all the facts, she would make a detailed statement. The social network Gazebo was flooded with speculation, tributes to the dead, and blurred pictures of the Buzzers.

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