Page 121 of The Dragon and the Dove

‘I was wondering why you weren’t at dinner,’ she said. ‘And on cheesecake night.’ She went to him. His magic sang to hers, revealing itself like a flower peeling into bloom.

‘Saint of Beasts,’ she said aloud.

Relief trickled through her. After Theo, Val could never be sure what she might find in the reaches of one’s soul. ‘For a second there, I was afraid it was just owls.’

He chuckled. ‘She was the first animal I picked up on out here. I didn’t know she’d have so many friends. I’m just practising.’

Val looked up at the owls. They stared back, unblinking.

What are you up to, Oriel?

Her mind whirred, trying to figure out how a power such as this could be useful in war.

It’s not like they were fighting animals. Andreas was a mercurial enemy, a man who made a weapon of his words.

A thought struck.

Unless—

‘The Strix,’ said Tobias, like he had read her mind. ‘They’re beasts.’

‘Yes,’ said Val, suddenly breathless.

The owls looked down on her. Small beasts. Gentle birds. At least in comparison to the aerial army of Urnica. And yet… it was a start. Wasn’t it?

‘Do you think you could do it?’ asked Val. ‘Control a Strix?’

‘With a hell of a lot of practice,’ said Tobias, quietly. Unsure.

‘Keep at it then,’ said Val with mounting urgency. ‘All night if you have to.’ Saints’ Day was almost upon them. There wasn’t a moment to waste. She looked again at the boy, at the glint of determination in his eyes. ‘Get this right and you might just end up turning the tide of the war, Tobias.’

He rolled back on his feet, preening. ‘Then I’ll never have to do another chore again!’

‘Such lofty ambitions.’ She ruffled his hair. ‘You sure you’re a Versini?’

The joke went right over his head, where another owl landed.

‘Where’s Sera?’ asked Val.

‘Out cold in her room. Don’t worry, I put a blanket over her before I left.’

‘Isn’t Ransom with her?’

He shook his head, returning to his tree of owls. They shuffled closer, as though they were awaiting a command. ‘She said not to tell him. About the making.’

Val’s magic grumbled. ‘Why?’

‘Dunno.’ The bushes rustled and a fox appeared. ‘Ah! Hello!’ Tobias bolted towards it, forgetting all about her.

Disquieted, Val returned to House Armand. Her anxiety led her straight to Sera’s bedroom, only to find it empty. There was a rumpled blanket on the floor next to a pillow speckled with blood.

Her magic squirmed.

There is a wrongness here.

Val backed into the hallway, where the light from the bathroom drew her in. The door was ajar, the sound of retching coming from within. Through the gap, she could make out Sera’s long blonde hair. She was leaning over the sink, her knuckles white around the basin.

She eased the door open. ‘Are you all right?’