Page 141 of The Dragon and the Dove

Anouk gestured towards the statue at his back. ‘Oriel will make sure of it.’

A mirthless huff.

Anouk left the sandwich beside him and left.

Seraphine came to just before midnight. For a heartbeat her eyes shone gold, as if her magic was peering out, looking for its latest making. She blinked and they were blue again, the fleck of bronze glimmering in recognition.

‘Hey, stranger.’

‘How do you feel?’ said Ransom.

She winced. ‘Fine.’

‘Such a poor liar.’

She sat up, slowly.

He passed her his water flask. ‘Drink this.’

She guzzled it down.

Then his sandwich. ‘Here.’

She devoured that, too.

Her face remained deathly pale.

‘I need to find Nadia.’ She stood, supporting herself on a statue.

He shot to his feet. ‘Sit down, Sera.’

‘I’m fine,’ she said between heaves.

They were interrupted by the pointed clearing of a throat. ‘I don’t mean to intrude.’

Fontaine was standing at the edge of the altar.

‘Yes you do,’ said Ransom, flatly.

She waggled her cane at Seraphine. ‘You might want to do a headcount of your Order.’

‘We already know Versini’s fucked off,’ said Ransom, biting back a good riddance.

‘What?’ Sera said, reeling.

‘Not just Theo,’ said Fontaine. ‘It seems young Fabian has gone missing too.’

Chapter 38 Seraphine

Sera braced herself against the statue of Saint Oriel, fighting the pressure building in her chest. Bile pooled in her throat, and, with it, the taste of copper. It was an effort to concentrate on what Fontaine was saying, to focus her mind on anything beyond the ache in her lungs.

Madame Mercure and Albert approached. ‘I suppose you’ve heard that wonder boy here and his sister ripped the parade to shreds,’ said Mercure. ‘There are bodies on Merchant’s Way.’

‘Andreas’s bannermen,’ said Albert, who cut a grave figure beside her. ‘The Silver-tongue must have compelled them to keep marching no matter what.’

Ransom looked sick.

Others were gathering, the orders clustering around the altar to listen in. In among a group of older Cloaks Sera spied Val and Caruso, and Tobias looking bleary-eyed. Paola was there too, standing with the Flames, wearing the strain of today in the lines of her brow.