‘Let them go!’ I shout at the Guardians pinning them to the floor. ‘Haven’t you done enough?’
Behind us, Sophie is sobbing over Dodie’s body, shrugging off Serena’s attempt to soothe her. How can someone who was moving, scaling a fence just moments ago, suddenly be so still? I stare at Dodie’s body, half expecting her to stand up and smile. I resist the urge to kneel and unbutton her jacket, to see if the blood all over the floor is really coming from her. A Guardian pulls Atlas roughly to his feet, and when I catch a glimpse of his face it’s wet with tears. Gideon and Karim are frozen, stricken with panic, and when more Guardians burst into the hall and lift their guns they raise their hands.
‘You killed our friend,’ Atlas stutters, his face crumpling in disbelief.
I go to him, ignoring the Guardian holding his hands behind his back, and wrap my arms round him.
‘Friend?’ says a loud voice.
I turn round. Ravensloe is walking down one of the staircases. His eyes harden as he takes in the scene, flicking over Dodie’s still body. ‘This girl was not your friend. Just look at yourselves.’ He reaches the bottom step and gestures around. ‘Just look at where you are. This is not some sort of privileged boarding school. You are not here to makefriends. You’re criminals. And you’re here to pay for your crimes.’
I see Marquis’s lip curl as he struggles against the Guardian holding him.
‘Tonight Dodie decided to abandon her duties,’ Ravensloe says quietly. ‘She was offered a second chance and she refused it. She has paid for her ungratefulness with her life.’
‘You didn’t give her a choice!’ Marquis shouts. ‘You gave her an impossible task and told her that even if she succeeded Atlas would fail.’
Atlas lets out a choked cry and I hold on to him, glaring at the Guardian behind him until he looks away.
‘This won’t stand,’ Serena tells Ravensloe in a quivering voice. ‘The First Class won’t – I won’t—’
‘You, Serena Serpentine, should consider yourself lucky you’re here at all,’ Ravensloe says with a sneer. He nods at a Guardian, who steps forward and pulls Sophie away from Dodie’s body.
‘Let go of me, you bastard!’ she screams.
Katherine moves to defend her, but a Guardian blocks her path, lifting his visor. It’s Ralph. A wave of hatred courses through me.
‘You are to forget any ideas of friendship,’ Ravensloe says. ‘You are all here for one sole purpose, a purpose you have so far failed to fulfil. Let Dodie be an example to those entertaining any ideas of shirking their responsibility or submitting to cowardice.’
‘The only coward here is you,’ I spit.
The words come out of my mouth before I can stop them and Ralph’s lips spread into a delighted grin. Ravensloe’s eyes narrow as they settle on me.
‘Now seems like a wise time to remind you that if you test me, youwillbe demoted and replaced,’ he snarls.
As if you have time to teach a new person echolocation,I want to say. Would Ravensloe really risk losing us all now? Or is this demotion talk just an empty threat to scare us into submission?
‘Some of you,’ Ravensloe says as he stares at Atlas, ‘are closer to demotion than others.’
‘Demote me, then,’ Atlas snarls. ‘Or, better, kill me like you just killed Dodie. Except you can’t do that now, can you? If you murder both your Zoology recruits, who is going to grow you an army of dragons?’
Ravensloe’s face turns purple as he stares round at the ten Guardians who have just heard information supposed to be kept classified by the Official Secrets Act. My heart thumps in my chest and cold sweat runs down my back. I look up into Atlas’s face and he gives me a calm smile.
‘Put him in isolation,’ Ravensloe barks. ‘The rest of you, to your dormitories.’
‘Isolation, again?’ I say as the Guardians pull Atlas towards the front door and someone jerks me sharply away.
‘Atlas!’ I call. ‘Where are they taking you?’ But he’s already being dragged across the courtyard.
‘Lock your door, Featherswallow!’ I hear him shout.
The other recruits are already walking up the stairs, Sophie supported by Serena. Marquis waits for me, tears streaming down his face. We follow the others and I feel Ravensloe’s eyes on our backs.
Dodie isdead. The finality of the word sends my mind reeling. All I can think about is that I will be, too, if I don’t give Wyvernmire the code. And so will Marquis if he doesn’t figure out how to finish building Knott’s plane. I feel nauseous, and the feeling worsens when Katherine’s sobbing drifts out on to the landing. Marquis glances over my shoulder into the girls’ dormitory.
‘Listen, Viv,’ he says, ‘you can’t trust anyone any more.’
‘I know,’ I say hoarsely.
