‘And we won’t let Ralph get anywhere near you again,’ Sophie says. ‘We’ll stay together. We’ll—’
I shake my head, my eyes filling with tears at their attempt to comfort me. Neither of them know what I know.
That I let Ralph break my arm because I deserve it.
That I changed our friendship with one selfish choice.
That I ruined Sophie’s life.
‘Time’s up,’ the nurse says. She looks at me. ‘You’ll be discharged tomorrow. The Deputy Prime Minister wants you back at work.’
My grip tightens on Marquis’s hand as he stands up. I think of the last time I spoke to Atlas, walking back through the forest with Sophie.
‘Can you bring me some books from the library?’ I say quietly. I scribble down a few titles on a piece of paper and hand it to him. ‘And can you ask Dr Seymour to come and see me?’
‘No more visitors—’ the nurse begins.
‘Please,’ I say. ‘It’s for work purposes.’
The nurse tuts again and Marquis nods.
‘See you tomorrow.’
I wave at Sophie, who gives me a sad smile, then lie back in bed and wait.
*
Dr Seymour arrives an hour later. Her mouth is set in a hard line and she winces when she sees my arm.
‘That was no accident,’ she says.
‘No.’
‘What did he want?’
‘To feel powerful, I suppose,’ I say. ‘And the key to the glasshouse.’
Dr Seymour nods, unsurprised.
‘I believe Ralph requested to work in Codebreaking when he arrived at Bletchley,’ she says. ‘He felt his time in Germany had given him the competency to do so, and it must have been a personal offence to him when Prime Minister Wyvernmire insisted he remain a Guardian instead.’
‘Why is he interested in codebreaking?’ I ask.
‘It’s not the codebreaking that excites him,’ Dr Seymour says. ‘It’s the dragons.’
‘Dr Seymour,’ I say, ‘I need to ask you a favour.’
‘Of course. What is it?’
I wait until the nurse carries a pile of laundry out of the room.
‘I need to borrow your dracovol.’
Dr Seymour freezes. Horror creeps into her face, followed by confusion.
‘It’s okay,’ I whisper. ‘I know you’re using it for secret government purposes. But listen. I need to find out if my sister is alive. I need to know whether or not she survived …’
Dr Seymour is shaking her head.
