‘All of you have seen what the work within your respective categories entails. You understand how your particular skills are suited to the task given to you, and know what is required of you in order for my government to win the war.’ Wyvernmire smoothes her skirt. ‘However, it seems that many of you are failing to meet our expectations.’
Atlas takes my hand and I don’t pull away.
‘There has not been a single breakthrough, a single piece of information unearthed by you that has allowed us to make progress when it comes to fighting rebel dragons. And dragons, it appears, are the rebels’ strength.’
You’re wrong, I want to tell her.I’m on the very edge of a breakthrough. But I can’t divulge what I’ve learned about echolocation dialects yet, not until I’m certain that they’re regional. Giving Wyvernmire the wrong information could have consequences far worse than giving her nothing at all.
‘Therefore, as leader of the nation, I find myself duty-bound to speed things up.’
Ralph tightens his grip on his gun. He stares at me, his mouth twisting into a smirk. The sound of the music wafting out of the ballroom has suddenly increased in volume.
‘From tonight onwards, you are all taking part in a race,’ the Prime Minister says softly. ‘In each of the categories – Aviation, Zoology and Codebreaking – only the first person to achieve what is being asked of them will be pardoned. The rest of you – as well as any imprisoned or extracted family members you might have – will be punished in accordance with the severity of your crimes.’
I feel my forehead crease into a frown. The ground sways beneath me. The saxophones toll like frantic sirens, their brassy vibrations filling my head. Atlas’s hand drops from mine as he lunges towards Wyvernmire only to meet the barrel of Owen’s gun. They stare at each other, daring the other to move, as strangled sobs fill the room.Beside me, Dodie is hyperventilating.
‘From now on, you will no longer work in teams,’ Wyvernmire says above the noise. ‘You will continue to attend the same shifts, under the guidance of your category leaders, but you will each work alone.’
Marquis takes two steps forward and Ralph lifts his own weapon. Behind us, more Guardians come in through the door.
‘You can’t do this,’ Marquis snarls. ‘You said that if we came here and did the work that was asked of us, we and our families would be free.’
‘I said that you would be released if you did the work required to help mewinthe war.’ Wyvernmire stares into Marquis’s face, her nostrils flaring. ‘But I. Am. Losing.’
‘So only the one of us who cracks the dragon code will go free?’ Gideon is staring between me, Katherine and Sophie.
‘I’m glad you understand, Gideon,’ Wyvernmire replies.
No.
This can’t be happening. The Prime Minister stands for justice, for peace and prosperity. She wouldn’t do this to us.
This was my chance to save myselfandSophie. Through my tears, I see her staring at me, her face like stone. Only one of us will return to London.
Only one of us will get our life back.
Karim sinks to the floor, sobbing. What crime has he committed? What will happen to him and his parents if he doesn’t win his category? If he doesn’t compete against Serena, againstMarquis? I stare round at my friends andrealise I don’t know whatpunished in accordance with the severity of your crimesmeans for them. I lock eyes with Marquis. He gives me a long, desperate look as he tries to keep Karim upright. I know what it means for my cousin if he loses. For myself if I end up getting sent to Canna. For our parents.
Death.
NO ONE RETURNS TO THE ball. Instead, we each find our way back to the common room, Marquis leading a wordless Karim by the hand, Gideon clutching an open bottle of champagne. We sit by the fire as Marquis rolls several cigarettes, the silence interrupted only by the sound of Katherine vomiting in the bathroom. There’s a deep, anxious hollow in my stomach. This doesn’t feel real and yet here we all are, sitting in some sort of meeting circle like we’re merely indulging in a nightcap before bed.
Everything feels numb, as if at some time during the evening a veil was dropped between me and the rest of the world. And still I know, with absolute certainty, that in a few weeks’ time I and all the people I love could be dead. I suddenly long for Mama.
Sophie is sitting in the window seat as Dodie unbraids her hair. She won’t look at me.Good.I don’t want to see the hope in her eyes. Hope that we might still both make it outtogether. Hope that I have a plan. Because I don’t. There is no hope when you know you’re going to have to betray your best friend a second time.
I hold out my hand to Gideon and he gives me the bottle of champagne without a word. I swig down three big gulps of it and cough as the bubbles fill my throat and nose. A bit of extra numbness can’t hurt. But my brain is already spinning, calculating, trying to fit the echolocation calls I’ve learned into a pattern that makes sense. That codehasto be cracked and ithasto be me who does it.
I won’t let my family die.
‘Tonight was all just some twisted performance,’ Serena says, her gold shoes dangling from her hand. ‘Dress us all up, show us off and for what?’ Tears suddenly well in her eyes. ‘To give us one last taste of freedom?’
‘To give the impression that the DDAD is making progress,’ Marquis says. ‘To remind us all of what we have to lose.’
A snort comes from across the room. Atlas is staring into the fire, his jacket discarded, tie flung over his shoulder.
‘And what’s that?’ he says. The reflection of the flames dances in his eyes as he glares at Marquis. ‘Overindulging in mince pies with some First Class white men?’
‘Redemption,’ Sophie says icily before Marquis can reply. ‘This is our one chance to be someone else.’
