‘Give it to her and she will win the war,’ Chumana growls. ‘Do you really think she’ll release your rebel parents after that? Do you think she will let them live? You are on the wrong side of history, human girl.’
‘My sister,’ I say, ‘is innocent. And if my parents die she’ll need me even more. This is the only way.’
‘You would choose your sister over the entire dragon race? Over your fellow humans who are treated no better than animals simply for being born Third Class?’
‘I would,’ I say. ‘That probably makes me a terrible person. But trust me, that’s not news to me.’
There’s a long pause, silent except for the annoying chirping of a bird. Then Chumana speaks again.
‘Dragons are skin-shedders,’ she says. ‘Do you know why that matters?’
I glance at the dead skin on the ground and shake my head.
‘Every time we shed, we leave an old self behind. Every time we shed, it is a chance to be someone new. A chance to change our minds.’
‘How convenient for you,’ I reply dryly.
Her wound is bleeding again, blood dripping down her front leg in a river of red.
‘I could heal it, you know,’ I say. ‘None of the dragons around here will do it for you, a rebel, but I could record some healing calls. I could—’
‘I would rather die,’ Chumana snarls.
I nod and start the climb up the side of the ditch.
‘I could kill you, human girl,’ Chumana whispers as I reach the top. ‘I could burn you to ash where you stand. Better still, I could eat your flesh and hide your bones among the others.’
My blood runs cold, but I meet her eyes.
‘Why don’t you?’ I ask. ‘Kill me, destroy the loquisonus machine and everyone will think I ran away with it. My parents will be executed, of course, so you’d essentially be sentencing members of your own side to death, but what’s two more human deaths if you’re already willing to cause one? And here I was thinking the rebels believe humans and dragons are one big happy family.’
Her lips pull back slowly to reveal long canines.
‘Someone requested I keep my teeth to myself. Otherwise, human girl, you might already be rotting at my feet.’
BY THE TIME I GET back to Bletchley Park my hands are numb with cold. All I want is to curl up by the fire and fall asleep, but instead I take the loquisonus machine to the glasshouse. Dr Seymour is in there, her head in a book. She snaps it closed when I walk in.
‘Where have you been? Soresten said you’d taken the loquisonus machine for maintenance.’ She lets out an outraged laugh. ‘Do you have any idea of the risk you posed to the programme today? I’ve covered for you once, Vivien, but I won’t do it again—’
‘It’s me who’s covering for you currently,’ I say.
Dr Seymour takes a step backwards. ‘I beg your pardon?’
‘I know you’re a spy,’ I say. ‘That’s where I’ve been today. With one of yourcolleagues.’
I spit out the last word and Dr Seymour pales.
‘Chumana?’
I nod.
She closes her eyes. ‘It’s true. The Coalition must have sentChumana after they received my last message—’
‘What was in the message?’ I say coldly. ‘The exact location of Bletchley Park?’
‘Don’t be silly. They already know that,’ Dr Seymour replies. She looks up at the trees around us. ‘I told them that you were making too much progress, despite the fact that you’re trying to hide it from me, and that you’ll soon be speaking echolocation yourself.’
I falter in surprise. ‘So you told them to send Chumana to see if she could convince me to stop?’ I say, trying to hide my shock. ‘How do you even know her?’
