‘Your encounter with the criminal dragon at the University of London didn’t exactly go unnoticed by the DDADorthe rebels,’ Dr Seymour says. ‘And, when you freed her, she joined the Coalition.’
‘But … if you agree with Chumana that humans shouldn’t know how to speak echolocation, why did you invent the loquisonus machine?’
‘I invented it before I knew the damage it could cause,’ she says. ‘And I bitterly regret it.’
‘Yet you teach us about echolocation every day.’
‘I have to have a realistic cover,’ Dr Seymour says.
‘A cover so you can spy on us,’ I retort. ‘No wonder we hardly ever pick up rebel calls – they know not to fly over here! And, now they know where we’re located, they could attack at any minute—’
‘They’ve known where we are for months,’ Dr Seymour says. ‘They won’t attack, not yet.’
‘Not yet?’ I choke. ‘If the rebels know where we are, whydidn’t they try to get to Wyvernmire when she was here on the night of the ball?’
‘Contrary to what you’ve been told, the Coalition’s goal isn’t war, Vivien. It’s change.’ Dr Seymour gives me a sad look. ‘Are you going to report me?’
Am Igoing to report her? If I hand Dr Seymour over to Ravensloe, she’ll be arrested. The rebels might take that as a sign to attack and then all hell will break loose. I’ve made the most progress anyone has so far with echolocation, and all that’s left to do now is to explain to Wyvernmire that it’s not a code but a language with dialects, dialects that will need to be learned. It may not be the news she was expecting, but it’s the progress she asked for. And then I’ll be out of here, back with Ursa and my parents – and maybe, just maybe, everyone else will be released, too.
My eyes linger on the cupboard where I found the dracovol mail. Dr Seymour used it to communicate with the rebels, but she also lent it to me to find out where Ursa was. Who is this woman?
‘I know what’s on Canna, thanks to Lord Rushby,’ I say. ‘But what’s on Eigg?’
‘I can’t tell you that,’ Dr Seymour replies.
Something important, then.
‘If the rebel dragons know Bletchley Park is trying to decipher echolocation, why don’t they just tell Queen Ignacia, to turn her against Wyvernmire?’
‘Because we don’t want a bigger war than we already have.’ Dr Seymour pauses. ‘Why did you need your mother’s research?’
‘Echolocation isn’t just one singular language,’ I say. ‘But you already knew that, didn’t you?’
‘But your mother, she—’
‘She’s a dragon anthropologist,’ I say. ‘She discovered that dragon tongues have dialects that aren’t regional, but familial.’
Dr Seymour leans closer. ‘Familial?’
‘Each dragon family or group speaks its own dialect. I think echolocation is the same.’ I pause. ‘Surely you know this, Dr Seymour? Surely the Coalition’s dragons have told you?’
‘They won’t discuss echolocation with humans, not even their fellow rebels. And they’re right not to. Human nature is fickle. We change sides like we change our clothes. What you said about familial dialects … it reminds me of whale pods. Each pod has its own distinct calls; that’s how they’re able to differentiate between their own members and those of other pods.’
How can Dr Seymour be so knowledgeable and yet …
‘You’re risking everything,’ I say. ‘Your career, your research, your life. I heard Ralph the other day. Do you really want to give him the satisfaction of seeing you fired and arrested?’
‘I’m risking it all for the people I love,’ Dr Seymour says fiercely. ‘For the Third Class, for the dragons we’re losing touch with. For my child.’ Her hands settle on her stomach and I feel my eyes grow wide. ‘I want them to grow up in a world that is equal. I want to repair the damage I caused. I was working at the Foreign Office in International Dragon Relations when Ravensloe invited me and my machines to Bletchley. And I accepted because I knew that I could undo some of my mistakes from theinside. The loquisonus machines—’
‘Are incredible,’ I say softly.
‘They’re dangerous,’ Dr Seymour says, her voice hardening. ‘There’s a reason we don’t possess the same capabilities as dragons, Vivien. We are far too evil to merit them.’
‘But think of the progress – a whole new language just waiting to be deciphered. It’s the discovery of the century.’
‘But think of the cost. Did Chumana not tell you? Do you not understand why it’s so crucial to the dragons—’
‘I understand,’ I say. ‘And if my parents weren’t at Highfall then maybe …’ I shake my head. ‘It will take Wyvernmire years to learn echolocation before she can master it anyway. Maybe, by that time, someone else will be in government. Maybe the rebels will have won the war.’
