The red belly of a Bulgarian dragon.
Philippa begins to cry above me and I hear Marquis’s voice soothing her. The dragon glides like a bird of prey as everyone watches in silence. It turns on its side, basking its pink scales in the morning glow. I step on to the branch below mine.
‘Viv!’ Marquis whispers loudly. ‘What are you doing?’
I climb down, my feet finding branch after branch.
‘Featherswallow!’ Atlas hisses from somewhere. ‘Do you have a death wish?’
‘It’s Chumana, Atlas,’ I reply calmly.
I reach the ground and walk through the forest to the wheat field, where the storage huts sit outside of the protection of the trees. Chumana has landed, knocking over a pot of stinking clam shells. She shakes her head to rid herself of the dust and dirt swirling around her. We glare at each other, her bright, orb-like eyes reflecting my entire face.
‘Getting arrested by Guardians seems to be becoming a habit of yours,’ she snarls.
I feel a contemptuous smile on my lips. My fury has been simmering all night, and has almost reached boiling point.
‘I’m glad it has,’ I reply. ‘Otherwise, how would I have come across the dead boy you brought back to life by feeding him your blood? Did you forget to mention that, back when we were nest-mates?’
Chumana swings her head down close to mine. ‘I did not forget. I kept it a secret from you. Those were my orders.’
‘Hollingsworth’s orders?’ I hiss. ‘So youbothlied to me. You both let me believe Atlas was dead, for your own gain.’
‘For the gain of the cause,’ Chumana says. ‘Hollingsworth knew your desire for revenge would motivate you to do your duty, and that you’d abandon it to go looking for Atlas if you discovered he was alive.’
I let out a weak laugh. ‘My duty? I did my duty at Bletchley Park by smashing the loquisonus machine and joining the rebels! And yet still the Chancellor keeps me in the dark,letting the teenagers do the work without giving us any of the information we need. Do you know she hasn’t told me what I’m supposed to ask of the wyverns,ifwe even find them? If she were a true rebel—’
‘Rita Hollingsworth has been a rebel since before you were born!’ Chumana spits.
‘It must be easy to be a rebel while living in the Prime Minister’s pocket, enjoying a prestigious job and the advantages of being First Class. She sits there, day after day, writing those disgusting Babel Decree articles, while my friends consider themselves lucky if they don’t get eaten by Canna’s dragons! At least now I’m one step closer to finding the wyverns I’m supposed to communicate with. For all I know, Hollingsworth was never going to send me—’
‘So you compromised her position and risked the entire rebel movement being dismantled in a day for your own ego,’ Chumana snarls. ‘Then she was right to keep secrets from you. You cannot be trusted.’
‘Youcannot be trusted!’ I scream.
Birds streak from the trees, shrieking.
A hand lands on my arm. Atlas pulls me backwards, his eyes flashing with fear, as Marquis and Serena watch from the tree line. I shake him off and turn back to Chumana.
‘You speak of duty,’ I say, my voice laced with hatred. ‘Was what you did during the Massacre of Bulgaria yourduty?’ Tears burn my eyes. ‘Was thatfollowing orders, too, Chumana?’
My heart sinks as the words leave my mouth. Tension grows taut in the air as Chumana’s eyes narrow. I’ve referred to what she confided to me back at Bletchley Park: how shehelped the Bolgoriths massacre Bulgaria’s human population on the orders of the British government.
Her most devastating regret.
The accusation hangs in the space between us, cheap and cruel. Her tail sways dangerously. The hairs on my arm stand on end. Slowly, I turn to look at Atlas.
‘Run.’
We both jump into movement as Chumana’s tail swipes into several food storage huts, sending them splintering to the ground in a spray of wood and feathers. Our boots slam the hard ground as we dart back towards the forest, but something makes me hesitate. I look over my shoulder.
‘Human girl!’ Chumana roars.
Terror fills me as I see the amber of her eyes turn a dark, cloudy brown. She takes a step towards me and snaps furiously at the air. I turn and flee, following in Atlas’s footsteps as the forest fills with terrified screams. A gust of wind hits me as I reach the trees and I turn to see Chumana lift into the air. She flies off towards the sea and I collapse beside Atlas, gasping for breath.
‘She’s gone,’ Marquis says in disbelief.
‘So what?’ I spit. ‘We don’t need her.’
