‘Just . . . just say you’ll come,’ he pleads shakily.
I stare at him, the waves lapping ominously against the boat. Where is the boy who was joking with me earlier?
‘Fine,’ I say. ‘We’ll go there now.’
Ruth rows us to a small cove further along the coast, away from Wyvernmire’s camp. I turn to her as Atlas steps out of the boat. ‘Ruth, if the rebels lose the war then Canna will be overrun with Bulgarian dragons. You and the other kids will need to leave, sail back to the mainland.’
She laughs and shakes her head. ‘Don’t fret, Featherswallow. Where we’re going, not even a dragon will be able to sniff us out.’
I want to ask her what her plan is but the girl behind Ruth is tugging on her furs, casting anxious glances at the sky. They’re exposed here, I realise, to both the dragons above and the Guardians on the ground. I nod.
‘Thank you for saving us.’
Atlas reaches out a hand to help me off the boat but I ignore it and step out on to the wet sand. My clothes cling uncomfortably to my skin but I barely feel the cold any more. As we set out on foot, not saying a word to each other, my body is hot with both curiosity and dread.
What am I about to discover in Canna House?
When we reach it, the front door has been entirely kicked away. The first rays of sun caress the front garden and I steal a glance at Atlas.
‘Are you sure she’s here?’ I whisper.
He looks at the slip of paper in his hand. ‘It’s dated four days ago.’
Glass crunches beneath our boots as we walk down the hallway, peering into each of the rooms.
‘Empty,’ I say, my voice echoing through the gloom.
Shadows loom across the floorboards in the slow sunrise and I try not to think about what they could be hiding. What if Guardians are waiting to ambush us? What if the dracovol post is fake?
‘Atlas, I don’t like this.’
‘She must be up here,’ he whispers, disappearing up the stairs.
I hesitate. Anyone could be waiting at the top. As I stare at Atlas’s back a chill runs down my spine. He’s been in contact with Hollingsworth and hiding it from me this whole time. What else is he keeping secret? Can I even trust him?
I shake myself and follow him. Things have to be classified in war, that’s what Marquis said. Despite his dishonesty, Atlas is still a rebel and Hollingsworth is still the leader of the Human-Dragon Coalition.
We pause by the nursery where Ralph found me last time. It’s empty, too. We continue down the hallway, scanning each room.
‘She’s not here,’ I whisper. ‘We should find the others, then wait for Chumana.’
‘There’s another staircase,’ Atlas says.
He’s right. At the end of the hallway is another set of stairs. I move aside and gesture him up them with a glare. There’s adoor at the top. Atlas pushes it open and candlelight falls over his shoulder on to the steps. A chemical smell fills my nose as I follow him inside. The curtains are tightly closed and the blue flame of a portable gas burner flickers in the corner. Food tins are stacked in neat piles and behind them is an armchair.
Someone is sitting in it.
I hear a match strike.
The person lights the lamp by the chair and the room fills with a yellow glare, illuminating a puff of hair and a creased, familiar face.
‘Dr Hollingsworth,’ Atlas says.
Hollingsworth gives him a weary smile, then looks at me. ‘Hello, Vivien.’
I stare at her, heat blooming across my cheeks. I can’t speak. If I do, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep myself from screaming. I look at the rebel uniform she is wearing in the place of her usual fur coat and feel like I’m part of a terrible trick. I haven’t seen her since that last morning in her office, back when the wyverns were just a story in Clawtail’s journal.
‘What are you doing here?’ I say.
