I nodded.
“If we’re caught,” Vanya hissed at me, “you could be expelled.”
“Right. And because you’re a princess, you won’t be?”
“I know it’s not fair, but it’s true,” she said, pulling on my arm, which was mostly hidden beneath a long glove. “I am glad you’re coming with me, but I want to make sure that you know what’s at risk.”
I’d already risked everything when I decided to come here with a wild dragon. Going to a night race felt small in comparison. We slipped through the courtyard, hugging the walls, and before we knew it, we were in the city.
Treston was not safe after dark. The thieves and gamblers wandered the streets deep in their cups, and all young ladies knew better than to walk the streets without a chaperone after dark. I was glad this dress had pockets, and the comforting bump of my knife against my thigh gave me a small bit of courage as we hurried toward the train station not far down the street.
On the otherwise deserted platform, a huddle of Cardan Lott students stood passing bottles back and forth, laughing riotously. There were about a dozen students, all in evening finery, save one. Rushland Covington still wore his whiteuniform shirt, but his blazer was missing. Wrapped around his shoulders was a leather holster boasting a small pistol. I balked at it as we walked up. Scarlett, who’d been hidden from view behind him, leaned forward as she laughed at something Prescott said. She had a man’s blazer around her shoulders. Covington glanced over at us, his eyes locking on me.
A thrill ran through my blood as I slid into the small circle beside Vanya. For the moment, nobody pushed me out, nobody laughed that I was here or that my dress was out of style. Some of them smiled and greeted Vanya. They said nothing to me, but at least they didn't tell me to leave.
The train rattled down the track, hissing as it let out steam.
“In we go,” announced an older student from House Emerald. The second and third years climbed in first, citing their seniority. Several more students ran up and leaped onto the train as the first years waited our turn. When the older students were all on board, the first years filed in.
“After you,” Covington said flatly, nodding at the coach.
I climbed inside. The coach was mostly full, the older students taking up the seats that faced each other, leaving us to cram in the rows of seats at the back of the cabin.
“We got two more!” Prescott shouted as he climbed the steps. Two more second years stuffed themselves inside. Vanya had to sit on my lap to make room as one of them shoved in beside me.
Covington boarded last, and there were no more seats. Across the aisle from us, Scarlett scooted forward and patted the seat beneath her. With a grin, Covington slid onto the bench, and she perched on his knees. When his arm looped around her waist, I looked away. Scarlett half giggled, half whispered silly words into his ear as we made our way deeper into the city. Clear bottles were passed down the rows.
Scarlett’s laughter was higher pitched than normal, her cheeks redder. Though it could have just been that she’d appliedmore rouge and was so infatuated with Covington that it altered her laugh.
Luther walked down the aisle, a small notebook in his hands. When he paused beside Covington, I strained to hear what he asked over the clacking wheels and the loud voices.
“What are the odds?” Covington asked.
“Three to one.”
Covington reached into his pocket and handed Luther two coins. In the warm light, I spotted the silver hue of a vestren as the money clinked into Luther’s palm.
Two vestrens. Fifty carands, handed over like they were pocket change to be flicked at a beggar.
He was betting a fortune. My shock made me miss who he was betting on.
Luther reached up and rattled his pen against the metal bar on the suitcase rack. “Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you brought a wheelbarrow to roll the winnings home tonight. The purse is up fifty carands.”
Impressed whistles sounded in the train car.
Scarlett wrapped her arms around Covington’s neck, her cheek pressed to his. Vanya clutched the back of the seat in front of us and shouted something in her native tongue that I assumed was unbecoming of a princess. Everyone laughed.
These people bet more money in a single night than many people saw in an entire year. My chest felt hollow as I pictured Evie asleep on our bed. Mama wouldn’t have to sleep on the cot anymore, now that I was gone.
But when the train slowed at the station for Parliament Square and the students stood up, I found myself smiling with everyone else, lost in the excitement. Covington placed his hands on Scarlett’s waist and shifted her off of him, picking her up like she was no more than a doll. I made a face at her high-pitched giggle.
Outside the station, the students fell silent, except for a few hushed giggles, as we raced across the street and poured down the steps, descending to bottomside. On the lower street, the students clustered around dimly burning lampposts, huddled against the crisp fall air. There were no automobiles clanking by, no horse-drawn taxis. Even the vagabonds who normally wandered the streets at this time of night were nowhere to be seen, a fact that was both comforting and alarming. I tucked Vanya’s duster tighter around my neck.
Energy buzzed in the air, and people fidgeted, switching their weight from foot to foot. Everyone was dressed as if attending a party, despite the cold and the dark and the distinct stench of Treston’s lower streets. I hadn’t seen many of the students in clothing besides their uniforms, and my eyes were drawn to the dresses that glittered faintly in the low light.
“This is where the race will start,” said one of the older students from Diamond.
Vanya grabbed my arm and pulled me close. “How can they fit?” she hissed, as if we had to whisper down here.
