“On the bright side, his threatening to turn you in must have been a bluff, or he would’ve already done it.” Kane squeezed his eyes shut, then reopened them, hoping it would mitigate the pounding in his head. It didn’t. “Who knows how many traitors I have under my nose? Some reporting to Vaughan. Others reporting to the Curator.”
There was a beat of silence as Fletcher’s lips parted, his eyes widening. “Kane. What if they’re working together?”
“Who?”
“Vaughan and the Curator. You said it yourself: There are crewmembers reporting to both of them. What if it’s not two separate allegiances, though? What if it’s just one?”
Zaria’s tone was skeptical. “What reason would they have to join forces? If we’re correct, and the Curatorisa member of the Royal Commission, it seems unlikely he would be working with a criminal.”
“I don’t know about that,” Kane said wryly. “Rich men work with criminals all the time. Many of themarecriminals. Think about Inspector Price—he’s been aligned with a kingpin for years. When you’re protected by privilege, it’s almost too easy to dip your toes in illegal activity. That’s how the dark market stays afloat, isn’t it?”
“That’s true,” Zaria conceded.
Kane racked his tired brain, trying to imagine what interests someone like Vaughan would have in common with the Curator. “Maybe there’s a reason the Curator wants Vaughan to take over as dark market kingpin—some kind of deal they’ve struck. Maybe they both want to get rid of me and they knew I’d be the main suspect when it came to those devices in the Exhibition.”
Fletcher was shaking his head before Kane had even finished. “If that were true, there’d be no reason to frame you. No reason for the Curator to exist at all, really. Any powerful commission member could just have you arrested.”
That was true. And frustrating. There was also Vaughan’s preoccupation with the ledger to consider, which struck Kane as perplexingly disconnected from everything else. “None of this makes sense.”
“Whatever their plan is, maybe itdoesn’tmake sense,” Zaria said, slamming her book shut and beginning to re-lace her boots. “Not everyone is as cunning as you, Kane.”
He tried not to bask in that lukewarm praise. Realizing she was prepared to leave the apartment, Kane pushed himself to stand, stifling a gasp. Despite the pain inflicted by the dart, the metal didn’tembed itself that deeply in the skin. “You don’t win over a place like Seven Dials so quickly without being cunning. I think there’s definitely a connection between the two—we just haven’t discovered what it is yet.”
“Well, we’d better figure it out soon,” she said, watching him struggle with his coat. “You said Price wanted an answer by Friday, right?”
“Yes,” Kane grunted. Fletcher finally took pity on him and grabbed the other sleeve, bringing it around so that he could slip his arm in. “Thanks.”
Zaria led the way outside. It was a clear day, the promise of sun resting on the horizon, a welcome contrast to the night previous. Kane clenched his teeth and gripped the railing as he descended the steps, trying not to betray his discomfort. Fletcher followed close behind, his concerned gaze boring a hole in the back of Kane’s head.
They lapsed into silence as they cautiously skirted the Seven Dials slum, emerging at Trafalgar Square a short time later. The conspicuous Nelson’s Column towered above them, and the large fountain at the monument’s base was surrounded by a rambunctious crowd. It took Kane a moment to realize they were gathered around a newspaper stand; several people were waving the periodical as if to punctuate their—very loud—opinions. He slowed, putting a hand to his ribs as he attempted to pick out a few words.
“You okay?”
He hadn’t realized Fletcher had stopped and nearly walked into him. Truth be told, every step ached like hell, but Kane wasn’t about to admit it. “I’m fine. What do you think this commotion is about?”
Several steps ahead of them, Zaria also halted, shooting them an inquisitive look. And that was the exact moment Kane heard it: the wordexhibition.
Fletcher heard it, too; he swung around to look at Kane, his expression alarmed. “You don’t think—?”
“Yeah, I do,” Kane said, suddenly forgetting the pain in his torso. He raised his voice to be heard above the clamor. “Zaria? We’re taking the next right. There’s someplace I want to stop.”
She nodded, a knowing look in her dark gaze.
The Exhibition was just as busy as it had been earlier that week. Kane handed over their shillings with a smile, pushed through the turnstile, and led the way to India’s exhibits once more. Or at least he attempted to: The crowd around the south entrance was dense in a way that surpassed even the grand opening. He resisted the urge to pull Zaria closer to him, instead stepping around to her other side, positioning her between him and Fletcher, the way he had last time.
Although Zaria never complained, Kane could tell she was uncomfortable in a crowd like this. Her eyes were large and wary, her lips pinched, and she seemed to recoil each time the noise swelled. As Kane watched, she gave her hands a little shake. He had the sudden strange, overwhelming urge to bellow at everyone to shut the hell up.
Officer presence, too, had increased, and Fletcher made a point of bowing his head as a trio of uniformed men shoved past. Like last time, much of the hubbub was congregated around India, though now people engulfed both parts of their display, which was large enough that it took up both sides of the building near the crystal fountain.
“The second device must be there,” Fletcher said loudly in Kane’s ear, pointing. “One on the north side and one on the south.”
“Why are they both among India’s exhibits?” said Zaria, somehow managing to overhear. “Do you think that means something?”
Fletcher automatically looked back to Kane, who could only shrug. “I don’t know what itcouldmean. But look—there are even more patrons over by China.” He hadn’t been able to see at first, but now he was certain more people were moving in that direction. “I bet that’s what everyone was talking about in Trafalgar Square. There must be a third device there.”
Indeed, the Chinese display had drawn such a crowd that even the nearby crystal fountain seemed to have become a mere obstacle, with people circumventing it to approach from a more advantageous angle. Zaria followed Kane’s gaze, rising up onto her tiptoes. “We need to split up.”
“No,” he said before she could elaborate. “We’ll never find one another again.”
