“I’m not as recognizable as you, and there are plenty of female librarians wearing hijabs. I will be fine.” She managed a smile. “Of all of us, which one looks least like a thief?”

“No!” It wasn’t just Wolfe this time objecting; it was all of them, talking over each other. Khalila looked at Jess, who wasn’t objecting. He just nodded at her. She nodded back.

“Quiet, all of you,” she said, and opened her pack to dig out her black Scholar’s robe. It was a little wrinkled and worse for wear, but in the current conditions of London, Jess doubted anyone would notice. “Tell me what you want me to find.”

“Oh, use your best judgment,” Brightwell said with a deceptively kind smile. “Something lucrative and rare. Two at least. Three if you can manage it.”

“You’re not going alone,” Dario said, and grabbed his own robe from his bag. “Jess, weapon?”

Jess ignored him. Glain glared but silently offered a knife, and Dario nodded and slipped it into the back of his trousers, under the cover of the robe. “Once it’s done, we’ll meet you back here in the freight hauler.”

“Oh no,” Jess’s father said. “We’re all going in. While you steal the books, we will be opening a way out.”

“Way out?” Jess echoed, and then he understood, just before Callum pointed a thick finger at Morgan.

“She,” he said, “is the magic key to our escape. She’ll send us to Lancaster, or as close as can be managed. Then we’ll talk about opportunities, if you like, once we’re safe in family territory.”

“I can’t,” Morgan said. “I’m just a student. I’m not—”

“You’re an Obscurist, and by all accounts that I’ve heard, you’re far more powerful than the ones trying to teach you anything useful. Imagine what we could do with you, Morgan. You’re going to open many doors for us, all over the world.”

The bad taste in Jess’s mouth went sour. Morgan, too. She’d only just escaped from the Iron Tower, and already his own family wanted to put another chain on her, make her their pet Obscurist. Maybe she’d been right to run and hide before. Even from him.

“All right,” Morgan said, with a calm that surprised him. “I’ll send you to safety, if you let me send the others first.”

“I’m not as naive as I look, sweeting. You’d get them through and refuse to send the rest of us.” He took on a calculating look, glancing from Morgan to Jess and back. “But I’ll compromise. Never let it be said I’m not a fair man. You can send all of them ahead except Jess. Then you send me, Brendan, and my men. You and Jess leave last.”

It was a clever way to exploit the two of them again, and Jess knew it would work. It couldn’t fail. She knew it, too, and nodded.

“You two Scholars, your job is to get inside and get the books without being noticed. Never mind what the rest of us do. Make your way to the Serapeum’s chamber—what do you call it?”