He was less than a foot away when she dropped like a stone. Winter held out his arms and caught her just before she hit the ground. There was an odd, beatific smile on her face.

For one brief moment, her eyelids fluttered open and his hope flared. ‘Benjamin?’ she asked. Less than a second later, her body went limp and her eyes closed.

Doing his best to quash his panic, Winter laid her down gently. He couldn’t feel a pulse. He dipped his head closer to her mouth. No breath. Shit. With his mouth dry, Winter began compressions, pounding on her chest. ‘Call a fucking ambulance!’ He breathed into her mouth. Then he continued compressions again.

‘Let me help.’ A youngish man with a Scottish brogue knelt down next to him.

Winter didn’t stop what he was doing but raised his eyes for long enough to scan the man’s face. ‘Name?’ he barked.

‘G … G … Gareth.’

Winter gave Ivy another breath. Then he took half a beat to draw a rune and send the man flying backwards.

The kid let out a cry and ran towards him. ‘Gareth! What did that bastard do to you?’

Winter paid them no further attention.

‘Adeptus! I know first aid. We can work together.’ Barry, Ivy’s erstwhile producer, fell heavily to his knees and took over the compressions. All the while, Ivy’s skin turned paler and paler and she didn’t move once.

***

The smell of antiseptic clung to everything but it couldn’t conceal the underlying stench of sickness and despair. Winter paced up and down the corridor, his shoes squeaking. Every time a door opened, he held his breath. It was never for him. There was still no news about Ivy.

He lowered his head and stared at his feet. He still didn’t understand what had happened. Why had she gone out there alone?

‘Adeptus Exemptus Winter?’

He sprang to his feet, only belatedly realising that it was Amy, the runner from Enchantment.

‘Hi.’ He slumped down again.

‘Have you heard anything?’

He didn’t trust his voice. He simply shook his head and sighed.

She thrust something in his direction. ‘She dropped this after she…’ Amy scratched her head awkwardly. ‘You know. She was reading it out when it all happened.’

Slowly, as if moving through sludge, Winter took the scroll. He stared at the words, then at the tiny insignia at the bottom. The Order. Ivy had got this from the Order. As he tried to make sense of it, another door opened. It wasn’t a doctor.

‘Has anyone told you how she is?’

Winter looked up at the Ipsissimus. ‘No.’

Amy swallowed. ‘I should go. When she wakes up, tell her I’m thinking of her.’ She scooted away down the corridor and out of sight.

‘I’ll talk to them,’ the Ipsissimus declared. ‘Someone must know what’s happening.’

Winter stood up. ‘You’re right.’ His voice was flat. He held up the scroll. ‘Someone must know.’

The Ipsissimus looked at it then at Winter. He let out a long breath and took the scroll from him. ‘Well,’ he said heavily, ‘I suppose the truth was going to come out sooner or later.’