“I used to come in here myself.” She grasped my shoulders, looked me dead in the eyes. “You have to beg the Warden’s forgiveness. If you beg, he might not punish you.”

I almost laughed. “Beg?”

“It’s the only way.”

“I won’t beg him for anything.”

“He’ll beat you.”

“I still won’t beg. They’ll have to take me to him.” I glanced out of the window. “Will you get in trouble if they find me in your crib?”

“Better that than they find you in here.” She grabbed my wrist. “Come on. They’ll search in here soon.”

I kicked the oil lamp and the book under a shelf, hiding the evidence. We ran down the dark stone staircase, back into the open. The air smelled crisp, like rain.

Liss held me back until the coast was clear. We slipped through the courtyard, under the damp archway, and back onto the Broad. The sun shone over the buildings. Liss forced two loose plywood panels apart, and we ducked into the Rookery. She steered me past huddles of performers. Their scavenged possessions littered the passages, as if their shacks had been overturned. One boy was propped against the wall, bleeding from the eyes. They whispered in our wake.

I ducked into the crib. Julian was waiting, a bowl of skilly balanced on his knee. He looked up when we ducked into the shack.

“Morning.”

I sat. “Glad to see me?”

“I s’pose.” He gave me a smile. “If only to remind me how urgently I need to find an alarm clock.”

“Shouldn’t you be inside?”

“I was just about to go, but now you’re here I’d feel like I was missing the party.”

“You two!” Liss glared at us. “They take the curfew very seriously, Jules. You’re both going to get a right slating.”

I ran my fingers through my damp hair. “How long until they find us?”

“Not long. They’ll check the rooms again soon.” She sat down. “Why don’t you just go?”

Every muscle in her body was locked. “It’s fine, Liss,” I said. “I’ll take the heat.”

“The bone-grubbers are brutal. They won’t listen. And I’m telling you now, the Warden will kill you if you—”

“I don’t care about him.” Liss rested her head in her hand. I looked back at Julian. His novice’s outfit was gone, replaced by a pink tunic. “What did you have to do?”

“Nashira asked me what I was,” he said. “I said I was a palmist, but it was obvious I couldn’t make anything of her hands. She brought an amaurotic into the room, a girl, and had her tied to a chair. I remembered Seb and asked if she’d let me use water as a scrying pool.”

“You’re a hydromancer?”