Laura’s shoulders in her green puffer jacket sagged a little. She sighed. She took another mouthful of her lager. “Had to be me,” she said. “Chetwood needs you more. You’ve got an absolute helljob coming up, I hope you realise. Of course you realise. Old Faithful was scaring off everything else that might want to snack on a teenage magician. There’s a lot of everything else out there and it’s all going to come for you at once.” She laughed, rather grimly. “Worst-case scenario, you haven’t seen the last of me. The DC’s over the moon. I was throwing myself away on school security, you know. Everyone told me.”

“You’re—”

“Back to fieldwork. It’s what I’m really good at. It always was.”

“What is your rank in the Order, exactly?”

“KMVC,” said Laura. “That’s right, four whole letters—Knight Mareschal Venitant Capus. They might take the C off me for a bit, as a slap on the wrist. Makes us look bad when there’s an incursion right under our noses.”

“You couldn’t have prevented what Old Faithful did,” Walden said.

“You think you could?”

Walden said nothing.

“No, you couldn’t,” Laura said. “It was coming. If not Nikki Conway, it would have been someone else. That demon was after you. It was huge and hungry and smart enough to keep quiet when a Marshal might be looking. I had no fucking idea what we were dealing with until the week before it hit. I should have known. It was my job to know. But that means it was planning an incursion all along. It was waiting for the right chance. You think it wouldn’t have found a vulnerability somewhere? Six hundred kids, you think none of them would ever have listened to it?”

“I don’t think I should be crying on your shoulder,” Walden said. “You’re right, you’re right. I admit that you’re right.”

They were quiet for a little while. The gin cocktail, although appallingly pricey, was actually rather good.

“So,” said Laura at last. “About that date.”

“Er,” said Walden.

Laura caught her eye. “We really don’t have to be awkward about this, you know.”

“I just…”

I was punch-drunk on survival and exhaustion, and you had both kissed me and saved my life, and the children were safe when I really didn’t think they would be, Laura, I really didn’t, and—well—

Laura said, “It was two in the morning and we were out of our minds with relief. I’m about to be reassigned to a London chapter house. We could give it a go long distance, if you want.”

“Well,” Walden said.

“That’s what I thought,” said Laura. She gave Walden an awkward smile, and it seemed to be sincere. “Honestly, Saffy, you don’t have to explain it to me. I’m a career girl too.”