Bloatface twisted my hair viciously, but I kept quiet. If we timed this right, we could get Anne on the move, creating enough of a disturbance to attract Metyard – and make our escape at the same time. All we had to do was make her panic and flee, which would distract the Underbodies from us.

There were other spirits nearby. They were always there in London, as thick in the æther as birds in the sky. Nick had taught me how to ‘spool’ them – to gather them together and wield them against other voyants, disorienting them. If you were in a tight corner, a spool was the simplest way to make someone retreat.

It might also cause a skittish poltergeist to bolt.

I concentrated on my aura. Nick had said that in order to make a spool, I had to send out a kind of signal to spirits that I wanted assistance, usually accompanied by a hand motion. My arm was trapped, but I tried crooking a finger. A ghost swirled towards me.

Sensing what I was trying to do, Nick took over. He had years of experience under his belt. With a sweep of his arm, he whirled all five of the nearby spirits into a spool and flung them at Anne.

Her reaction was explosive. I couldn’t hear the æther, but in that moment, I learned that it was possible to feel a scream – a shiver in the bones, a twist in the gut. Windows burst into splinters above us, raining down glass from both sides. I shielded my eyes. As Anne rammed into the Underhand, flinging him off his feet and forcing him to let go of Nick, I sank my teeth into Bloatface’s wrist and thrust my elbow into his stomach, loosening his grip enough for me to writhe free. I dived towards Nick and grabbed his arm, and together we hightailed it out of the alley.

‘Hunt them down,’ Hector howled. ‘I wouldn’t cross me on your first day, Pale Dreamer!’

We crashed through the gate and sprinted up Cowcross Street. My cheek was throbbing.

‘Are you okay?’

‘Fine.’ My voice came out hoarse. ‘You?’

His lip was still bleeding. ‘I’ve had worse.’

Boots thumped on the pavement behind us. Three people. My mouth had already turned dry when I realised that Anne was following us, too.

‘Do all your assignments go this smoothly?’ I called to Nick as we parted around a startled couple.

‘Pretty much.’ There was a laugh in his voice. ‘You sure you’re in?’

In answer, I started laughing, too. Breathless, giddy laughs that sparkled through me like a firework. I had never thought that running for my life from criminals and spirits would be this much fun.

Anne veered off to the right; most of the Underbodies pursued her. We took the next left turn into a lane and cut between the buildings, emerging on a busy road.