A strangled noise. ‘All right,’ Didion choked out, sounding as if he could hardly breathe for rage. ‘All right. So long as you say nothing to the Underlord about this . . . situation, I assent to your demands. Send your lackeys to the Juditheon. Promptly, if you please.’

‘Excellent. Goodbye, Didion.’

Jaxon settled the phone in its cradle, sat back in his chair, and joined his fingertips.

‘So,’ Nick said, breaking a long silence, ‘we’re going to try and bind Metyard.’

‘Precisely. Didion has proven that he is unworthy of such a prize. We will take Metyard for ourselves.’

‘Didion has no right to promise us Anne Naylor. She’s on Ognena Maria’s turf.’

I had heard of Ognena Maria, mime-queen of one of the neighbouring sections of the citadel – the one I had lived in for years with my father. ‘If you’re good to Maria, she’ll remember it,’ Eliza had told me once. ‘If you’re not so good to her, she’ll make you remember it.’

‘So long as Didion keeps his mouth shut,’ Jaxon said, ‘Maria never needs to know.’ The corner of his mouth twitched. ‘Two of you will go to the Juditheon and obtain as much information as you can about where and when Sarah Metyard was last seen. Relevant details about her life will help you track her – that can be found in the files here. One of you will stay behind to go through those.’

I didn’t have to ask to know that I would be the one doing research on Metyard while the others pursued her. I hid my face behind my hair, trying not to let my frustration show. It was true that I’d only been with the gang for three months, and yes, I was only sixteen, but being trapped inside was suffocating. I’d signed up to be a criminal, not a clerk.

‘We might be back late.’ Eliza stood. ‘Nick, we can take the Underground to—’

‘Stop,’ Jaxon said.

She raised an eyebrow. ‘Why?’

‘I don’t want you to go, darling. I want Paige to go.’

His words set off a small jolt in my gut. Eliza’s lips parted, and she frowned slightly.

‘Don’t give me that look. You’ll have your turn again. And it’s about time Miss Mahoney had a chance to prove her worth.’ Jaxon studied me. ‘Would you like that, Paige?’

‘Yes,’ I said at once. ‘Please. If Eliza doesn’t mind.’

‘No.’ She recovered. ‘No, not at all. It’ll be a nice break, actually. And I hate poltergeists.’

‘With good reason.’ Heaving a sigh, Nick reached for his trusty cable-knit sweater and pulled it over his head. ‘Jaxon, Paige is still so new to this, and Metyard is as hostile as they come. Maybe you should—’

‘I want to go,’ I cut in.