Prue huffed and went to the desk. She tried to push it all aside and begin writing to Mum and Dad. Her pen hovered over the page for a painful amount of time before she decided to describe what it had been like to ride on the Gigantrak, what Medlock was like and even Deakins Entire. But she had to stop after that – she had so much to say, but the secrecy regulations prevented it. It felt as though she was even further from her parents, and this was a distance she would never be able to breach. She signed it Sorry, Prue. P.S. Please address any envelopes to my official title, Apprentice Haywood. It’s Guild rules.

When she’d finished, she turned to Agapantha and said, “Would you please come to the messenger tower with me? Liddy said we should go in pairs after dark.”

Agapantha’s eyes flitted to the window. “It’s getting late.”

“Come on, the stars are coming out. Please?”

Agapantha nodded. Prue felt a bit bad because she knew Agapantha’s good nature made her easy to persuade, but she also knew it would be a chance to get to know her better.

“Don’t be long,” said Cora. “I need my sleep. Master Sollentude says Larkin is the brightest young apprentice the Guild has ever seen, and I intend to take his crown.”

Prue resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “We won’t be long.”

They headed down the stairs to the pneumerator.

“Was it lever up to bring the pod this way or down?” Prue said.

“Up, I think, but it’s already here because it’s already up.”

“Oh right, of course.” Prue slid the door open and they climbed into the pod.

Agapantha looked around the curved metal interior of the pod. “It’s a bit nerve-wracking doing this on our own, isn’t it?”

“Silver lever to close the door. Come on, sit down, Ag.” Agapantha sat beside her. “And we’re…” Before Prue could finish, the pod shot forward.

Prue and Agapantha were soon at the transport hut. It was late evening and the factorium and forest were washed with a dove-grey light. The messenger tower, which stood alone to the right of the factorium, was almost as tall as the main building and looked something like a large brick lighthouse, with the only windows at the very top. They left the path and cut across the grass, which was damp with evening dew.

Prue noticed Agapantha glance nervously at the place where the personifate had been found dead the previous day. Prue shivered. “The library here is impressive, isn’t it? I’ve never seen so many books,” said Prue, to take their minds off the incident.

Agapantha nodded. “The mathematics section is amazing. And I liked Phineas.”

“Me too. He seems to really love it there. I wonder if he was a librarian in his first life?”

“I bet he was!”