The Burning Page

Coils of smoke rose as the hot metal charred the fabric of her coat. Zayanna was barely struggling now, her eyes glazed and her breath coming in tiny whistling gasps. Irene put one knee on Zayanna’s left wrist to hold her arm down, grabbed the other woman’s hair with her free hand to drag her head back and bare her neck, and pressed the red-hot coin against the word die on her neck.

Zayanna screamed. Irene gritted her teeth and held the coin against Zayanna’s flesh, watching as the circle of burned flesh blotted out the word below it.

The noose of Language around Zayanna’s throat twisted like a living thing, baulked of its final verb and forced into incoherence. Then it snapped, and the words dissolved into swirls as they faded. Zayanna could suddenly breathe again, and she gulped down great swallows of air, tears running from the corners of her eyes as her body went limp.

‘Irene,’ Kai said urgently. She turned to see him stamp on a scorpion. He pointed at blue flames rising from where a pool of alcohol had reached one of the flaming heaters. The fire was starting to spread across the floor, and Irene flinched back away from it. ‘We’ve got to get out of here.’

‘I can put that out,’ Irene said, controlling herself. She dropped the coin. A red brand marred Zayanna’s neck where it had burned her. ‘Give me a moment . . .’

‘It might be easier to let the place burn down,’ Singh suggested. ‘I’m not generally in favour of arson, but given the number of deadly creatures loose in this place, one might call it public sanitation.’

‘Singh has the right of it,’ Vale agreed. He paused to knock aside a cobra with the remains of the table. ‘I suggest we retreat and call the fire brigade.’

‘That sounds good to me,’ Irene said quickly, before anyone could change their minds. The sooner she was away from flames, snakes, insects and whatever – and able to question Zayanna – the better. ‘And then we can get some answers.’

Half an hour later they were in the upper room of a nearby pub. The fire brigade had been called (and had been in time to save the rest of the neighbourhood), Zayanna’s minions were in custody at Scotland Yard, and Zayanna herself was sitting up and demanding gin.

Irene had searched the room and dumped any printed paper in the corridor outside. She hoped that would cut down on the risk of Alberich interfering. She hoped even more fervently that he wouldn’t be trying to find her, and that he’d assume she was still in prison back in St Petersburg.

Vale had turned up the ether-lights and drawn the curtains, cutting out the light from the warehouse-fire outside. The sound of fire engines and crowds drifted through the window. Zayanna had draped herself over one of the rickety chairs in the centre of the room and sat there smoothing her skirts, her new brand scarlet on her neck. Irene sat facing her, while Kai stood by the door and Singh and Vale hovered watchfully.

Zayanna had completely recovered her good mood, in spite of having lost her pets and probably her cash reserves. No doubt it was because she was the centre of attention. No Fae could resist that. ‘I suppose I could tentatively surrender, darling,’ she suggested. ‘It’d be difficult for me to manage to kill you now.’

‘You did try your best,’ Irene agreed. ‘I’ll give you extra points for effort. And I did just save your life.’

‘It was only in danger because you’d captured me anyhow. So what now?’ Zayanna tilted her head enquiringly. ‘Do I get imprisoned?’

‘“Killed” sounds more appropriate,’ Kai said coldly. Irene had agreed with him that he’d be the bad cop to her good cop. But from the tone of his voice she was worried that he’d be an extremely homicidal cop.

Zayanna batted her eyelashes. ‘Are you threatening to kill me in cold blood? In front of an officer of the law? Isn’t that illegal?’

‘You’re right, madam,’ Singh said. ‘I’m absolutely shocked to hear those sorts of threats. Mr Strongrock, if you’ll excuse me for a moment, I should go and check on the firemen. Let me know when I should come back in.’

‘Don’t bother,’ Zayanna said sourly. ‘You’ve made your point. So, Irene. You said you wanted me to surrender. I’m surrendering. What happens now?’

‘Tell me about Alberich,’ Irene said. The name was bitter in her mouth. ‘What’s he doing?’

‘Trying to destroy the Library, darling,’ Zayanna said. Then, after a pause, ‘. . . oh, you want details?’

‘Yes.’ Irene kept her voice patient. ‘And, Zayanna, let me be clear about this. I’m saving your life. In return I want the full truth, and I want you to be helpful about giving it to me.’

‘Saving my life?’ Zayanna pouted. ‘I know that you did destroy Alberich’s curse, and that I did cause you a few problems and everything, but would you really kill me?’

‘Yes,’ Irene said. The word came out with difficulty. She looked Zayanna squarely in the eyes. ‘Listen to me, because I am being absolutely truthful. The Library is more important to me than you are. If I have to, I will give you to the dragons, or I will sell you to Lord Silver, or I will shoot you in person. That’s three things that could kill you. I’m the only person in this room who’s actually interested in keeping you alive.’ She saw doubt in Zayanna’s eyes and shifted to the Language, making the words a promise and a truth. ‘If you don’t tell me what I want to know about Alberich, then I am going to kill you.’