Page 53 (1/1)

Not just the

The whole carriage calass, then sections of the carriage were toppling away frolued lass in her arly clearly in the near-darkness, she saw Kai’s face looking strangely decisive His–

She had several seconds of thrashing panic before she realized that she could breathe

The three of theether at the botto continuous coil of dark water It was a flexing shifting visible current in the river, separate from the rest of the water It even felt cleaner The shattered re h the surface of the water, streetlae Kai floated a few paces ahead of herself and Vale, , but the river water filled her ears and she couldn’t hear hi that was probably What is going on, Miss Winters?

On the positive side, Irene reassured herself, heher Miss Winters She shrugged as obviously as she could, gesturing soothingly It is all under control, she mouthed back

Vale didn’t look as if he believed her, which was a shas actually were back under control To the extent that the three of them weren’t about to drown, at least

No, the real proble else entirely Now she was sure what Kai really was A river-spirit ed himself to water to save theht have cajoled or persuaded the river to help theive orders to a river

Kai was a dragon What the hell was she supposed to do about that?

And he’d chosen to reveal himself in order to save theed quite comfortably on his own But them Her and Vale It was a commitment on Kai’s part that made her worry whether she would be able to answer it She didn’t like coetrush of the current veered towards the far bank, and then lifted the three of the in an arc of dark water They were placed on the dockside, deposited as lightly as driftwood A couple of beggars who’d been nursing their hands over a s at the three of them numbly as the water sloshed over the paveain

A curl of the river still held itself aloft, curving towards where Kai stood It wasn’t quite like a serpent: the head had features soain) There was also soled eeds and dirt Its eyes glea under heavy brows This spirit was as polluted as the water itself, its body entwined with frag streaks of filth A heavy s the dock

Kai faced it and gave a small, precise inclination of his head ‘Your service is acknowledged,’ he said firmly ‘Return with my thanks and the thanks offluctuation that rippled along its body, then reared up and crashed back into the river in a spray of black water The eyes were the last thing to vanish beneath the surface of the river, disappearing slowly rather than si moment under the dark water

Vale took a step forward ‘What was that?’ he demanded, shocked ‘What did you do? What is it that you have brought into my London, sir?’

Kai turned with a snarl, his eyes an inhuas flames ‘What it was, sir, was--’

‘Was underbetween thearchaic and furious within Kai, the dragon under the human skin now very close to the surface She had to divert it now, give hiet – herself – who he si his own rules of custo to show him an inch of fear or terror or even, she hoped, nervousness ‘I have promised you est we return to your lodgings first Mr Strongrock acted on my instructions to protect and save us all’ It was a fairly small lie, really only a half-lie as lies went, because Kai had certainly known she would want him to protect all of the, e are all fighting a greater eneranted her a se of Kai’s own salutation to the river-spirit ‘Very well, Miss Winters We shall return to s I can only have faith in you, I suppose, as I have done before’

That stung As no doubt it was meant to She smiled as sweetly as she could, then turned to Kai ‘We can talk later,’ she said softly, ‘or we can talk now, but either way, I knohat you are, and it doesn’t hly of yourself,’ Kai answered, equally quietly, but far more deadly, ‘if you believe that it doesn’t le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">