Twelve-year-old Carmen has a secret: she can talk to her cat Grim. But the powerful Brotherhood has banned pets, and the penalty is death.
Ward is the most wanted boy in the world. The only thing standing between him and the hangman's noose is maste...
Once back outside Grim took the lead again. So it was he who reached the fork in the path first, and it was he they found standing beneath the dead tree that stood in the fork, looking up into the branches at the archon perched there. Ward had seen a fel do this before: stare at a bird, mesmerising it, pouncing. But the archon stared right back.
From the corner of his eye Ward saw Nick move. He didn't realise what was happening until Carmen cried out.
"No!"
The archon took off from the tree and soared away into the ruins, wobbling a little in flight. Nick lowered the gun and turned slowly to Carmen.
"Someone'll hear it," she said weakly.
Nick gave her a withering look and put the gun back under his travelling cloak. Ward recognised it as the barking iron Bunker had taken from Wrinkler in the alley.
Nick pressed on without a word. Carmen hung back so Ward could catch up with her.
"It'll go to Corvus," Ward said.
"It would've been like someone shooting Grim. I couldn't let him, Ward."
"You did the right thing," he said, though he wasn't sure about that. "Anyway, it was probably just any old archon."
He didn't quite believe that either.
Grim sidled along beside Carmen now, moving silently through the gloomy city, his tail coiling sinuously. Occasionally his yellow eyes flashed up at the girl. She looked back down at him. Now that he knew what to look for, Ward could tell when she was communicating with the fel: her face would slacken, as if she was starting to fall asleep.
Suddenly she shook out of her topor. Her face had drained of colour.
"No," she whispered.
"What?" Ward said.
She swallowed. Black panic was rising in her eyes.
"What is it?" Ward said.
"The archon – Ludwig – it spoke to Grim. My parents' execution hasbeen brought forward," she said, her voice rising with each word. "They'regoing to be hung at three o'clock today."
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Never shoot birds.A flamethrower is more effective.
