Free The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon Page B

yet.”
    “Yet,” Alfred said.
    I wondered whether Danica would have gone back to work immediately after the escape, and felt lower than dirt when I realized I had no idea. She only worked part-time for SciORE, but I was willing to bet that she’d reported for her shift after the rescue.
    “The new Senshield won’t be ready by Novembertide, in any case,” Nick said. “Not for citadel-wide use.”
    “They have them in the Archon already, my friend. They’ll want them in the Grand Stadium. Mark my words, they’ll have a lavish welcome ceremony for
Inquisiteur
when he arrives.”
    “ I look forward to all fifty celebratory hangings.” Nick steered me towards the staircase. “Sorry, Alfred—I should get Paige some painkillers. Good luck avoiding Minty.”
    “Hmph, not to worry. ‘Fortune, seeing that she could not make fools wise, has made them lucky.’ ”
    “Shakespeare?”
    “Montaigne.” With a click of his tongue, the scout returned his attention to his book. “Farewell, halfwit.”
    It was gloomy in the inn. We creaked up the stairs to the attic floor, where the carpet was worn thin and the walls were the dull brown of an old bruise.
    “Alfred and Jaxon go back a very long way.” Nick unlocked the door. “He’s remarkable—probably the most talented bibliomancer in the citadel. Fifty-seven years old and works eighteen hours a day. He claims he can read anything and just
sense
if it’s going to sell.”
    “Has he ever been wrong?”
    “Not to my knowledge. That’s why he’s the only psycho-scout. He put all the others out of work.”
    “What does he do for Jax?”
    “Pitches his pamphlets to the Spiritus Club, for one thing. He made a small fortune from
On the Merits
.”
    I didn’t comment.
    Nick switched on the light. The room was fairly nondescript, furnished with nothing more than a mirror, a cracked sink, and a bed with threadbare blankets. It didn’t look as if it had been dusted in a century. A few essential items from his apartment were dotted around the room.
    “Do you rent this?” I said.
    “I do. It’s not exactly Farrance’s, but sometimes I just need to be around other voyants, not including Jax. Call it a holiday home.” He steamed a flannel with hot water and passed it to me. “Tell me what happened with Hector.”
    “ He said he was going to see Jaxon.”
    “Why?”
    “The summons.” I dabbed my lips. “He was going to find out who’d sent it. He realized it was me and got the Underhand to do this.”
    He grimaced. “I wish I could say I was surprised. No meeting, then?”
    “No.”
    “Were they still going to see Jaxon?”
    “I called him to warn him. He wanted me to come to Dials. I said no.”
    “He wasn’t angry about the summons?”
    “Not as angry as I expected.” When I took the flannel from my face, it was smeared with blood and grime. “He’s threatening to make Nadine his mollisher, though.”
    “He’s been grooming her for it,
sötnos
.” When I frowned, he sighed. “Nadine was pushing to be mollisher as soon as you went missing. They’ve been having private meetings, and he’s let her do a lot of your work—collecting rent, Juditheon auctions, that sort of thing. It’ll stop if you go back, but Nadine won’t be happy about it.”
    “Why did he choose Nadine? I would have thought it’d be Zeke or Dani, as they’re furies.”
    He raised his hands. “Far be it from me to guess at the workings of Jaxon Hall’s mind. Anyway, he won’t make her mollisher unless you tell him outright that his dreamwalker will never work for him again. Do you really want to quit?”
    “No. Yes. I don’t know.” I chucked myself on to the bed. “I can’t forget what he said. That he’d make my life hell if I ever left his service.”
    “And he will. You’ll be shut out of everything if you quit. You need money. Scion watches all its employees’ bank accounts,” he warned. “I can’t keep withdrawing cash for your rent, or they’ll start