Matthias and Wylan tossed the incinerator rope into a grimy heap and grabbed two clean coils.
Jesper took one and forced himself to his feet. He followed Kaz to the lip of the roof where Inej had secured a tether that ran from the top of the prison to the embassy sector roof below. Someone had rigged up a sling for those without the Wraith’s particular gift for flouting gravity.
“Thank the Saints, Djel, and your Aunt Eva,” Jesper said gratefully, and slid down the rope, followed by the others.
The roof of the embassy was curved, probably to keep the snow off, but it was a bit like walking on the humped back of an enormous whale. It was also decidedly more … porous than the prison roof. It was pocked with multiple points of entry – vents, chimneys, small glass domes designed to let in the light. Nina and Inej were tucked up against the base of the biggest dome, a filigreed skylight that overlooked the embassy’s entry rotunda. It didn’t offer much shelter from the dwindling rain, but should any of the guards on the ringwall turn their attention away from the approach road and onto the rooftops of the Court, the crew would be hidden from view.
Nina had Inej’s feet in her lap.
“I can’t get all the rubber off her heels,” she said, as she saw them approaching.
“Help her,” said Kaz.
“Me?” Jesper said. “You don’t mean—”
“Do it.”
Jesper crawled over to get a better look at Inej’s blistered feet, keenly aware of Kaz tracking his movements. Kaz’s reaction the last time Inej was injured had been more than a little disturbing, though this wasn’t nearly as bad as a stab wound – and this time Kaz didn’t have the Black Tips to blame. Jesper focused on the particles of rubber, trying to draw them away from Inej’s flesh the same way he’d extracted ore from the prison bars.
Inej knew his secret, but Nina was gaping at him. “You’re a Fabrikator?”
“Would you believe me if I said no?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You never asked?” he said lamely.
“Jesper—”
“Just leave it alone, Nina.” She pressed her lips together, but he knew this wasn’t the last he’d hear of it. He made himself refocus on Inej’s feet. “Saints,” he said.
Inej grimaced. “That bad?”
“No, you just have really ugly feet.”
“Ugly feet that got you on this roof.”
“But are we stuck here?” asked Nina. The Elderclock ceased its ringing, and in the silence that followed, she shut her eyes in relief. “Finally.”
“What happened at the prison?” Wylan said, that panicked crackle back in his voice. “What triggered the alarm?”
“I ran into two guards,” said Nina.
Jesper glanced up from his work. “You didn’t put them down?”
“I did. But one of them got off a few shots. Another guard came running. That was when the bells started.”
“Damn. So that’s what set off the alarm?”
“Maybe,” said Nina. “Where were you, Kaz? I wouldn’t have been in the stairwell if I hadn’t wasted time looking for you. Why didn’t you meet me on the landing?”
Kaz was peering down through the glass of the dome. “I decided to search the cells on the fifth floor, too.”
They all stared at him. Jesper felt his temper beginning to fray.
“What the hell is this?” he said. “You take off before Matthias and I get back, then you just decide to expand your search and leave Nina thinking you’re in trouble?”
“There was something I needed to take care of.”
“Not good enough.”
“I had a hunch,” Kaz said. “I followed it.”
Nina’s expression was pure disbelief. “A hunch?”
“I made a mistake,” growled Kaz. “All right?”
“No,” said Inej calmly. “You owe us an explanation.”
After a moment, Kaz said, “I went looking for Pekka Rollins.” A look passed between Kaz and Inej that Jesper didn’t understand; there was knowledge in it that he’d been locked out of.
“For Saints’ sake, why?” asked Nina.
“I wanted to know who in the Dregs leaked information to him.”
Jesper waited. “And?”
“I couldn’t find him.”
“What about the blood on your shirt?” Matthias asked.
“Run in with a guard.”
Jesper didn’t believe it.
Kaz ran a hand over his eyes. “I screwed up. I made a bad call, and I deserve the blame for it. But that doesn’t change our situation.”
“What is our situation?” Nina asked Matthias. “What will they do now?”
“The alarm was Yellow Protocol, a sector disturbance.”
Jesper pushed at his temples. “I don’t remember what that means.”
“My guess is that they think someone’s attempting a prison break. That sector is already sealed off from the rest of the Ice Court, so they’ll authorise a search, probably try to figure out who’s missing from the cells.”
“They’ll find the people we knocked out in the women’s and men’s holding areas,” said Wylan.