"Damn it!" The rune fizzled out, burning Edgar's skin as though a cigarette had been extinguished there. He squeezed the shards of Noah's stylograph tighter as he tried the tracking rune again, frowning as he tried to keep his own tool steady in an attempt to trace the intricate rune correctly this time. Joy was silent as she watched him work, sensing his need for quiet. Even Giles had the sensitivity to keep his mouth shut as Edgar looped his stylograph around, completing the complex rune. It looked a little like someone had upended a bottle of ink on the back of his hand.

He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the rune to take effect. The last time he had tried this, the person he was tracking – Lee – had been just down the corridor, hiding in an empty classroom...

There was a gentle tugging in the base of his stomach, and muddled shapes flashed in front of him. He took a deep, settling breath, and they came into focus – silhouettes of Letchworth's old redbrick buildings; a flash of messy blond hair; the shadowy Demonologie corridor... He reached for them, trying to sort through them, hoping they'd help him understand where Noah had gone –

"You got anything, Kelpheart?" Once again, as his concentration wavered, the power of the rune was shattered.

Everything faded into blackness, and Edgar opened his eyes, shooting a glare at Giles. "Not anymore." He turned to Joy. "I think the rune's messed up. It's just showing me where Noah was – at school. Will you give it a go when we get back?"

She nodded, brushing strands of her hair out of her eyes. "It's a shame he hasn't got a parabatai," she said softly, taking the shattered stylograph from him and stowing it safely in her gear jacket pocket. "Then he'd be easy to track down and keep tabs on."

Edgar gave her a curt nod, and he glanced back over at Giles. "Let's head back. Unless you have any bright ideas?" His eyes narrowed at the tall boy in front of him. In the darkness, his hair blended in with his gear, so he could have been wearing a hood.

He shook his head. "Didn't even know Eiderdown was with you. No clue where he could've gone." He brushed his hair back – it was due another gel, as in the flickering light of Noah's pocket light, Edgar could tell his quiff was a little lopsided. "You'd better tell Demonologie. A missing demonhunter is no laughing matter. The fairy needs to be cleaned up, too."

Joy nodded to him. "You're right." She tucked A Storm of Swords under her arm, and she gestured for the two of them to follow her. The journey through Portsmouth's various side streets and alleys was a long one now they were down a member, something exacerbated by the silence that cloaked the three of them. They trooped past dark terraced houses, all in various states of cleanliness; past a pub, where drunken roaring told them that a football game was on; past a couple of shabby bus shelters which weren't on their bus route, with outdated film posters peeling off the plastic structures like children's stickers.

The smell of vinegar and chips hung in the air like smog as they neared a small strip of shops, mixing with the sweet and sour smell of Chinese food, which was emanating from a small takeaway just down the road. Edgar wrinkled his nose as the three of them passed, coming to a halt just by a sign that indicated the presence of a bus stop. He glanced over at the other two – Joy had opened A Storm of Swords, and was flicking through the damaged pages; Giles was cleaning the dirt from under his nails with Joy's throwing dagger. He sighed, drawing his stylograph; he etched a healing rune onto his hand, to help heal the small burn from his failed tracking rune.

The bus arrived earlier than scheduled – Edgar checked the time on his phone – and was relatively empty; when the three of them sneaked on, past the confused driver, they were easily able to snatch seats, despite their glamour runes. The suspension must have been knackered, though – everyone on board could feel every bump in the road as though it was a pothole. Everything was shaking too much for Edgar to keep his stylograph steady, so he had to abandon his rune-drawing pursuits. Instead, he looked out the window, watching as the dim lights of residential Portsmouth flashed past the wide windows.

Finally, they drew up to the foot of the hill on which the Academy stood. A fresh breeze blew through Edgar's hair as he stepped off the bus, smelling of trees rather than of fast food. A small smile crept onto his face as the bus pulled away.

He heard Joy clear her throat, and he turned to look at her. The school rose up behind her, a grand mixture of Tudor and Victorian architecture, with its gothic buttresses and leaping gargoyles bathed in moonlight. "If you want I'll go find Lesley." He turned his attention back to her – her hair was falling out, and ichor had eaten into her gear jacket. She'd definitely need a new one. "I'll meet you back in the dorms." She was looking at him rather oddly – it took him a moment to realise that she was after his approval.

"Sure. Whatever."

The two of them started to trudge up to the school. Gravel crunched beneath their heavy leather boots, announcing their presence to anybody who was bothered to listen. The two of them could see Giles up ahead of them on the driveway, still fiddling with the dagger; Edgar's farsighted rune twinged.

The two of them were just parting ways as they heard the sweeping of a bird's wings; glancing up, Edgar caught sight of a raven circling the old buildings. It let out an odd croaky sound, followed by a caw. It echoed down from the brickwork towers.