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‘Paige Eva Mahoney,’ Carter said in steely tones, ‘you’ve taken a number of reckless actions that have resulted in serious casualties and setbacks for voyants in Scion. A few months ago, you met the Scuttling Queen of Manchester. Nerio Attard, her late father, had the full backing of the Council of Kassandra. His daughter succeeded him with our approval.’

‘Wait,’ Maria said. ‘Roberta knew about you?’

‘Yes,’ Carter said. ‘Paige Mahoney, thanks to your rash decision to release Catrin Attard from Spinningfields Prison, Roberta was killed, leaving Manchester in a state of chaos. You worked with Catrin to exploit her connection to the Vigiles.’

From the outside, I could see how bad this looked. In my desperation to destroy Senshield, I had cut a deal with a Vigile commandant and unleashed a violent mobster on Manchester.

‘I regret what happened in Manchester,’ I said. ‘You’re right to criticise my interference there. I was under a lot of pressure to deactivate Senshield, and I took a dangerous shortcut.’

‘Deactivate it?’ Carter said. ‘We hear Senshieldimprovedbecause of you. Is that true?’

‘I didn’t know that would happen,’ I said. ‘I don’t even knowwhythat happened—’

‘And yet there is a pattern forming, Paige.’

‘Are you accusing me of intentionally helping Scion?’

‘No. I am accusing you of recklessness.’

‘You have no right to judge the Underqueen,’ Maria fumed.

‘The Council of Kassandra is an arbitrator and enforcer of clairvoyant justice, as well as our rights. We choose our councillors and representatives through civilised and democratic means,’ Carter said loudly. ‘You voyants of London – the heart of Scion – have not been able to govern yourselves for many years. You’ve left us with no choice but to intervene.’

‘I was trying to change the syndicate. I was succeeding,’ I said. ‘If you’d given me more than a few months—’

‘We might have, had you not vanished off the face of the Earth. You abandoned the syndicate.’

‘Jaxon had me captured,’ I gritted out. ‘Can you notseewhat he’s doing?’

‘This is all beginning to sound quite farfetched, Paige.’

‘Then you don’t know the White Binder.’

‘No more of this,’ Nick said, his voice hushed and dangerous. ‘Take those handcuffs off Paige.’

Mistry rubbed the bridge of his nose. ‘Once again, please maintain your silence in the court.’

‘I see no court here. Paige doesn’t even have a lawyer.’

‘Oh,nowwe’re all concerned about legal procedure,’ Jaxon said. ‘I don’t recall Pantaléon Waite having a lawyer when the Underqueen turfed him out of Paris. In fact, I don’t seem to recall having representation when I was accused of running a trafficking ring, either.’

‘Again, this is not a trial, Dr Nygård,’ Kafayat Ekundayo said from her place at the table. ‘We would all prefer to avoid that. At hearings, we expect voyants to represent themselves. I assure you that if it does come to a trial, I will represent her myself, if necessary.’

‘You’ve admitted to one charge,’ Carter said to me, ‘but there is an even more serious accusation – that you have aided the Rephaim, in direct contravention of the Kassandran Code. By your own admission, you exposed the entire London syndicate to the Ranthen, whose complicity in Scion we’ve all heard you excuse. These creatures not only misuse our auras, but have imprisoned our kind for two centuries, in Oxford and Versailles.’

‘I know,’ I said, incensed. ‘I wasinOxford, and I was the one who burned down Versailles!’

It was crucial that I stayed calm, after I had beaten Jaxon, but this was more than I could take. After everything I had survived, I wouldn’t stand for it.

‘Not just that, but you’ve apparently had an affair with one of them,’ Carter went on, her face tightening. ‘The consort of the Suzerain, no less. You serve this creature, not your subjects.’

The entire chamber seemed to ice over.

‘Do I, now?’ I kept hold of my composure. ‘And who told you this?’

‘A witness.’

‘Come out and say it to my face, Jax,’ I growled. All he did was sip his wine. ‘Carter, he’s taking you for a fool. He’s the one who serves a Reph. He serves the Suzerain.’