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‘That sounds like a chemical or nuclear weapon,’ someone muttered. ‘Is that possible?’

‘I doubt it,’ Wells said. ‘Scion has maintained a missile silo for many years as a deterrent, but there is no desire to use the nuclear arsenal. This acquisition was recent.’ She adjusted her spectacles. ‘Vance informed us that Operation Ventriloquist would target the Kingdom of Norway, which had long resisted pressure to convert, despite being pinned between Britain and Sweden.’

She delivered all of this levelly.

‘A week after this address from Vance,’ she said, ‘Scarlett invited me to her penthouse. I was shocked by how unwell she looked. She told me that she was a double agent, and had been since we were at Ancroft.’

I tried to imagine Burnish at the school we had both attended. Already observing Scion, even as her teachers praised her as a model student.

‘Scarlett claimed there was going to be a major leak in Scion, and told me to leave at once,’ Wells said. ‘As a military clerk, I had access to classified information on supplies and movements, which she advised me to share with Domino. She told me they could give me a new life outside Scion.’

‘Burnish confessed all this to you,’ Maria said, ‘and you did as she asked. Just like that?’

‘Scarlett was my closest friend. I trusted her. That aside, the longer I worked as a clerk, the more I had learned about the brutality that occurred during every Scion incursion. It didn’t match the promise of safety. I had nothing to keep me in England, so I agreed to go.’

I had to wonder if Burnish had singled Wells out. If she had noticed a shrewd girl at Ancroft and planted her in the Archon, so Wells could one day become an informant.

‘You say Burnish mentioned a leak,’ Nick said. ‘Did you have any idea what she meant?’

‘No,’ Wells said. ‘I’m afraid I still don’t.’

‘Please allow Aparna to finish,’ Pivot said. ‘We have a great deal to cover.’

Wells gave her a nod.

‘This was in late March. I stayed a few weeks longer, to gather a little more for Domino. We continued to pour supplies and soldiers into the second phase of Operation Madrigal, but as hard as I tried, I could obtain no specific information on Operation Ventriloquist. It was well above my security level,’ she said. ‘That is the last I saw of Scarlett.’

She returned to her seat.

‘Thank you, Aparna.’ Pivot nodded to a thickset blond man in a suit. ‘I would now like you to hear from Johan Opseth. He was previously our doublet at the Norwegian royal court.’

‘For the uninitiated,’ Ducos said, ‘a doublet is an individual who acts as an envoy for Domino in a benefactor country. This purpose is known to only one or two officials in the relevant government or court – typically the head of state and the Minister of Internal Security.’

Opseth stood. ‘Linda Groven, the Prime Minister of Norway, was always opposed to Scion, even if she maintained a position of relative neutrality in public,’ he said. ‘Given our shared border with Sweden, official policy has always been to avoid openly provoking the anchor, but also do nothing to aid it, and Norway has long been a Domino backer. However, on the eleventh of June, it joined the Republic of Scion. As confirmed by Ms Wells, Norway was formally targeted by Operation Ventriloquist in March, so this change only took three months.’

The fatigue was stealing back. I drank some more water, trying to keep my wits about me.

‘There are a few other interesting details. In early April, a popular Norwegian politician, Helen Githmark, was arrested and imprisoned for a hit and run,’ Opseth said. ‘This surprised her colleagues, as she had a spotless reputation. Over the next few weeks, other politicians and officials began to behave … uncharacteristically. Their stances towards Scion became noticeably warmer.’

I watched him, my heart thumping.

‘There is a reinforced barrier called the Brystkasse along the whole of the border between Sweden and Norway,’ Opseth said. ‘Domino had informed me of increased Scion activity near the main gate.’

‘I saw armoured vehicles heading west before I left,’ Nick said. ‘I reported it to my supervisor, who said Porträtt was investigating.’

‘Yes,’ a tall woman said. ‘I was part of that sub-network. We had been monitoring the change around the Brystkasse on the Swedish side. I trust you were alerted in good time, Johan.’

‘Yes. Your intelligence allowed me to move my associates to safety in advance,’ Opseth said. ‘I warned the Minister of Foreign Affairs. When nothing was done, I went to Queen Ingelin, who said Groven was refusing to see her. I assumed there would be an invasion, but a few days later, Groven announced a conversion to Scion, with her as Grand Inquisitor. The Brystkasse was opened from the Norwegian side shortly before the announcement, allowing Scion soldiers to cross the border unchallenged and subdue the population.’

Each of us had been given a notepad and pen. I jotted down a few points, my palms clammy.

‘Queen Ingelin was told to abdicate or be executed,’ Opseth said. ‘She chose the former. I left Norway with her entourage.’ He shook his head. ‘I cannot explain how quickly these events unfolded, or the unnerving change in the Storting. One moment, the Norwegian parliament was full of strong-willed politicians, loyal to democracy. Within three months, they were jumping at shadows and pledging allegiance to Scion. It was as if they were being … haunted.’

Hearing an amaurotic say that word gave me a chill.

‘Thank you,’ Pivot said. Opseth sat down. ‘And now for the third and final piece of the puzzle, which pertains to Italy. As we’ve heard, Norway was the first target of Operation Ventriloquist. In the weeks preceding the conversion, odd behaviour was noted in its most anti-Scion politicians. Now we are observing a similar pattern among Italian politicians, up to the highest level.’

Verca swallowed.