The Judge removed her glasses and polished them on her robe. “Every case this court tries, it asks itself whether it is too much to hope that for once counsel would rely on the strength of their arguments, and leave grandstanding for somewhere that still has grandstands. It seems we are to be disappointed once more.”

“Apologies, Your Honor,” Wakefield said.

“Who will replace you, Counsel?”

“Tara Abernathy represents Seril Undying in this matter.”

“Ah,” the Judge said, as if this explained everything. “The woman expelled from the Hidden Schools.”

“Graduated,” Wakefield said. “Technically. She is a Craftswoman in good standing.”

The Judge raised her hand. “Then let her appear.”

The sun’s last splinter passed beneath the horizon. The moon hung full.

In the ensuing pause, Daphne beneath her shells noticed how still the city seemed. They were not far up: there should have been noise, rumbles of traffic and murmurs of distant conversation. Instead she heard only a cathedral silence.

*   *   *

Cat and Raz crouched on a Business District rooftop, looking up. The court’s wheel hung naked in the sky. No lightning lanced from it, no shadow spread to devour the newly risen stars.

“You’re okay?” He touched a bruise on her arm.

“It’s fine,” she said, but did not draw her arm back. “Dockside trouble this afternoon. Big fight among the foreign sailors.”

“Rioting?”

“Not as much as you’d expect. Small disasters kept us busy. Fires. A bit of looting down by the university, kids being kids.”

“Looks like it’s time,” he said, with a nod to the sky. “That was Tara’s cue.”

“I know.”

“No word from her?”

“Not since the last nightmare two days back.” She ran her fingers through rooftop gravel. “Seril says she’ll be here, if we can hold the line.”

“How long?”

This was the part she didn’t like. No, strike that. Made it sound like there was only one part she didn’t like. “Three hours.”

“Gods.”

She didn’t give the obvious reply.

“You see why I try to have as little to do with the mainland as possible.”

“If you wanted me to believe the ocean was any better, you never should have shown me what goes on beneath.”

“I have a whole thing,” he said, “a speech, really, about how the ocean doesn’t lie to you.”

“That’s nice.”

“What if Tara doesn’t show?”

She touched the goddess statue on its chain around her neck. “Then we’ll fight.”

*   *   *

Shadows globed the circle. The Judge frowned. “Ms. Abernathy is not in evidence, Counselor.”

Wakefield nodded. “I apologize. I was not informed of her delay.”

“Will you stand for Seril, then?”

“Beyond my remit, I’m afraid.”

“In which case we’ll have to continue without counsel for the defense.”

Ramp’s smile might have been a toothpaste ad. “Our pleasure. Ms. Mains?”

Daphne opened her claws, called upon her power—and stopped.