Like her, in a way. And maybe she’d known that weeks ago, when she saw the woman fight Penitents bare-handed. Lonely, unsure, marooned on a strange island, she saw a girl, a woman, about to make her own mistakes, and tried to save her from them.

“I am,” she said, and touched Cat’s arm. The silver shell parted, and so did the secret skin Izza wore outside her own. “Thank you.”

Then they let each other go. Izza turned to the goddess and the ghost. She cracked her knuckles. The sound did not echo. No walls off which to echo, here. “Come on. Let’s steal you.”

*   *   *

The Craftswoman turned to Kai, one eyebrow raised, silent.

“Jace,” she said, “was never working on the Order’s behalf. He operated in secret, against the island’s interests. He set all of us at risk, as your threat demonstrates. The Council of Families and the Sacerdotal Order bear no guilt for his crimes.” She was not looking at Ms. Kevarian. “In fact, that’s why Claude is here.”

Come on, she thought. Get it.

*   *   *

The goddess curled around Izza, a web of a thousand million strands, and she was in that web, and she was that web. The goddess settled over her like a mantle, like a shroud, and she felt fire on her skin, and the edge of a knife, and the weight of love.

*   *   *

“Yes,” Claude said.

Ms. Kevarian turned. Kai watched gears revolve behind Claude’s eyes. He looked younger than she’d ever seen him since his Penitence—a kid once more, watching a fight on the docks, unwilling to get involved.

“Yes?” the Craftswoman said.

Kai slid her hands into her pockets so no one could see her crossed fingers.

“We’ve come to arrest Jason Kol.” He sounded the words syllable by syllable. “For murder, and fraud, and the abuse of powers.”

Jace wheeled on him. “Claude.”

Claude kept his eyes on the Craftswoman. Kai was glad Ms. Kevarian had turned away from her. She didn’t want to see the woman’s triumph. “We have evidence,” Claude said, “that he’s been working to … to defraud his pilgrims. That he’s imprisoned people wrongly, and corrupted Penitents to help his schemes.”

And killed, she thought. Say the last bit.

“And that he has murdered an Iskari citizen. The island of Kavekana cannot countenance his actions.”

Jace stared.

“I will, naturally,” Ms. Kevarian said, “still bring suit against the Order.”

“And the Order,” Kai said, “will defend itself by disavowing Jace. He stands alone.”

Jace turned to her, and she took a step back when she saw his face. She had expected fury. She didn’t know what she saw: a slow shattering expression, a life stripped bare. He’d built a veneer of confidence over years of making what he thought were right decisions. With that scoured away, what remained wasn’t even fear.

He moved for her, fast.