“That’s not true,” Iona replied. She could see Saori was confused. Hopefully this was a sign she was starting to work her way through the fog that had been thrown around her perceptions.

“We’ve got evidence. She confessed.”

“Confessed? Who to?”

“Clarence.”

“Who’s Clarence?”

“The king’s . . . the king’s cat, of course.” As she spoke a change came over Saori’s expression, as if she had suddenly realized the absurdity of what she’d just said.

* * *

Clarence had not spent all these years in the company of the king without learning how to sense his mood. Things were changing. The intrusion of Alyssa had disrupted the city, possibly fatally—but it might also release him before everything collapsed.

King’s Tower had many spare rooms below the king’s chambers. The king never went in any of them. Clarence opened the door to one of them now. Inside the room was a table and two chairs, where two citizens sat opposite one another.

Clarence hopped up on the table, faced one of the citizens, and said: “Starlit sky.”

* * *

Iona knew the king had a cat—he sometimes mentioned this fact in his columns—but she didn’t know anything else about it. It was the only cat in the city—another of those privileges that were exclusive to the king. However, Iona had never heard anything about the cat acting as an advisor to the king, which Saori had just claimed as if it was perfectly normal.

Saori explained that Clarence’s position, and his proximity to the king, gave him the ability to assume authority in such situations—and the simple fact was that when he did get involved in situations they were always resolved. It didn’t happen often but it was a natural part of how the city worked.

Yet he was a cat. This executive power was routinely handed to a cat.

“But everything Clarence does is on the king’s behalf,” Saori stated. “It’s all sanctioned. It’s safer for Clarence to handle it so the king doesn’t have to leave the tower—I mean we all saw what happened last time he left the tower.”

“But the king doesn’t get citizens to do this stuff,” said Iona. “He gets his cat to do it.”

“He does sometimes get citizens to do it, it’s just . . .” Saori tailed off. “The Mull of Kintyre,” she said suddenly.

Iona was surprised, but also elated, to hear these words.

“Clarence was the ship’s cat,” Saori went on, “and he didn’t talk then. Why does he talk now?”

And in that moment Iona knew who their enemy was. Every human on the ship had been tested. Every one. But not every living thing. Iona wondered how she could even begin to explain it to Saori—there was too much to tell.

“Oh fuck,” said Saori, looking from side to side in panic. “What have I done?”

They were interrupted by a loud CRACK coming from the hallway and both of them turned to look. Saori stood, went to the door, and opened it—and she made no objection when Iona followed her.