“Danaë’s? No, Madame’s?” Carlyle guessed.

“Neither. There’s one voice dictating the CFB reports, controlling so many of the letters that the trends the computers find are really only ever one person’s voice. Day by day, month by month, the trends the CFB extracts are dictated like clockwork. Darcy Sok was altering the postanalysis reports to try to counter it, fighting control with countercontrol, the closest we could get to freeing the Cousins, but that was just treading water.”

Carlyle’s throat was not yet too hardened to sob. “Who? Who’s dictating the letters?”

“You haven’t guessed?”

“MASON?”

“You really haven’t guessed. Well, I’ll tell you if you earn it.” Julia stretched back. “Meanwhile, better to dissolve the Hive and let its resources spread among the others that at least have some integrity inside.”

Carlyle made fists. “So you won’t do it?”

“What?”

“You won’t save the Cousins? You still can, all you have to do is go public about your battle with Danaë, claim that you two are responsible for all the corruption in the CFB. Do that and no one will look for anything underneath.”

Julia stroked her hair. “No. No, I think it’s time the Cousins went.”

Carlyle took a long breath, wincing as if in pain, so reluctant was she to resort to sin. “How about saving yourself?”

“What?”

“I told you I have recordings, lots of recordings. I can prove a lot of things about you, what you do here that you shouldn’t. If you tell the world you abused your position to manipulate the CFB and fight off Danaë, you lose your license for a year or so, but you save the Hive and become a hero. If you refuse to help, I’ll see to it you lose your license for a much more ignominious reason, and a much longer time.”

Julia’s eyes glittered. “Are you blackmailing me?”

“Yes, I suppose I am. I’ve been gathering evidence for a long time, recordings, tracker logs, videos.”

Julia shook her head. “Carlyle, Carlyle, Carlyle. The kinds of recordings you make by sneaking into places aren’t admissible in court—”

“Unless I take them in specific circumstances and document them in certain ways, I know that. The Commissioner General taught me.”

Julia blinked. “Papadelias?”

“I went to Papadelias a year ago, when I started to doubt what you had me doing. Papadelias was already on to you, but had no proof. I wouldn’t testify then, but I had them teach me how to gather evidence, to build a case so we could take you down if you ever used your resources for something other than good. This is too much, Julia. Even if I weren’t a Cousin I wouldn’t sit back and let you destroy a whole Hive.”

“You’re bluffing, and you’re not good at it.”

“You just can’t see me as a threat, can you?” Carlyle’s inner tumult forced out tears. “I’m not bluffing. This is your last chance, Julia. Save the Cousins.”

“No. I refuse to help a Hive that crows about being morally superior but can’t support itself without lies and blackmail. You’re proof enough in yourself. What’s the point of all the Cousins’ work keeping the other Hives civil if you’re the first to turn into brutish backstabbers when crisis comes?”