30 and 18 both shifted in their seats. I didn’t recognize either of them from the syndicate, but my work had been limited to I-4 and occasionally, I-1 and I-5. There were thirty-three other sections they could have come from. Carl was open-mouthed.

Nobody looked at the performers. They had their art honed to perfection, and not one person cared.

“Sheol I seeks quality, not merely quantity.” Nashira ignored the lowered gazes of half her audience. “For the last few decades I have noticed a steady drop in diversity among the clairvoyants we capture. All of your skills are respected and valued by the Rephaim, but there are many talents we still require to enrich this colony. We must all learn from each other. It would not do to simply take in card-readers and palmists.

“XX-59-40 is the kind of clairvoyant we now seek. She is our very first dreamwalker. We also require sibyls and berserkers, binders and summoners, and one or two more oracles—any breeds of clairvoyant that might bring fresh insight to our ranks.”

Kathryn looked at me with her bruised eyes. Now she knew for certain that I wasn’t a fury.

“I think we could all learn a lot from 40,” David said, raising his glass. “I’m willing.”

“An excellent attitude, 12. And we do intend to learn a great deal from 40,” Nashira said, turning her gaze on me. “Which is why I will be sending her on an external assignment tomorrow.”

The veterans exchanged glances. Carl turned red as the strawberry charlotte. “I will also be sending XX-59-1. And you, 12,” Nashira continued. Now Carl looked elated. David smiled into his glass. “You will go with one of your seniors from Bone Season XIX, who will keep an eye on your performance. 30, I presume I can count on you to do this.”

30 nodded. “I’d be honored, blood-sovereign.”

“Good.”

Carl was on the edge of his seat. “What will the assignment involve, blood-sovereign?”

“We have a delicate situation to resolve. As 1 and 12 are aware, I have been asking most of the white-jackets to scry for the whereabouts of a group called the Seven Seals. They are part of the clairvoyant crime syndicate.”

I didn’t dare look up.

“The Seven Seals are known to be in possession of several rare clairvoyant types, including an oracle and a binder. In fact, the so-called White Binder is the key player of the group. From recent scrying attempts, we have deduced that they will be meeting in London the day after tomorrow. The place is called Trafalgar Square, within I Cohort, and the meeting will be at one o’clock in the morning.”

The detail they’d accumulated was incredible. But with that many voyants being used to scry at once, focusing all their energies on one section of the æther, I shouldn’t have been surprised. It would produce a similar effect to a séance.