Talon paces back and forth in front of the dais. “But it’s not as if it was only that one time, Saskia. He had a dual mastery tattoo.”

“Maybe that’s just the way the tattoo manifested. It could mean nothing,” I say.

“In context, it means something,” Niklas says. “I’m bound to Instruments and Tools, but if I were accused of constructing a building, and my mastery tattoo supported that—”

I spin to face him. “You’ve said practically nothing for more than a week, but now that a man’s life is on the line, you’re suddenly feeling chatty?”

Niklas puts both hands in the air, palms facing me, and takes a step back. “I’m just trying to help.”

“Saskia.” Tessa’s voice is reproachful, but her fingers close gently around mine. I take a deep breath and try to rein in my anger. She turns toward Bram. “You haven’t said much. What’s your opinion?”

Bram rakes his fingers through his hair. “Breakers don’t subspecialize—we’re simply assigned to Bone Breaking—so I’m not sure I’m the most qualified to give an opinion. It’s complicated. I agree with Saskia that it’s not fair, but I also agree with the rest of you that Jensen broke the law.”

“He had a good reason,” I say, letting my gaze sweep over each them. “Doesn’t that matter to any of you?”

“We weren’t asked to decide if he had a good reason,” Jacey says softly. “We were asked to decide if he’s guilty.”

I feel like a loose thread inside me has snagged on something sharp, and now I’m slowly unraveling. If my team thinks Jensen deserves to be punished, they would surely think the same of me. If they saw my mastery tattoo, would they even listen before they condemned me? Would they care that my mother only taught me bone charming to save my life? Would it matter to them that my magic was able to grow wild and free because I didn’t have a binding ceremony until I arrived at Ivory Hall? Or would they simply see three corners and call me a criminal?

For the past few weeks, I’ve let myself indulge in a fantasy that I might be able to have friends here. Allies. That, when the time was right, I’d be able to tell them everything and they would have my back. But I was wrong.

A deep well of sorrow opens in the pit of my stomach. I have nothing. No one.

“Fine,” I say, “if everyone else agrees, then I won’t interfere.”

“Saskia—” Bram says, but I hold up a hand to stop him. I turn toward Jacey.

“Tell the Grand Council that we’ve made a decision.”

Chapter Twelve

The next few days pass in a blur.