Bells woke Ismene. Her little cubicle of a room was shrouded with her hanging robes, notebooks piled up on her tiny desk. Lady Harmonia’s household was already bustling outside; the night shift was coming back from their deliveries.

  Such dreams I've been having lately, Ismene thought. I wish they were true.

  But they were only dreams. The history book the Voice had given her still had a grip on her imagination. Ismene wanted to return; but wouldn't be until Harmonia made another trip. Given the demands the Prytane was putting on Harmonia lately, it would be a while.

  Ismene rallied her energies and got up. She had work to do.

  On her doorframe, she found a note. Day shift postponed. Report to Harmonia's office on receipt.

  For the first time in a long time, Ismene's first step of the day wasn't down to the cafeteria, hear the daily prayer over the manager's offering coin, and collect a snack on her way to the workshop. Instead, she went up to the nice end of the villa, out of the worker's spaces and into the fine halls.

  After a while waiting, the secretary on duty waved Ismene in to Harmonia's office.

  "Ah, there you are." Harmonia sounded strange. Ismene couldn't really place her tone.

  "Yes, ma'am?"

  "Congratulations." Harmonia set a couple of things on her desk. Ismene recognized a House badge; a carved spiral, with a cord laced across it and back in a braid. Under that, there was a sheaf of folded papers. "I know you'll do good work for Timander. I'm a little surprised how much they're willing to give you for abandoning me."

  Ismene froze. "Ma'am?"

  After an awkward moment, Harmonia spoke. "My father approved your transfer."

  Why would Harmonia know about that? Ismene thought. The meaning took a terrible moment to break through. Oh no, Ismene realized. Oh, gods. Mother actually did it and they agreed. She hadn't thought, not for a moment, that that could actually happen. She hadn't expected to hear anything about it so quickly. The letter could have been delayed. Her mother might have sent it late on purpose. No; it might just have arrived right as Ismene left.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "Ma'am, I'm sorry. My mo—the crèche mother from my home village wanted me to transfer. She tried to negotiate it herself, but I didn't—"

  "Well," Harmonia said. She didn't sound happy, and for a moment, Ismene had hope. "That's a little irregular, but it's already done. I can't exactly go to my father and tell him to call it off, now can I?"

  "Lady Harmonia, please," Ismene said. "I don't want to leave my position—"

  "You'll do just fine," Harmonia said dismissively. "Your contract with this House is over, so don't worry about it. I won't rescind that." She held up her hand as Ismene tried to protest again. "Father would look foolish with Timander, and I won't have it."

  "I didn't agree to it," Ismene protested.

  "I don't care," Harmonia said, as if it should be obvious to all the world. "It's done, and you'll have to deal with it. It's not my problem. Take it up with Timander's scholars if you don't like it."

  Scholars, nothing. Ismene didn't have the connections to get a committee hearing in the Assembly; Timander's people wouldn't have any reason to provide that aid. Harmonia could have sent her to a scholar, one of Mellon's, and to deny that meant it was absurd to think Ismene would get anywhere in a legal sense.

  And that was really it? That was all Harmonia had to say? What about everything Ismene had done? What about helping Eryx? What about the Castle? Ismene wanted to shout at Harmonia, but she held herself together. She hoped she wouldn't cry.

  "Ma'am, I—"

  "Ma'am nothing. The matter's settled. You don't want to end up on the street instead of a promotion, do you?" Harmonia's tone told Ismene the time for pleas was over. "Go on; you're on shop duty for the next three days. I expect you to settle your things with the new lead there, and with House stores here. Then, you're officially released for travel to Dima. Your permit's in there." She gestured to the papers under the badge.

  The manager had been Ismene, until now. She wondered who had been given her place. Ismene stood, numb, until Harmonia spoke again.

  "Go on. I have places to be."

  "Yes, Harmonia," Ismene said.

  She was in the hallway before she realized she'd forgotten any title. Harmonia hadn't even bothered chiding her.

  Promotion nothing. It didn't matter what Harmonia thought about it. It didn't matter what her mother thought about it. Why didn't anyone care what Ismene thought?

  "Voice, please," she said uselessly under her breath.

  If only, she thought. For all the Hands had asked if she might stay, she had no hope any longer of seeing the Castle again. There was nothing for it. Ismene retreated to her cubicle, reeling.