‘But what did I accomplish?’ I lifted the pendant from my neck and looked at the tiny face. ‘I thought I was doing all this to regain my inheritance. I thought I would force him to give up the wealth he had stolen from my grandmother. Instead, I walked away with nothing. Not even an empty ring remains to me. Only you.’

‘Only me,’ the pendant agreed. ‘And your name. Taken back out of the dust and raised to pride once more. It is what your grandmother abandoned, and what I wished you to reclaim. Not money or jewels, but the rightful self-worth of a Lantis. You are a Bingtown Trader now, by resolution as well as by right. Perhaps you will work as a servant by day, but what you earn will be your own. And when the Bingtown Council meets, you will wield your rightful vote.’ The little face smiled up at me. The warmth in the small voice was a family’s love. ‘And that, girl, is your inheritance.’