As the block votes droned on, Carnelian became aware that the majority were now going in Nephron's favour. When the size of the blocks suddenly jumped it was obvious that the voting of the highest Houses was being declared and these too seemed to be going predominantly Nephron's way. Houses Vennel and Imago cast their block votes for Molochite, but Nephron received the endorsement of many others among whom were Aurum and Cumulus. Hope awoke in him and he tried to feed it by looking up at his father. They were winning the election. He wanted to shout it up to his father. At least they were winning. His father's misery was concealed but Carnelian knew him well enough to see it. He followed his father's fixed gaze to Ykoriana and his hope blew out. There she stood among her kin whose votes had not yet been announced. One of the highest of the Great, such as Aurum, had cast only a few hundred votes: in her own right, Ykoriana had 8,000. He felt the buzz of excitement.

'House Suth Who-goes-before for Nephron, six hundred and ten votes,' cried a homunculus.

The Chosen seemed to be quivering. The result was near.

'Lady Tiye of the Masks for Molochite, four hundred votes,' said another.

'Lady Nurpayahras of the Masks for Nephron, four hundred votes.'

'Lady Nayakarade of the Masks for Molochite, four hundred votes.'

The Regent and Jade Womb Ykoriana for Molochite, eight thousand, two hundred and twenty votes.'

The voice fell into a deep winter silence. Nothing moved except the feather flicker of the firewall.

'With his own ring added in, the total of the votes cast for Molochite of the Masks,' said the homunculi in eerie chorus, 'twenty-one thousand, one hundred and ninety-two.'

An excited murmur ran around the chamber. Carnelian caught the look of horror spreading over Spinel's face.

There was a commotion around Ykoriana. Rumour burned across the Great and spread down among the Lesser Chosen.

'She is demanding…' Carnelian heard and strained to hear more. 'She is demanding a recount.'

'With his own ring, those cast for Nephron of the Masks, twenty-one thousand, two hundred and eight.'

Carnelian saw his father turn to him, his face transfused with triumph. Carnelian swallowed, feeling his back buckling with the euphoric relief.

'Nephron is chosen by a margin of-'

The rest was lost as with a soughing like wind through a forest, the Chosen rose and turned to face Nephron in his niche.

The Wise were all turned to him. 'Behold,' their homunculi shrilled. 'He that will be They, Lords of Earth and Sky.'

The beautiful faces of the Great swam before Carnelian's eyes. Some frowned, others laughed. Spinel and the other Suth Lords looked ashen and their eyes would not hold his gaze. Jaspar was smiling at him. He started smiling back then froze as he felt the Master's eyes peeling him skin from bone. A cacophony of trumpets broke him free. He looked out across the Lesser Chosen throng and saw the snow of their faces focusing back over his shoulder. He saw the black angel coming through the Great. For a while Carnelian saw the face he expected, a face twinned to Molochite's. Something black on the forehead began his frown. His gaze snatched down to the jade eyes, searching. They saw each other as the

Turtle's Voice set the Chamber of the Three Lands trembling. The whole world was coming to pieces around him but Carnelian could do nothing but stare into Osidian's smiling eyes.

When Carnelian came back Tain was like something dead, an uninterested stranger helping him with his crowns. Carnelian became a man of wood, a frame holding up his robe. It was all he could do to stop himself from shaking his brother. He kept telling himself that Tain did not know, could not know. 'Go away,' he said.

'You need help with the robe,' said Tain.

'Go!' cried Carnelian. He watched Tain sullenly move away. The click of the door closing unleashed Carnelian's rage. He struggled to free himself from the robe. He swore. The bird-bone scaffolding was snapping like twigs. He tugged at the ridged cloth, growling curses until at last he had tumbled down from his ranga, falling like a cut-down tree, crumpling the brocades, rending samite. He lay with the bone frame jabbing into his skin, chuckling mirthlessly. He shuffled out, like a snake discarding its skin, and when he was free he kicked the glimmering golden shell aside and went to stand upon the balcony in his underclothes until the wind had numbed even his bones.

Carnelian wresded a nightmare in and out of sleep. The sweat that chilled him was his anger's cool shell. He groaned awake and Tain stirred upon the floor. He had crept back in. 'Do you want something?'

Carnelian could not make his tongue work. In the dark he could see Osidian's eyes mocking him. The lamp flared. Tain turned to face him, accusation in those eyes.

'Is something wrong?' the boy said.

'You tell me,' growled Carnelian.

Tain closed his mouth, stared through him.

Carnelian sat up. 'Blood and iron! I'm sick to my stomach of you moping around.'

He saw fire flickering in his brother's eyes as if he were seeing distant lightning.

'I don't know who you are any more. If you've something to say, say it!'

'Do you really want me to speak, Master’

That last word was the lash of a whip. Carnelian glowered. 'Let it out, curse you, just don't stand there.'

'OK, I'll speak and you can have me punished afterwards.'

'Punished-?'

'You let them slaughter him.'

Carnelian narrowed his eyes, his anger cooling under Tain's icy stare. 'What…?'

'Have you forgotten Crail so quickly, Master? Of course, I'm forgetting, he was just a slave.'

'What? He was…' Carnelian felt the pain again. 'I did what I could… even Father couldn't save him.'

'You're all the same. He lied to us, all those years he lied to us. There in his hall pretending to be an angel, our people believing he controlled the sky, the seasons and the sea. Then he left, discarding the Hold like an old shoe, and when it came down to it he couldn't even save one… old… man.'

There are things you don't know, things-' There are always things we don't know, matters beyond us that only you Masters could possibly understand. You're no different. Don't tell me you had no idea what might happen to us boys on the road.' 'I didn't want to take you-'

'What he did to me…' Tain's voice broke. 'How could you let the Master do that to me?'

'I didn't know, Tain, on my blood, I didn't know.' Carnelian was crumbling to tears. He was too tired to fight and could put up no defence.

'You let them hurt Father.' Tain was crying.

Carnelian shook his head, licking the tears from his lip.

'You let them take me,' he sobbed, 'on the road, then into the… quarantine.' His face grew dark. 'I didn't really get a chance to tell you the worst that happened, did I?' He shook his head, staring wildly. 'Do you want to know? Do you? Well, do you?'

Carnelian shook his hands up, wanting to look away.

Tain was shaking. 'Why did you let them come… to bring us here to this evil place?' He was shouting now. 'You're evil, you're all evil… you pretend to be gods but you're a disease. I hate you.' He kicked at a jar and it smashed against the wall. 'I hate you.' There was a knocking on the door. Tain ignored it. 'I hate you, I hate you all.'

The door opened and one of the tyadra peeked in. 'Master. Is everything-?'

'Get out!' Carnelian's bellow slammed the door shut.

Tain's eyes were like coals. Carnelian felt empty. He bowed his head. 'You're right, Tain. We failed you. I failed you.' He could no longer hold back the misery. Sobs shook him. 'I'm sorry.' The sobbing choked him. 'I'm so sorry.' Arms embraced him, Tain's arms, his head pressing against Carnelian's neck.