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lowering her voice. ‘Power is held by the powerful.’
    Imoshen looked down. She wasn’t as powerful as the all-mothers believed. She’d killed the brotherhood gift-warriors, but it had been a matter of guile and trickery, not power.
    If it came down to a confrontation between herself and one or more of the all-fathers, then her people were lost. The brotherhoods would rise against the sisterhoods and the division would destroy the T’Enatuath. They needed to be united against King Charald. Which brought her back to this all-council.
    ‘So, in the role of causare I wield as much power as I can get away with, without driving the brotherhoods to unite against me?’ she asked Egrayne.
    Her hand of force nodded. ‘You’re a raedan, you’ll know how far to push them. And they’ll know...’ She glanced to the far side of the dome. ‘And here they come.’
    Egrayne led Imoshen down to the stage directly under the dome. As the powerful T’En males poured in and took their places on the tiered seats opposite them, Imoshen glanced over her shoulder to the sisterhood leaders.
    They were decked in silks and brocades, with jewelled pins in their long silver hair. They wore their torcs of office on their shoulders and formal robes, but they looked strained and tired. If they were anything like her, they’d been awake since yesterday morning, had spent the night fighting and the day cleaning up after the attack.
    All-mother Reoden looked particularly exhausted. Being a healer meant she had the added responsibility of deciding who was most in need of her gift. Imoshen felt for her.
    The healer came down to the last row of seats and took Imoshen’s chin in her hand to study her swollen lip. ‘What happened to you?’
    ‘The same as what happened to so many of us, but I was lucky. Arodyti came to my rescue.’ She felt Reoden gather her gift and caught her wrist. ‘No, you’ve exhausted yourself.’
    ‘And you’re about to meet King Charald. You can’t go looking beaten.’
    ‘She’s right,’ Egrayne said.
    ‘But we haven’t voted yet,’ Imoshen protested.
    They both ignored her.
    She felt the caress of Reoden’s gift as her lip was healed. Before Imoshen could thank her, one of the brotherhood leaders declared the all-council open. The three candidates were called forward and presented.
    All-father Paragian; she remembered his warriors claiming all the other brotherhoods’ banners one spring festival. How everyone had cheered. She’d heard his people were devoted to him.
    All-father Hueryx, on the other hand, was shorter and slighter of build. He’d been a scholar. He had one of those clever, sharp faces and a mouth that was inclined to mock.
    Their voices-of-reason stepped forward and delivered short speeches listing why their all-fathers should be voted causare. She thought they made good points. Then Egrayne put forward Imoshen’s case – her gift would give her a unique insight into the Mieren king.
    Not that this would do any good, if Sorne was right about the king.
    Imoshen hated being the centre of attention. She looked straight ahead, concentrating on the patterns of light glimmering on the golden tiles scattered through the dome’s mosaics.
    Then they put it to the vote. Each brotherhood or sisterhood had one vote. Two of the leaders were missing as they’d been out on estates when the attack happened, but a high-ranking brother and sister would give their leaders’ votes. It was done with a show of hands. The two brotherhoods went first: Hueryx four votes, Paragian five.
    She had the six sisterhood votes.
    Egrayne stepped forward. ‘It’s official. Imoshen will be causare of the T’Enatuath, until the emergency is over or until another causare is appointed.’ She drew Imoshen forward to stand beside her. ‘I give you T’Imoshen.’
    There was no applause. Imoshen was not welcome.
    ‘We need to work out the terms,’ Egrayne whispered in her ear. ‘Start the discussion.’
    But the council