Catherine got gracefully to her feet and strode to the centre chair in a swirl of soft scarlet fabric, her expression perfectly neutral.

"Catherine," the Kalindi Patriarch said. "You understand that you are under oath to speak truth, as accurately and completely as you can?"

Catherine inclined her head graciously. "Of course, Patriarch."

"Catherine," Victoria said. "Could you explain your qualifications as an observer?"

"I began training as a hunter some years ago," Catherine said, her expression never changing. "I learned hunter observation techniques and studied the laws, among other things. My training was discontinued when it was decided that it was not the most appropriate calling for me."

"I can confirm," Victoria added, "that her training ended due to a mutual decision, rather than any lack of ability. I am aware of the rumours, and I would also like to add that you have my own word that Catherine's honesty and integrity are beyond any reproach."

Elena bolted to her feet. "She stole a sensitive out from under Brock and I, and hid her tracks! That is not honesty or integrity."

Victoria's eyes never left Catherine. "Unless you have proof that it was deliberate on Catherine's part, rather than coincidence that the sensitive she hunted for herself was one you'd already chosen, then that is not relevant."

"She hid the damned trail! That is not coincidence!"

"Under the circumstances," Catherine said calmly, holding Victoria's gaze with no apparent unease, "I did not wish anyone to know that I had acquired a sensitive. Sable was already tired and easy to catch, and I admit, I did not pause to ask why. Therefore, I could take her home quickly, cover the tracks, and shield my apartment. My relationship with my grandmother was… not a positive one, and I did not wish to have to discuss the matter with her."

Elena took a breath to speak, but Victoria finally looked away from Catherine and down at Elena. Whatever she said was too low to carry, but Elena didn't voice whatever protest had been next. She crossed her arms again and glowered malevolently at Catherine.

Catherine showed no signs of noticing at all, waiting courteously for the next question.

"Catherine," Victoria said. "You've spent time around Rory Donovan, and the other Donovans. You were involved in the incident Andreas mentioned, regarding Neely's sensitive. You have read the book in question yourself. Correct?"

Catherine inclined her head again. "All correct, hunter."

"Could you please tell everyone if you have seen any evidence in favour of the charges?"

"None," Catherine said without hesitation. "The book itself is a very different viewpoint from the traditional one and the one that hunters have adopted, but some of the information in it I can verify from my own training and experience, and I find the rest plausible, if unorthodox."

Van felt guilty for ever doubting her, even for an instant.

She described what had happened with Jonathan—the official translation, at least—and asserted that she had yet to see any trace of inappropriate behaviour in the other Donovan sensitives or in Jonathan. Van heard more soft murmurs behind him as she reported, coolly and clinically, everything that had happened the first time Jonathan had accompanied Neely in public—what Felipe had done lay somewhere between attempted theft and attempted assault on Neely's own person.

Judging by the look in Elena's eyes, her hatred for Catherine was now on a par with her hatred for Brennan and Van.

Though they hadn't really begun all that long ago, Van's own nerves made it feel like they'd been at this for days already. Of course, he reminded himself dryly, he'd played this through in his imagination so many times that in a sense, he'd been in this hearing for months.

Elena said something to Victoria, who gave her a glance and a brief response before turning her attention back to Catherine.

Who completed her account, and waited quietly.

"Questions?" asked the Kalindi Patriarch.

Elena got as far as, "Did…" before Victoria interrupted with, "No questions, Elders." Elena gave her an incredulous look, and Victoria added with clear emphasis, "Everything relevant has been covered."

She's protecting Catherine, Van realized suddenly. She's doing it within the letter of the law, by forcing everyone to stay strictly to the issue, but she's nonetheless protecting Catherine from questions. Which suggests that she believes it could be detrimental to Catherine to be questioned, which it could… and that she sees a reason to protect her, despite what Catherine's family put her through.

There's something old and complex and personal between those two.

"No questions," Andreas echoed. "That was quite comprehensive."

Catherine returned to her seat and Lila, somewhere close behind Van—not close enough for him to touch any of them, of course, but just knowing they were there helped.

"Van, Andreas," the Kalindi Patriarch said. "I think we need to consider Teodor your first witness. Your second?"

Andreas, carefully, rose. "May I clarify something first, Elders? In the interests of keeping this hearing as focused as possible?"

"Please," the Ingemar Matriarch said dryly. "The more clarity and focus the better."

"I'm not asking for your verdict overall, only to get some sense of what can be taken as established rather than going over it at further length. Are Van's professional qualifications in any doubt? If so, I'd like to offer the results of my own interviews with Van's co-workers and teachers and clients along with the transcript of his post-secondary grades. His GPA of three-point-seven wasn't the highest in the class but it was higher than the class average and the overall program average."

"I believe we can consider that established," the Kalindi Patriarch said, glancing to either side in search of the nods of confirmation he received. "Intent and consequences are not necessarily synonymous with ability, but the qualifications are not in doubt."

"Would there be any purpose to my discussing the various points in history when scientific observation has been banned and persecuted because it conflicts with the dominant social philosophy, or the effects of this on the progress of knowledge? This includes, of course, not only sciences like astronomy and evolution, but also any evidence disproving popular belief that women have the minds of children or that darker skin colour equates to a lower form of humanity—ideas that were popular because they reinforced the social status quo. I'm certain the Elders are familiar with such and that the majority of those present, of any age, could think of at least an example or two."

Oh, god, Andreas, be careful, getting yourself charged because you went too far won't help anyone...

"I believe we are aware of that, yes, and you can dispense with the long list you could undoubtedly give us if we requested it."

"Then what remains in question is the effects of access to this book on tame sensitives and free sensitives. Van's hypothesis is that rigid control is unnecessary and that a sensitive treated reasonably well will put far more sincere effort into pleasing their mage out of an internal drive for approval than any external force could possibly produce. We've established that Van's mental health qualifications are excellent, so that hypothesis has to be given at least the benefit of the doubt, and if it's true, then a sensitive having access to information not only cannot interfere, but if anything it may lead to greater acceptance on the part of the sensitive of their own nature and therefore less resentment and less rebellion. I'd like to challenge every mage in this room who has a sensitive to ask that sensitive, right now at this moment, what the single worst feeling that sensitive can imagine is. Don't guess what it is. Ask. And I'd like to ask every sensitive in this room to tell the truth, no matter how frightening it is to do so."

For a moment, no one moved or spoke; then the sound began, rose, faded out again.

"Show of hands," Andreas said, without turning around to look behind him at the audience. "Was the reply you just got some variation of failing you, disappointing you, letting you down?"

Aware of the answer, and that any exceptions were highly likely to be sensitives terrorized and abused into an unnatural state of fear or apathy, Van couldn't resist looking behind him. Sure enough, there were a lot of hands showing.

The Elders weren't among them, but that meant nothing except that they were keeping their own counsel at the moment.

"We have the evidence of Teodor Alexeiev's new sensitive," Andreas said, "to suggest that there is more to the transition of a sensitive from free to tame than force. I would like to point out that Catherine Eldridge, though hunter-trained, caught and tamed her own sensitive without using violence of any sort, psychological or physical, and her sensitive Sable is respectful and obedient and absolutely devoted to her mage. Sable did not, before that, have any more knowledge of mages than any other sensitive, but I do think it should be considered further evidence that violence is not necessarily required, which suggests further reason this book should be taken seriously rather than banned. I think, however, there is a single piece of evidence that proves beyond any doubt that this book cannot be simply dismissed as dangerous propagandizing fiction, and that piece of evidence is Neely Donovan and her new sensitive. I would like, therefore, to call Neely to speak."

Neely, outwardly calm, in the kind of dressy slacks and top that left her free to move while still looking reasonably formal, strode forward to take the witness chair. Jonathan stayed a stride behind her, eyes carefully low—not normally acceptable, but they were still covered by the thirty-days law, and no one would try to tell her to leave her sensitive out of reach among so many mages. Jonathan dropped to his knees at her side without needing to be told.

"Neely," the Kalindi Patriarch said. "You understand that you are under oath to speak truth, as accurately and completely as you can?"

"Yes, of course," Neely said.

"I'd like to ask that we do something unconventional," the Santiago Matriarch said slowly. "Neely, would you be agreeable to your sensitive answering some questions?"