Chapter 338I Accept the Conditions
The question settled over the sound-dampened relay chamber.
Mireva looked between Alexandra and Cassandra, then folded her wings and stepped through the reopened return route. The thick bronze door closed behind her, leaving the party alone beneath the restored bell.
The chamber doubled as a bellkeeper's workshop. Felted panels covered the walls between shelves of tuning forks, cracked bell parts, and tools made for hands with wing membranes. Even the party's shifting boots reached the restored relay as little more than a low vibration through the floor.
Cassandra stood beside the central worktable. Martin could see her arranging the answer before she gave it, but she did not retreat behind a request for more time.
"Spending the night with Martin and Katherine was not my answer," she said. "Neither was returning to this party. Intimacy was one choice. Working beside all of you was another. The harem is a separate decision."
