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recorded,” said Lyndon. “Dr. Reid?”
    The engineer cleared his throat. “I have no reservations toward Miss Wade’s acceptance into the Guild. As I have said before, she would be a valuable asset for the Guild to acquire. I vote to accept.”
    â€œDuly noted,” said Lyndon. “Now, Mr. Goss, if you would share your vote.”
    Petra held her breath and pressed closer to the door to hear the result, when she felt the wooden surface shift beneath her touch. She jumped back, but too late. The door swung open, revealing a familiar face in a scarlet uniform.
    â€œOfficer Cartwright,” she said airily, her heartbeat thundering in her ears. She swallowed against the sudden tightness in her throat and tried to make out Julian’s decision as he delivered his vote on the project. “I was just—­”
    â€œEavesdropping?” Officer Cartwright carefully closed the door behind him, shutting the rest of Julian’s words inside the council chambers. There was a slight tilt to his lips, the barest hint of a smile.
    â€œAnd if I was?” she asked.
    â€œI wouldn’t worry,” he said lightly, stepping away from the doors to stand against the wall. He fished a battered cigarette case from inside his coat. “The council is going to accept the project.”
    â€œWhat makes you say that?”
    He shrugged, lifting a hand-­rolled cigarette from its case. “The Guild needs this design of yours. My superiors have made that fact very clear to the council.” He dragged a match across the inside of the case and quickly lit the end of his cigarette as the match flared, then took a long drag before continuing. “But I thought you said you didn’t want to be a part of this war,” he said, blowing a cloud of smoke into the air. “What changed?”
    She pressed her lips together and glanced away. Everything , she wanted to say. Everything had changed.
    The soldier raised the cigarette to his lips again, but hesitated. “I thought you wanted to join the Guild on your own terms.”
    â€œI did,” she said bitterly.
    â€œYet here you are.”
    She wanted to laugh, but she felt too hollow. “Here I am.”
    He remained quiet for a moment, smoking his cigarette in silence. “Do you mind if I ask you something?” he asked, blowing another cloud of smoke across the hallway.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œWhy does the Guild council distrust you so much?” he asked. “They seem to think you’re their enemy.”
    She scoffed. “Fancy that.”
    â€œAre you?” he asked.
    â€œAm I what?”
    â€œWhat they say.”
    She arched an eyebrow. “That depends on what’s being said.”
    Footsteps approached the doors, and her throat tightened as she realized the council’s deliberation must be over already. She glanced away from the soldier, her nerves twisting into a knot in her chest.
    The door to the council chambers opened, and the clerk peered into the hall, his face betraying no hint of what the council had decided. “They’re ready for you, Miss Wade.”
    She hesitated, eyeing the soldier as he took another drag off his cigarette. She wondered what he had been told about her, what he had heard, if he knew anything close to the truth. She knew what some of the council members said about her, like Fowler, how they considered her their enemy, undeserving of the Guild’s consideration.
    But they were wrong.
    She was more deserving than anyone.
    â€œNo,” she said finally, meeting his challenging gaze with one of her own. “I’m not anything like they say.”
    His expression seemed to soften then, and she thought she saw a hint of a smile as he took another puff of his cigarette, but she did not linger after that. She left the soldier in the hall and followed the clerk into the council chambers.
    Lyndon stood as she entered, but the rest of the council members