Kushiel's Chosen

blood-guilt I wore like shackles. A curse undone and cast anew in bitter guise; a lost son, a lost lover.
    Bright and gleaming gold, the Dogal Seal slid over Cesare Stregazza's gnarled finger.
    Kneeling on the balcony, I pitched my voice toward the echo chamber.
    "O my Beloved, why do you forsake me?"
    They had wrought well, those masons who died to keep the goddess' secrets; my own words startled me, vast and resonant, echoing from the vaulted dome itself into every corner of the Temple. Somewhere, an earthenware vessel dropped and shattered.
    I think there was no one, in that instant, who did not raise their eyes to the apex of the dome, seeking the presence of divinity. And in that moment, two years' worth of careful planning, two years of hard-won allegiances bought and sold, began to unravel.
    "It is a sign!" Cesare Stregazza cried in his quavering voice, shoving the Dogal Seal back onto his finger and curling his fist on the chair arm. "A sign!"
    "It is a trick!" Marie-Celeste Stregazza hissed, whirling in her finery. I could only guess how her gaze scalded the Priestess of the Crown, the gathered Elect. "A trick, I say! Find it out and make an end to it!"
    I had guessed aright when I guessed her the cunning one of the pair.
    The Priestess of the Crown, two of her Elect; heads turning, seeking the balcony, slow-dawning comprehension on their features. Others followed their gazes. Reacting slowly, the Dogal Guardsmen began to move indeterminately, still unable to see me.
    "What trick the truth, Serenissimans?" I called down to them. "Whom the goddess has chosen, She does not relinquish living. You are here under false prophecy, Serenissimans. Marco Stregazza seeks to seize the Doge's throne to his own ends, while Benedicte de la Courcel seeks the death of his Queen."
    And with those words, pandemonium was unleashed.
    It was the Priestess of the Crown who reacted first, swiftly, casting out her arm to point at the balcony. "An intruder dares blaspheme in the Temple of Asherat!" she cried. "Get her!"
    There was a pause, and then the Temple eunuchs moved to obey her, several on each side mounting the curving stairs, ceremonial spears held tentatively before them.
    "Now, Joscelin," I murmured over my shoulder, rising fluidly to my feet. With a grim smile, he emerged from the echo chamber, Ti-Philippe on the other side a mere step behind him. Each of them took a post at the top of the twin stairs; narrow, winding stairs defensible from above by a single armed man. The attendants halted at the first curve, untrained to combat and fearful.
    Stepping into the balcony and laying my hands on the railing, I gazed down into the Temple. Let them see me now; it no longer mattered. In the milling crowd, the divisions nonetheless showed clearly. The captain of the Dogal Guard and a full three quarters of his men looked to Marco Stregazza for guidance, while the others, bewildered, gazed from their commander to Cesare Stregazza to the other Serenissiman nobles who began to slowly size up the situation, one by one aligning themselves with the Doge, Cesare.
    Ysandre stood tall and erect, her face pale as her Cassiline Brothers formed a square around her, vambraces and daggers crossed to defend. The D'Angeline nobles fell in behind, men-at-arms fanning out to protect them.
    The old, blind priestess Bianca raised two trembling hands to the effigy of Asherat, her lips moving in prayer; with a shudder, she turned her sightless face to the Priestess of the Crown and began backing away from her, and three others of the Elect followed.
    And the D'Angeline guardsmen of the Little Court shifted as if on cue into a tight knot around Prince Benedicte and his lady wife.
    Melisande.
    She had turned and stood motionless, veiled features lifted toward the balcony, and I knew behind the crystalline shimmer that her eyes were fixed upon my face. I stared down at her, shuddering, my fingers clenched on the marble balustrade.
    "Phèdre?" It was Ysandre's voice, at once sharp and perplexed. "What in Elua's blessed name are you doing here, and what are you talking about? I thought you had gone to Ephesium!"
    "Your majesty," I said softly, not shifting my gaze. Even without the echo chamber, my voice carried at this height. "You allowed me to go in search of the traitoress Melisande Shahrizai. And I have found her," I said, lifting one arm and pointing directly at Melisande, standing proudly at Benedicte's side. "There."
    Although I cannot be sure, I