Bramwell's POV
Verath in summer was different from Verath in spring.
The city opened up — the markets broader, the crowds thicker, the particular energy of a city that comes into itself when the weather allows it. The river that ran through the lower district was high and fast. The administrative council's building sat at the city's center, its old stone face still bearing the carvings of the original territorial agreements.
We arrived two days before the hearing. Tola met us at her bookshop.
"She's been busy," Tola said. "Three weeks of meetings. The administrative council member she's worked on is a man named Harston — been on the council for twelve years, known for institutional conservatism. She's positioned herself as a reformer, if you can believe it."
I looked at Lenora.
"A re
